Crazy training for Denali

Saturday 21st March, 2009

G’day Adventure-Bunnies!

Hope you’ve all had a wild week of fun and looking forward to the weekend!
Many people ask me “What sort of training do you do to climb the ‘highest mountain in the world?”
Well, call me crazy (I am sure most people think that when they see me walking along the beach in knee-high high-altitude mountaineering boots with a pack bigger than me on my back dragging a toboggan filled with sand!) but here are my ten training tips for Denali:

  1. Acknowledge and accept your own craziness!!
  2. Carry a rice-filled (home-brand short grain rice) pack weighing 30kg along the beach…don’t forget the trekking poles for your arms!
  3. Walk up flights of stairs with that huge rice filled pack (r.f.p) as well as carrying a 5kg dumbbell in each hand!
  4. Walk on an indoor treadmill at full incline wearing a weight-filled vest.
  5. Hit the gym and lift weights…get that upper body strong and pumped for the elements of arctic conditions!
  6. Run, include hills, intervals and long endurance sessions.
  7. Walk along the beach in the thick sand carrying your r.f.p and drag a 20+kg sand-filled toboggan (to simulate a cache of equipment/food) behind you…yep this is the equivalent of my body weight I am dragging!
  8. Ride a stationary bike in a fridge…the colder the better! My big brother Darren’s industrial cool room (he is a wholesale florist) works a treat and I even get a floral aroma to excite those olfactory senses while I enjoy the 3 degree temperature!
  9. Have cold showers. Also immerse you hands in icy water for a minute then hot water for a minute, continue this rotation for 10 minutes (this manipulates the capilliary response within my peripheral blood vessels).
  10. Practice tying knots with my expedition mits on to improve my dexterity.

So there you have it. Do you think I am crazy???

Nah, just driven and excited about the challenge of standing on top of the highest point in North America! Next post I will inform you on what elements I will be facing on the ‘coldest’ mountain in the world.

Let me know what you think (honestly….don’t hold back) and tell me if you have any training tips for your adventures or sporting pursuits.

Have a wild weekend full of adventure and fun!

Stay safe and be the person you want to be and be it now!

Love
Cherie xx


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