physical conditioning for rainier

[Braydon]

I am will be climbing Rainier in July and am starting my training. There's one problem and it's that I HATE running! Every training schedule I look at has a running foundation! I have been going up Si, Mailbox, or Granite every weekend with a 40 pound pack for the past two months and expect to get up to around 65/70 before the climb. Do I still need to run?!?! If I can go up Mailbox in under 2.5 hours with a 60 pound pack will I still need to run

 

Thanks for the advice

[ivan]

you won't be running on rainier, unless a tauntaun is chasing you, so...

 

as long as you're in good enough shape to ascend 9000 feet in 2 days w/o stopping more than once an hour or two and not being a total piece of jelly at the end of it you'll be fine, and that's pretty easy to test below timberline

 

running is useful for developing mental hardness, but i suppose you could just jerk off w/ sandpaper for a few weeks and get the same results

 

i assume this'll be your first time on rainer - it's a fantastically cool place - enjoy

[Braydon]

Anybody have any reccomendations for a simulated Rainier(2 days, 8000-9000 feet elevation?

Thanks

[Hugh Conway]

Anybody have any reccomendations for a simulated Rainier(2 days, 8000-9000 feet elevation?

Thanks

 

A case of Marlboro Reds and a case of Mickeys.

[ashw_justin]

You could always do the South Route on Mt. Adams as a 'warmup.' The route is 'non-technical' and crevasse-free. Recommend skis/snowboard for extra training weight and improved descent on summit day, if you are a competent skier/boarder.

[mike1]

I have been going up Si, Mailbox, or Granite every weekend with a 40 pound pack for the past two months and expect to get up to around 65/70 before the climb. Do I still need to run?!?! If I can go up Mailbox in under 2.5 hours with a 60 pound pack will I still need to run

 

Thanks for the advice

Climbing is the best training for climbing.

 

Curious though... why do you hate running?

[mattp]

Your training regimen is probably better than most of those who attempt Rainier. If you are carrying 60 pound packs up mailbox peak and feeling OK, you'll be fine on Rainier.

 

If you really want to train for optimum results you'd want to find something to do midweek as well. Go to a health club and get on the stairmaster on tuesday's and thursdays (leave the pack at home unless you don't mind getting funny looks, and I doubt it is a good idea to train with a 60 pound pack 3 days a week anyway).

[HappyCamper]

mountain-biking.

 

hills.

 

lots of hills.

[ivan]

Anybody have any reccomendations for a simulated Rainier(2 days, 8000-9000 feet elevation?

Thanks

 

A case of Marlboro Reds and a case of Mickeys.

and sleeping in a train station waiting room loaded w/ meth-heads too, assuming you're staying in muir hut

[Bigtree]

Running is over rated and is very hard on the back, feet and knees.

 

I think your current workout recipe is fine, but more biking, hiking & climbing never hurt anyone.

 

Also, when I'm heading out for a conditioning hike/climb I usually pack 4 - 6 plastic gallon milk jugs filled with water up to my high point and then empty them out and save my knees for the hike/climb down.

 

[Braydon]

I don't know why I hate running? I've just never liked it. Every time I try start, after 2 weeks I get tired of it and get back on the trails.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Your training regimen is probably better than most of those who attempt Rainier. If you are carrying 60 pound packs up mailbox peak and feeling OK, you'll be fine on Rainier.

 

If you really want to train for optimum results you'd want to find something to do midweek as well. Go to a health club and get on the stairmaster on tuesday's and thursdays (leave the pack at home unless you don't mind getting funny looks, and I doubt it is a good idea to train with a 60 pound pack 3 days a week anyway).

 

hike up to camp muir.

[ivan]

I don't know why I hate running? I've just never liked it. Every time I try start, after 2 weeks I get tired of it and get back on the trails.

perhaps you're not listening to the right music or taking the right drugs?

 

or running the right courses w/ legions of bouncy-bouncing 20-somethings?

[Doug]

I use being able to climb Rainier as a conditioning benchmark. My program as it is has me running 3 days a week, a total somewhere between 15 - 20 miles. Three days as week I hit the gym and work leg muscles and a moderate upper body workout. on two of the gym days I'll do 45 minutes on the elliptical or stairmaster. If I'm training for a specific climb I take make sure I get out on a hike of 3000'+ with a moderate (25 - 30lb) load once a week.

 

One of the previous responders said that the goal is to be able to do 9000' in two days at altitude with a load and not feel like jelly. What I just described is what gets me there. Whatever gets you to that point is what works for you. Sounds like you are well on your way! Good luck!

