Once it was clear there would be no races in 2020, I set a vert goal for the year.
I pulled a random number out of the air – 75,000 metres in vert – and decided to go for it. (Last year I reached roughly 60,000 metres in elevation gain without much thought or tracking.) I am on track to reach my goal despite the lockdown and six weeks or so of reduced mountain access thanks to the pandemic.
The vert goal was something that would challenge me both mentally and physically in a fun way. Virtual races didn’t do it for me neither did mileage goals. Reaching new heights in the Canadian Rockies was just what I needed to do on so many levels.
Navigating alone through this pandemic has been tough. I found my escape and my reprieve when I was high on a mountain top (as the song goes). (Though I admit there were several weeks in the beginning where a nice bottle of red eased my anxieties.)
With two months to go, I am sitting just beyond 67,000 metres in vertical gain. That means I’m short 8,000 metres and I have to clock at least 1,000 metres each week for the next two months. In the summer, I was getting about 3,000 metres or more of vert weekly thanks to my weekend (and some times weekday) trips to the mountains.
I’ve had so much fun summiting different mountains this summer. (Though I got a little obsessive with my tracking though.) Thanks to all my running pals who were along for the run/hike. Another goal has been to do 20 new-to-me trails and mountains in 2020. Spoiler: I surpassed this goal with no problem. I will give you my favourite highlights in an upcoming post.
But it’s now .. winter … and with winter comes poor road conditions and unstable weather. I might not get to the mountains as much as I would like too. I am confident I can get 1,000 metres in each week as long as I run at Nose Hill (where I can easily get 320 metres in a loop around the park) or another hilly trail in Calgary.
Lots of work to do over the next two months but I am excited as I get closer to reaching my goal.
Did you set any goals for 2020? Did you run any virtual races? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.