ON NATURE'S TERMS

I decide that I want to see owls tonight.  The Zuni Pine Barrens is the place to do this so I resolve to take the longer way home to Norfolk.  My wife wishes "lotsa birds" to me and I echo the sentiment inside.  I remember the first time I saw an owl at the barrens. He sat in a tree just up the trail; I stood mesmerized on the trail. We just looked at each other. It was awesome.  And so my hope is that tonight, I'll have at least a glimpse.  I comment back to her that "lotsa birds" without any attacks is what I'm looking for.

The few times I've been to Zuni Pine Barrens have been rewarding: discovery, an owl encounter, and solitude. Tonight, I am hoping for at least two of the three.  I exit the car and strip down to my shorts - the air humid and I meet nature on its terms. I strap on a light waist bag with a few essentials. I am stoked - it's about 45 minutes until sunset - this is a good time to spot an owl emerging from its daytime slumber to begin the night's hunting.

I stride well on the sandy trail.  I am some 100 yards into the barrens when I begin to feel as if a trailing piece of twine is hitting the backs of my legs. It doesn't take long for me to realize that nothing is trailing me. I am the target of a reconnaissance mission - deer flies.  I am reasonably confident in the eucalyptus oil I've sprayed on until I am bitten. Then it is less certain.  I continue on; conditions are still bearable; until I reach this one spot.  I am attacked as if I have stepped in a hive. My body contorts; I slap myself but keeping forging ahead.  I start to jog but it gets even worse.  I reach a point where I simply cannot tolerate another attack on my person.  I spin around and dart out the way I came.  At the last minute, I decide to take a trail that leads just outside the barrens.  I am relieved to discover that this area at least is not so densely populated with deer flies.

This hike has no pleasure in it for me.  The land surrounding the pine barrens looks as if it has been butchered - all is brambles with barely a trail hacked through a field.  I have a choice - since the deer flies are only intermittent here, I can press on as far as this trail goes or I can go back to the car and don my pants, shirt and hat.  I am reluctant to do this because of the heat and humidity.  So I go as far as the trail goes - a scant 15 minutes.  I am disappointed. On the return, I attempt to enter the forest, but it's as if there is an insect vigil waiting.  I push forward again, but to no avail.  The attack is renewed with a vengeance and I am relegated to running back out, slapping and swinging as I go.

I return back to the car and just sit amid the growing darkness - immensely relieved that I am literally alone.  I reflect back on the comment my wife made about her wish for "lotsa birds" and think that she must not have wished BIG enough.  There were "lotsa wings" though, and FAR too many attacks.

TAKE-AWAYS:
- Always have an alternate plan - a Plan B.
- If you choose to use a skin-friendly plant-based insect repellent when hiking, make sure it covers as wide a range of insects as possible.  Always carry a DEET alternative or live with the consequences.
- BE FLEXIBLE!!

Hiking the Flats in the Heat

So which do you think is tougher?  Hiking 8 miles in the mountains, 12 miles in the hills or 21 miles on flat gravel trail and beach?  Well, that really depends on conditions and temperature.  While it may seem that summiting a mountain might be more difficult, hiking flat trails over extreme distances and in hot humid conditions can be every bit the challenge.

And it was for me this past Thursday. I hit the trail at around 10:15 AM - with 3 liters of water and about 24 oz of Gatorade. I had pre-hydrated with 24 oz of water, a Met-Rx Protein Plus shot, and a coconut water recovery shot. Pre-hydration is really important when hiking long distances in the heat. Pre-hydration should actually begin several days vs. hours before starting the hike. 

I was carrying my Osprey Stratos 24 day pack. There was a nice breeze cutting across Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge as I started out. My goal was to make the North Carolina border in less than 4 hours - at 10.5 miles distant, that would allow an aggressive pace for the first 2 hours and several stops for photos, changing socks, and visiting the Ranger Station in False Cape State Park - about 4 miles in - the next 2 hours.