Edited April 28, 2008 by Doug

[ivan]

also, fwiw, i've never stood at the top of that mountain and not felt like i was getting my ass kicked! alwasy felt great once i was on the way down though...X1000 once i'd re-entered the coolness and vitality of the forests below t-line.

[Doug]

bouncing co-eds do make for some pretty good inspiration; until they get out of sight and remind me of what an old geezer I am.....

[Bug]

I like running as training for Rainier because of the altitude.

Running gets your lungs ready to suck that thin air. The thinner it gets the more you will suck. For me it starts at 12000+.

All the way up to 14 I am breathing really hard and appreciate the fact that all my aveoli are ready and not busting open under the strain.

If you push yourself at the end of a climb so that you are breathing really hard for awhile, it will probably accomplish the same thing.

FYI, I don't carry heavy loads above 11K so the heavy pack training is great for getting all your gear to Muir but probably overkill for summit day. Maybe leave the pack home one out of three times and go for speed and lung training.

[STP]

I don't know if you're into aesthetics or not, or if you're doing this as some sort of penance, but I'd recommend using a lighter carrying weight of 45-48 lbs for training and for actually climbing Rainier. That's my personal preference but I also enjoyed doing peaks such as Challenger, Prussik, and even Baker via Boulder Glacier.

 

I read somewhere that you tend to thrash your body when you exceed the lactate threshold, deplete your glycogen stores, and it takes approx. 3 days to recover fully (either Twight's book or Friel's Triathletes Training Bible).

 

I believe it's a lifestyle thing. I had a training plan more or less. For instance, I'd train with a heart rate monitor and got some objective feedback. Anyway, my two cents... Have fun!

[John Frieh]

- Max # of burpess in 20 minutes. If you can do 200+ in 20 minutes see if you can do 300+ in 30 minutes.

 

- Row 5000 meters as fast as possible. For every 4 minutes that elapse get off the rower and do 20 pushups. The faster you row the less pushups you will have to do.

 

- 5 pull ups 10 push ups 15 air squats (in that order) = 1 round. See how many rounds you can get in 20 minutes. 1 round a minute is respectable.

 

- squat ladder: With a continuously running clock, use a 45# bar and perform one back squat the first minute, two back squats the second minute, three back squats the third minute... Continue until you are no longer able to complete the required number of reps. Break up the # of squats any way you want as long as you finish all of them in the time allowed

 

- At your favorite local football field: bear crawl 100 yards do 7 burpees = 1 round. Max rounds in 20 minutes.

 

- 50 double unders, 50 situps, 40 double unders, 40 situps, 30 double unders, 30 situps, 20 double unders, 20 sit ups, 10 double unders, 10 situps. Do it as fast as you can.

 

- GI Jane

[DavidHiers]

Its a matter of perspective, of course, but I don't jettison the extra weight on training days. If my knees are going to blow on a heavy descent I'd rather them blow on some lame hike than on a climb. The heavy weight forces you to control your descent speed and gait to avoid injury, which really guns the lower quads.

 

 

[marc_leclerc]

I have a question, is biking to a trail, running the trail and biking home as fast as possible a good training idea, I hate running on roads and I prefer to be in the woods...

[Bigtree]

I respect your view re: packing weight on the way down as well; however, I've come to realize at 45 that my knees are like tread ratings on tires in that they're only good for so many miles of use.

 

Also, to further clarify my earlier comments re: running being over rated, the important thing in my mind from a climbing point of view is increasing overall fitness/endurance. While you can certainly achieve this to some degree from running, I can get pretty much the same aerobic and anaerobic workout from cycling, hiking or climbing (e.g., 2 1/2 hr mountain bike ride yesterday with an average heartbeat of 136 bpm and a peak of 169 bpm).

[Bug]

Its a matter of perspective, of course, but I don't jettison the extra weight on training days. If my knees are going to blow on a heavy descent I'd rather them blow on some lame hike than on a climb. The heavy weight forces you to control your descent speed and gait to avoid injury, which really guns the lower quads.

Males loose a significant part of their ability to produce cartiledge at about 36-40. At that time any scar tissue you have built up, bone chips, rim abrasion, etc, is no longer well padded and will cause problems. As long as you keep humping heavy loads down hill you will be wearing your hips and knees out. It may sound like a worry-wart talking here but you should see my x-rays. You will end up like me unless you mellow out.

Best of luck!

[Frikadeller]

Conditioning is over rated...

 

 

Drink beer every night, smoke as much a possible...

 

 

And when it seems like it's shitty, keep going.

 

 

When it's really shitty, rip the skins, transition back to board, and soak it up.

 

Edited April 30, 2008 by Frikadeller

[Bug]

Young buck re-inventing pain.