I feel like my body is conspiring against me. It started with a silly overused foot injury in January that is taking forever to heal. A few months later, my PT told me I had a lazy butt. Throw in my tendency to find tree roots that like to trip runners, I am not having a great 2021.
Friends – more than one – have said it’s because I have hit middle age. New injuries tend to emerge and old ones come back to haunt us. I didn’t hear anything past you’ve hit middle age … but whatever.
I want to make the best of our short-lived summer season in Alberta. So what are my goals?
All about the vert
Right now I am sitting at about 32,000 metre in elevation gain. I would like to reach about 100,000 metre in elevation gain in 2021. Last summer I was all about reaching my 75,000 metre elevation goal in 2021, which I smashed. I think the final tally was about 86,000 metres. When Barry asked me about my vert goal for 2021, I responded with I would like to match last year’s total. He told me I wasn’t setting my goal high enough – that I should reach for 100,000 metres. Okay let’s do it. Amanda, are you in?
Pitch a tent
I need to spend more time sleeping in a tent and waking up to the sounds of the forest. Over the winter I replaced some of my old camping gear and I even bought a new backpack. I am excited to get out there as much as I can. Ideally I would like to camp most weekends but it’s going to take some research on my part to find some crown camping areas or snag a spot at campsite. I really don’t like spending so much time driving back and forth over three days. Typically in the summer I head to the mountains on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so this will cut back on my driving time. Besides who doesn’t love falling asleep to the sound of (somewhat) silence?
Explore more new-to-me summits and trails
I loved looking at my To Do list on AllTrails last summer. I recorded every new trail and summit. I completed more than 25 new-to-me summits/trails. I had so much fun. (Thanks to Barry, Sue and Amanda for accompanying me on most of the trails.) I haven’t made my complete list yet. So if you have any ideas, please let me know in the comments below. Once again I would like to reach as many new-to-me summits as possible.
Run a race?
I am on the roster for the Lost Soul 100K Ultra in September. Injuries aside, I am still planning to run this race if it is a go. I may need to drop down to 50K if my body is ready. Week over week my mileage is steadily increasing. My pace is slower than ever but I know I can improve it if I stay (my version of) healthy. Next month I am supposed to run the Powderface 42K race in Kananaskis. I am looking at this as more of a training run so I am not too concerned about it. I just need to make the cut offs, which shouldn’t be too bad. I have done enough time on feet run/hikes over the last few weeks so I am starting to get my battered but strong mountain legs back.
What are your running/hiking related goals? Fitness goals? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.