About 20 minutes or so into the hike, I spotted a deer in high brush just off to my right. He saw me and quickly darted into a copse of bushes. As I approached, he startled and quickly bounded out and I never saw him again.  He was most expert at hiding in those tall grasses. Other than the deer, I saw no other animals of the four-legged kind.  But I did encounter enough of the winged type - pelicans, osprey, terns and seagulls - all along the beach. The pelicans were somewhat amusing - they would only let me get so close and then would take off and land further down the beach - over and over again. I did see an osprey dive bomb to attempt to catch a fish - an amazing sight actually.  I once saw a bald eagle due the same thing in Maine.

I made the North Carolina border in 3.5 hours, which included a total of 20 minutes worth of stoppage.  Not too shabby.  On the return, I stayed on the beach longer - with a nice tailwind.  Even with the pre-hydrating, I ran out of water at the False Cape Landing trail back into the park. I found a shaded shelter and consumed the rest of my Gatorade and my 2nd apple.  I had another 2 miles to go to reach the Ranger station where I could refill my water bladder. Fortunately, most of it was shaded. I just kept the image of my devouring and  bathing in streams of fresh water strong in my mind, and just kept counting the miles.  When I arrived and found the water connection, it was as if water was the best thing in the world.  Ahhhh!!!  What an exciting experience that was. If the water had any unusual taste, I couldn't even tell; it tasted awesomely sweet to me. Funny thing about perspective.

Even with all of this refreshment and additional hydrating, the 4-mile trek back through Back Bay NWR still felt agonizing to me.  Maybe it was because there was no shade, or that it was still hot at 5 pm, or that I had had little sleep the night before, or that I had not hiked this kind of distance in several years - or a combination of all of these.  Fortunately, I saw no water moccasins (poisonous snakes) the entire day, so the trip back through the NWR, while a bit arduous because of heat, was relatively uneventful.

All I can say is that while I hurt for most of that day and the next, I was so glad that I hiked the 21-mile round trip to the state line and back. While hiking the flats of Back Bay NWR may not provide the same gorgeous views as ascending the mountains of Arizona, Colorado or Washington, it's always a genuine ecstasy to be out in nature's abundant riches - mountains, hills, flats, beach - it doesn't matter really.  The combination of personal challenge, solitude, inspiration discovery, and perspective provide me with all the fulfillment I require on the trail.

TAKE-AWAYS: 

1. Consider pre-hydrating at least 24 hours before a long hike, especially in the heat. 
2. Consume approximately 1 liter of fluid per hour of strenuous hiking.  Under normal circumstances, I typically consume 4 to 6 oz every 10 minutes. 
3. When hiking in the heat, be aware of symptoms of heat exhaustion: muscle cramping, feeling faint, weakness, cool, moist skin, profuse sweating, increased pulse rate.
4. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Never bite off more than you can chew.   
5. Determine what about a hike is important to you - view, photo ops, personal challenge (pace, distance, etc.), solitude, inspiration or discovery. Then be true to that. 

Weak Areas to Work On For the New Year

I'm not one for making or even considering making resolutions for the new year. They just don't work for the masses.  (Oh wait, I'm not part of the masses.)  But after some self-reflection motivated by my new book in the making, I've decided that there are several weak areas in my fitness on which I really need to work. I'm not talking about weak body parts mind you, although I DO have those. I'm talking about weak areas in my habits and patterns - which are influenced by how I think and what I value.  While I believe that thinking and values are causative, I do think that changes in habits and patterns and thinking and values can happen concurrently. Sometimes, you've got to JUST DO IT! and so here it is - my short list:

• At least one day a week, train in the morning for at least 20 minutes.
• At least one non-weekend day a week, be in bed before midnight and get 7 hours of sleep.
• Write - for my book and blog, a minimum of 15 minutes daily.

There. That's it - for now. I struggle with consistency.  For me, doing the same thing every day is a challenge.

