I receive a lot of questions on instagram asking how both me and the dogs stay in shape and prepare for more difficult hikes/runs. I thought it would be helpful to write a blog post about my exercise routine to give you all a bit more information. As always, if you have questions you can always message me on Instagram.
I included two sample schedules. For the first one I picked a random two weeks in January to give you an idea of what I was doing in the winter leading up to this training plan. For the second one/current one, keep in mind I am currently training for a 15 mile race that reaches 13,000 feet of elevation gain so I am following a training plan, which I created myself with the help of multiple resources. I have attached this training plan for reference. I was already in shape, running/hiking 15+ miles per week before week 1. In general this is the frequency at which I exercise all year round, but if I wasn’t training I may not be doing quite as many miles. We are also purposely doing a lot of high elevation running and hiking to prepare for the race and prepare for summer 13er/14er climbing in general.
I have included all your questions from Instagram below as well as the main points that you all requested in the schedule which were: distance, elevation gain, elevation start/ended, how busy the trail was.
QUESTIONS FROM INSTAGRAM
Where do I start and how do I get motivated?
I am a very self motivated person and thoroughly enjoy running and hiking, but there will always be days when I don’t want to go out. Having a training plan/schedule is a huge factor in staying motivated and keeping in shape. I would highly recommend using a schedule from an online source or creating your own to hold yourself accountable!
Diet & eating before/during/after a run or hike.
Overall, I aim to eat a healthy and balanced diet and try not to eat out more than a couple times a week. I eat a minimum of three meals a day every day with lots of snacks in between.
If I run in the morning I always eat prior to running, usually while driving to the trailhead. If it’s a short run I eat a clif bar or something similar. If it is a long run I eat a bit more, such as avocado toast or almond butter toast. Before a morning hike my go to breakfast is overnight oats.
The dogs always eat breakfast before a hike (even if it is 3am). I bring treats on the hike so they snack a bit along the way. I also usually bring them a snack for the ride home after a long run or hike.
During hikes I like to snack on beef jerky or a clif bar. I focus on something that is appealing to eat and easy energy/calories, there is nothing worse than having to force down food while exercising. If it is a long hike I will bring a sandwich or burrito, something with more sustenance. During long runs I eat energy gels and chews to give me a boost of energy. My favorite brands are Gu and Skratch.
I also use Skratch recovery & hydration mix for anything longer than 1.5 hours of exercise.
After hikes, I love to grab food on the way home. Embarrassingly….my guilty pleasure is McDonalds chicken nuggets, fries and starbucks! We usually bring a lot of snack options for the drive home too!!
Any equipment at home other activities such as strength training?
I aim to do strength training once a week. I also do daily physical therapy!
I do strength and fitness with the dogs once a week using balance discs/pods. I also do a lot of rear end awareness work with them. On some runs they are on canicross harnesses and allowed to pull which is a great way to build muscle.
How do I pick a trail?
I focus on distance first and decide if I want a loop (less options) or an out and back. From there I search the AllTrails app. Out and backs are easier to find because the trail can be any length and you can just do the necessary distance. I also consider how far I want to drive, if I want to see many other people, dogs and bikes and of course the elevation gain. I have a lot of regular routes that I run frequently for shorter runs during the week. For long runs we try to be a bit more creative and not repeat the same exact route to give some extra motivation! Short answer: I spend a lot of time on AllTrails :)
Preparing for a hike or run?
I like to pack my backpack and get all my gear in the car the night before for morning activities to make the morning easier, especially if the dogs are coming. I prep my food and water the night before as well. I make sure I am well hydrated and have eaten enough food. My goal is to eat as much as possible without overdoing it.
Mentally preparing, I love a good 2000s playlist on Spotify haha!
Long car rides to trailheads are always better with your best friend.
Mantra for when it gets hard?
You will feel better afterwards.
Do something today that you are proud of.
The faster you run, the faster you’re done. Sure, you can walk but that means it is longer until you’re back to the car.
My dogs are very motivating and I am so thankful for that!! Seeing them happy out running or hiking makes me ready to go.
Clothing and Equipment
Equipment: see my previous blog post, linked here
Clothing: lots of layers. Colorado is wild in terms of temperature shifts and weather changes through the day. I usually start with more layers than I need and shed them as I warm up.I always go prepared for summer conditions and winter conditions.
Running with a Reactive Dog
Finding trails to run with Kane used to be really stressful for me. I wanted to avoid other dogs at all costs, especially where dogs would likely be off leash. Don’t get me wrong, I still try to avoid very busy trails and popular off leash trails with him for safety reasons but honestly it just got easier over time and I realized it would never be possible to completely avoid other people and dogs. When I see someone coming I always move off the trail for them to pass. If their dog is off leash I ask them to call their dog. Every successful outing and every respectful interaction makes me more confident in him and in myself. The more you get out there the more you will build that confidence and trust.