TAKE AWAY:  One crucial question remains - How much do I truly value the discipline of consistency to achieve greatness in my life?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I wanted to wish everyone a most fit, strong, and energetic New Year - 2011.

Let this be the year of the small steps toward fitness success for you. The extra rep, the 5-minute workout, the extra 1,000 steps from a more distant parking space, the small changes in mindset, the mini-shift in your paradigm. Make this year a year of realigning your thinking, of finding your true motivation within, of having clear and vivid goals. What do you look like at the end of this year? What can you now do? What maladies do you no longer have? What obstacles have you busted through? Play the movie. What does it look like, sound like, and feel like?

TAKE AWAY:  Before you celebrate the next New Year with perhaps the same sense of resign, know that you can alter your future with every small choice you make - from today until next December.

Winter Hiking

I had a co-worker ask me recently whether I liked hiking in the cold. Because I was still in my winter break-in period, I had to answer him a resounding NO.  But now after about 2 weeks of hiking, I have to say that it really ain't so bad after all. Having the right gear makes all the difference in the world. Having warm but light and non-binding, non-bulky outer wear  is key to an enjoyable experience.

Today, it was about 39 degrees, so I was wearing a fairly tight running top and bottom by Layer 8 made of breathable polyester ($10 each at Target), a Sporthill polyethylene zip-up running sweater ($60 on sale at REI) and a pair of light-weight wind resistant gloves. When I first headed out, I was just a tad on the chilly side, which is good for me because I have a tendency to heat up pretty quickly. So I know that I'll be comfortable for most of my trip, but will most likely be a bit warm on the last leg.

I was also wearing an Osprey Raptor 10 hydration pack (about 600 cu in) and carrying a set of Komperdell spring-action trekking poles. Top[ it off with a set of Patagonia Drifter AC  hiking shoes and I was ready to hit the trail fairly quickly. Really though, you don't need expensive gear, just effective - it makes a huge difference in your enjoyment, comfort and performance.

I was out for at little under 2 hours, but only because I got started late. I had been holed up in the house and was feeling cabin fever so I really needed to get on the trail and soak in the outdoors to restore my sanity. The trail was a combination of loose and packed snow, alternating with dirt. It felt glorious crunching my way down the trail through all of that snow. Since the 14 inches of snow we received had been melting for about 2 days, there was enough snow to keep it interesting. All in all, I put in about 12,000 steps, got some awesome photos, and put in an excellent workout.

TAKE-AWAYS:  When hiking in the cold, wear light, warm, breathable clothing. Don't forget some sort of hydration; just because its cold out doesn't mean you don't need water.  If you're also hiking in snow, make sure your shoes have a solid lug pattern and have good traction on wet surfaces. Trekking poles really help for extra traction and provide needed stability and power. They can make the difference between an empowering and productive fitness hike and potential injury.

Your Fitness Revolution

Looks like I'll be starting a new website in the first quarter of the new year and I'm excited. I began thinking about how people continually try to achieve some illusive measure of fitness in their lives. For many, it's driven by the commercials they see on TV for new products - exercise equipment, diet supplements - the list goes on. During the month of January, the fitness centers are literally packed with resolution-makers.

While fitness must start with volition (intentional choice) and resolution, it is only a REVOLUTION that will upset the existing structures in a person's life - schedules, routines, habits, thoughts, movements, etc. Revolution is characterized as radical, enabled by upheaval, and identified by shift. Revolution is normally started where/when conditions have become intolerable. Existing ineffective structures are overturned. Anger is involved - which means there is emotion. Anger is an acceptable emotion as long as the outcomes can be directed postively. A fitness revolution can take place in YOUR life through a radical shift - usually in thinking first, but definitely in changing intolerable conditions - eliminating distracters and obstacles to fitness.

More to come this week as I write press forward with the VOLITION-RESOLUTION-REVOLUTION-EVOLUTION model of embedding a fitness mindset at a genetic level - within the fabric of a life.

Visualize Yourself in Action

It's been a cool and rainy day and I've been painting on my porch, trying to finish at least the first coat. I've been outside most of the afternoon and I'm tired. But considering the poor food choices I've been making recently and the new bulge in my waistline, I began thinking about rounding off my day with a power-walk in the neighborhood.  At this point, I think anything COULD have come along and convinced me to do anything but walk. I was tired and the weather wasn't exactly conducive to being outside. But it was just at that moment, at the point of indecision, that I purposefully visualized myself on a specific street in my neighborhood power-walking. I held that image in my mind until I finished cleaning up and changed clothes. It was as if I had already walked.

TAKE-AWAY:  Visualization can be a very powerful technique in your fitness toolbox. By holding an image in your mind of you engaged in fitness training, you increase your chances of actually performing the activity. Try it.

Get Angry and Get Fit

I have been making horrible choices in the last week, both in food and in the amount of sleep I've been getting. My energy levels have been so low that I haven't felt much like power-walking or strength training. With an average of 4 hours of sleep a night and eating pizza and deli sandwiches served to the class I was teaching each day

On my way home at the end of the week, I stopped in at Dairy Queen (bad choice), and got 2 chicken wraps with one free (a worse choice) and extra sauce (the worst choice). I was so angry, that I decided to take action. I immediately walked around the parking lot, then proceeded to several other locations to top out the day at just over 10,000 steps.

TAKE-AWAY:  Here's the thing - sometimes it's OK to get angry at yourself for doing something stupid - like making repeatedly poor food choices - as long as it moves you to positive action. Emotion is an important part of fitness. Drive yourself fit.

A Perfect Day to Hit the Trail

The weather today was perfect for being outside! IT was 60 to 65 degrees with plenty of sunshine and a light breeze. I was fortunate to be able to hike the Long Creek Trail in First Landing State Park. With trekking poles in hand, I spent 4+ hours pressing forward. I made the mistake though of wearing my old Oboz hiking shoes. A mistake because of the plantar fasciitis in my left foot and because of the uneven outer sole wear on the outside due to supination (foot rolling out on strike). Nevertheless, it was still an excellent hike.

I did have another opportunity to test out the new Osprey Raptor 10 hydration pack I recently purchased to replaced my failed 10-year old Camelbak Hawg. I must say that I am more than satisfied. While I was hoping for a bit more storage space, it does hold several socks, cell phone, keys, camera, and enough snacks for a half-day hike. And, most importantly, it holds a full 100-oz of that all precious liquid fuel - water. Osprey was very generous with the quality on this pack. I think the best part of the pack is the fact that they put a magnet on the mouth piece to attach to the sternum strap. It was a stroke of genius. Although the pack is really designed for bikers and allows them to drink hands-free, I find that I can do the same while hiking. The pack is supported by a semi-rigid foam board that prevents the bladder (water bag) from shaping the pack so that the rounded part no longer rides on the spine. Plus the bladder design forces it into more a D shape instead of an O - when viewed from the end.

Cramping From Dehydration

Combine 15 minutes of sauna exposure at 170 to 186 degrees and hiking in heat the next day. Now add a lack of adequate hydration after the sauna exposure (not drinking any fluid after leaving the sauna) and you have the strong probability of developing moderate to severe cramping either during physical activity and within hours after stopping.

After power-hiking about 1.75 hours at York River State Park - had to quit early due to a heel blister and some plantar fasciitis issues - and on my way home - about 60 minutes after stopping, I started feeling cramping in my fingers in both hands. I've NEVER experienced anything like it.

TAKE-AWAY: Always hydrate adequately - BEFORE - DURING  - AFTER a hike on hot humid days. Replace electrolytes (e.g., sodium, potassium) lost during intense physical training by either consuming a sports drink that includes sodium and potassium (but make sure it has less than 8 to 10% carbs so that your glucose levels don't spike, leaving you feeling drained), or electrolyte chews such as Clif Shot Bloks..