It also helps massively to have a friend with you. My best friend has learned to be our buffer. She will go grab or lure aware off leash dogs for owners that can’t recall them. She will also help me yell ahead to people and she is an extra set of eyes to watch for approaching people and/or dogs!
Rattlesnakes in the Front Range
I have lived in Colorado for 2.5 years and have been lucky enough to not see a snake on the trails yet. I dread the day I do because I am absolutely terrified of all snakes but especially rattlesnakes.
I don’t have a solution because they will always be there and will sometimes be in the middle of the trail which you can’t control. Some things I do to help mitigate risk: I don’t let the dogs venture far off the trail in the summer, they are on leash more on local trails, we go early in the morning if we stay local and we try to go to higher elevations whenever we have time so we don’t have to worry at all.
There are snake avoidance classes for dogs which I am considering doing with Nyx this year!
How do I switch out dogs mid-run?
When the weather permits and I want to run them both but either the distance is too long for them or I just don’t want to deal with watching two dogs, I bring them both. One is crated in the car while the other runs, I switch them out. This takes a bit more planning route wise because I have to end up back at the car to switch them but it works well if you’re in an area with lots of trail options. For example this week I ran on the Colorado trail. The spot I parked at was on the trail so I ran 3 miles in one direction (6 miles total) I ended up back at the car to switch dogs and then ran 3 miles in the other direction (6 miles total). Sometimes I will bring them both and just do a short 2-3 mile loop with each of them. This will be harder in the summer with warmer temperatures!
Recovery work?
I do daily stretching/yoga for about 10 minutes per day. I also see a chiropractor and physical therapist regularly for maintenance.
1-2 rest days per week for both me and the dogs
The dogs do most of the runs and hikes with me. Sometimes I only bring one dog and then the other next time. Sometimes I bring both and switch them halfway. I give them a minimum of one rest day per week, but usually aim for 2 days rest (this means no hiking or running, they still go on walks or play fetch on rest days).
Building up to longer distances and more elevation gain?
If you are new to running the hiking, a good general rule of thumb is to increase 10% distance per week to avoid overdoing it/injury. Because I have been running consistently for a long time I generally increase by 1 mile per week for my long run and increase 1-2 miles per week overall.
Don’t let yourself get ‘out of shape’. It is much harder to start over from square one than it is to maintain fitness over time.
Don’t be embarrassed to start short, low elevation gain, do a combo of running and walking and build up very slowly. If you jump straight into running or hiking longer distances you will end up hating it and lose motivation.
How does it fit into my work day?
I have a very flexible job which allows me to run before work, after work and during the week. I work at home but still work a full 8 hour day.
However, I do wake up very early sometimes to accommodate the miles I need to get in. I work half days on Wednesdays & Sundays so you will notice that Wednesdays are usually heavy exercise days.
Sample Schedule 1
I randomly picked two weeks at the end of January to give an example of what I was doing without a set training plan in the winter.
Week 1 (January 18-24)
Monday: rest day
Tuesday: 4 mile run with 780 feet of elevation gain; 40 minutes. I had a random day off work so I took Kane for a run first thing in the morning. The trailhead was 25 minutes from home. I brought Kane home and picked up Nyx. I drove an hour away to hike with her. 4 mile hike with 845 feet of elevation gain; 2.5 hours. I did not see anyone on the hike.
Wednesday: 5 mile hike; 1000 feet of elevation gain; 2 hours. My usual Wednesday half day hike. I did not see anyone. The trailhead was 1 hour from home.
Thursday: rest day
Friday: 3.75 mile run with 840 feet of elevation gain; 34 minutes. I did this in the afternoon after work. The trailhead was 25 minutes from home.
Saturday: 3.75 mile run with 840 feet of elevation gain; 38 minutes. I did this first thing in the morning. The trailhead was 25 minutes from home.
Sunday: 4 mile hike with 700 feet of elevation gain; 1.5 hours. I did this in the afternoon after working all morning. Only saw a few people. The trailhead was 45 minutes from home.
Week 2 (January 25-31)
Monday: 5 mile run with 350 feet elevation gain; 40 minutes. I did this after work and did 2.5 miles with each dog. The trailhead was 15 minutes from home.
Tuesday: rest day
Wednesday: 3.25 miles of snowshoeing with 700 feet elevation gain; 1 hour and 45 minutes. There was a lot of fresh snow making it a very slow and challenging day. I did not see anyone. The trailhead was 1 hour from home.