Urban Power Walking: Today's Choice - A Response to Pain

Well, that title certainly is a mouthful isn't it? But it accurately reflects the situation. With my left ankle and knee - in fact - even my left hip flexors - giving me trouble, as a fitness warrior, it's important to know when and how to back off without completely laying off.

So in this "recovery" period, you'll find me looking for ways to adapt and alter my approach -

• using 3- to 5-minute mini workouts
• slowing my pace by reducing speed or reducing stride length
• using multiple 15 to 20-minute power walk breaks
• performing Palates ball push-ups and crunches
• performing free-weight bench presses
• integrating fitness throughout the work day

And even going further by walking to nearby stores instead of driving can go a long way in helping you embed a fitness mindset into the fabric of your life.

Zuni Pine Barrens: My Latest Discovery

Just got done with an INCREDIBLE mini-hike in a most unusual place - the Zuni Pine Barrens, a joint cooperation between Old Dominion University, the Virginia Dept of Conservation, and Union Camp. It is an extremely rare ecosystem of long-leaf pines that will knock your socks off just looking at it. It was truly an unbelievable experience!!

EXTREME HEAT
It just so happens that I had been hiking just a few hours earlier in Pocahontas State Park in 101 degree heat. It was so stifling that I decided to quit after about an hour. But it seemed routine somehow. It was difficult to overcome my lethargy. Normally, in 90-degree or less weather with only moderate humidity, I can go almost 2 hours without water. Today, it was not to be. I had even pre-hydrated with 16-oz of mango green tea, 8-oz of a sports drink with electrolytes, and a protein drink. When I returned to the car a little over an hour later, I consumed the rest of the sports drink, about 24-oz of water and a papaya coolata smoothie. I was pooped!!

THE TRIP HOME AND DISCOVERY
So I headed home the long way as usual when I do Pocahontas State Park. About half-way there, I pulled off at a favorite spot and took a short 30-min nap to help regenerate. It also just so happens that this is the very turnoff that leads to the pine barrens. I had tried once before to locate what I thought was a bird observation area, thinking they it might have trails. As it turns out, the last time I had tried to locate it, I had turned around about 1/2 mile too soon. So I was delighted to see this entrance off to my right with a small parking area. Zuni Pine Barrens, 714-acres ecological preserve. What an amazing sight: thousands of long-leaf pines standing majestically rising from nutrient poor soil with ferns and other small hardy plants surrounding them.

ENERGIZED
I was suddenly energized and excited. I had discovered this awesome new hiking area with trails and, oh yes .. lots of bugs - big ones. I hadn't even gotten out of the car yet and a horse fly the size of a hornet (I'm not kidding) flew into my car. OK so the bugs weren't so energizing, but the fact that I had discovered this rare ecosystem and was now able to explore it seemed to literally melt away ALL of the fatigue. For the next 90 minutes, I was a bug-eaten, sweat dripping, hard charging explorer in this preserve. I reflected (and still am) on the ability of discovery, exploration and passion to completely drive and transform the human body through fatigue.

OWL SIGHTING
Not only that, but I was treated to a rare barred owl sighting on my way out. He flew down out of a tree close to the trail and landed on the opposite side, right on the trail. He was certainly not ignorant of my presence. He kept preening his feathers and then turning his head to check me out. When I got too close, he flew back across to the opposite side of the trail a bit farther off, but still within easy viewing. And he stayed put and continued looking at me through 3 phone calls to my son, daughter and wife. Pretty amazing. TRY THAT AT A GYM!! (OK, not having bugs IS a plus in a gym.)

TAKE-AWAYS:

• Always come to the outdoors prepared for attackers - heat, blisters, bugs, snakes, wild animals, etc.
• Know your limits and know when to call it a day.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. PRE, DURING and POST.
• Be awed at what nature serves up when you least expect it.
• Be willing to go exploring to find new hiking venues.

UYFW:

Find a way to link to your passion > there's no telling how far it may take you.