Thursday: 5 mile run with 564 feet elevation gain; 39 minutes. I ran with Kane and then did a cooldown jog/walk with Nyx. The trailhead was 20 minutes from home.
Friday: rest day
Saturday: half day of skiing at Winter Park followed by 2 miles of snowshoeing with the dogs.
Sunday: half day of skiing at Winter Park followed by 2 miles of snowshoeing with the dogs.
Sample Schedule 2
This schedule might not be representative of the miles all year around. This is my current schedule and part of a training plan for the Leadville Heavy Half race. Prior to this sample schedule I was running and/or hiking over 15 miles per week. I started at 3 miles as my longest run of the week and built up to these distances and elevation gain over time.
Week 1 (April 12-28)
Monday: 9.2 mile run with 1600 feet of elevation gain; 1 hour and 50 minutes. This run was purposely at high elevation, we started at 9,700 feet and climbed to 11,100 feet. I finished work early at 1pm after working extra weekend hours. The trailhead was a 1.5 hour drive from home, 3 hours of driving total. We didn’t see anyone the whole time.
Tuesday: rest day
Wednesday: Successful summit of 13er, Mt. Sniktau (see blog post for more details). High elevation hike; 3.8 miles with 1749 feet of gain, 2.5 hours. This was on my half day before working in the afternoon. The trailhead was 1 hour drive from home, 2 hours of driving total. Only saw 3 people.
Thursday: 4.25 mile run with 667 feet of elevation gain; 40 minutes. Completed after work, the trailhead was 20 minutes from home. Pretty busy since it is so close to home.
Friday: rest day
Saturday: 3.5 mile run; 227 feet of elevation gain; 30 minutes. Ran first thing in the morning. Trailhead was 15 minutes from home. Didn’t see anyone.
Sunday: Attempt at Mt. Flora summit (see blog post for more details). High elevation hike; 4 miles with 1476 feet of gain, 3 hours. Hiked first thing in the morning. Trailhead was 1 hour from home, 2 hours total of driving. Saw plenty of backcountry skiers but no other hikers.
Week 2 (April 19-25)
Monday: 7 mile run with 1110 feet of elevation gain; 1 hour 15 minutes. Started early and finished before work. Trailhead was 20 minutes from home. Saw a few people, all at the start.
Tuesday: rest day
Wednesday: 4 miles snowshoeing with 800 feet of elevation gain; 2.5 hours. This was our high elevation hike for the week, we couldn’t get higher than this due to fresh snow and avalanche risk. We started at 9,750 feet and ended at 10,460 feet. This was on my half way of work. The trailhead was 1 hour from home. Snowshoeing is a fantastic workout and so hard. Did not see anyone.
Thursday: rest day
Friday: 5 mile run with 300 feet elevation gain; 43 minutes. Completed before work. Trailhead was 15 minutes from home. Did not see anyone.
Saturday: 3 mile hike with 1328 feet elevation gain, a steep one; 1 hour 46 minutes!! Completed first thing in the morning. Trailhead was 1 hour from home. Did not see anyone.
Sunday: 4 mile run with 1859 feet elevation gain, another steep day; 58 minutes!! This was a tough amount of elevation gain in such a short distance, the uphill entailed a lot of walking. Completed first thing in the morning. Trailhead was 45 minutes from home. Did not see anyone.
Week 3 (April 26-May 2)
Monday: 3 mile hike with 802 feet of elevation gain; 1.5 hours. A short after work hike; 25 minute drive from home. Fairly busy/popular hike, even on a Monday.
Tuesday: 5 mile run with 872 feet of elevation gain; 52 minutes. Morning run before work. Trailhead was 25 minutes from home. Only saw 2 people.
Wednesday: 12 mile run with 1622 feet of elevation gain; 1 hour 50 minutes. This was on my half day, the trailhead was 1 hour from home. Did not see anyone.
Thursday: much needed rest day after the past 6 days…
Friday: 4 mile run with 400 feet of elevation gain; 38 minutes. Completed before work. Trailhead was 20 minutes from home. Did not see anyone.
Saturday: rest day
Sunday: 4.5 mile hike with 1100 feet of elevation gain; 2 hours 15 minutes. Maximum elevation was 11,924 feet. Completed first thing in the morning. Trailhead was 1 hour and 15 minutes from home. Only saw one other group on the descent.
Resources:
Link to my current plan: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zn5PRWTMl_7bWSZPRZxcdHaiu1qZkfQ0/view?usp=sharing
This website contains so many great training plans that I love. This is where I got all my training plans from until I felt equipped to create my own: https://www.halhigdon.com/training/half-marathon-training/
I have also heard great things about the Nike Run Club App and the MapMyRun VIP subscription.
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