Mountain Training

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln-D-56bqfAThis is a short video from my training today. This was a 60 minute sustained Power Hike @ 80-85% Max Heart Rate, followed by an easy descent. I increased the pace on flats and downhills to keep the heart rate where I needed it. You can view all of my training info on STRAVA, which is linked to the right of this post. Today's training was on the Appalachian Trail out of the Delaware Water Gap, on the New Jersey side. The distance totaled 5.6 miles. It was raining, slippery, and muddy. It was also humid, approximately 65 degrees. I used trekking poles for the uphills, holding them in one hand on all the short running sections during the climb. I packed them away in my Ultimate Direction "Peter Bakwin Adventure Vest" on the way down. I tested some fueling options today, since the effort was going to take me over an hour. I tried the Clif Bar "Kids Bar" about 35 minutes in. I only ate half the bar because I wanted to keep moving. I will have to try more of these as I do longer efforts later in the season. Clif Bars in general have sat well with me during longer duration stuff in the past, so we will see what this summer holds. I drank about 1 bottle total from the vest, which worked very well for transporting hydration, rain shell, and other essentials. The theme in my iPod today was Trail Runner Podcast on the climb, and music on the way down, to include "Mountain Men" by Erik the Red and "Welcome Home" by Radical Face. Enjoy the video. It got cut off at the end, but I was just about to say "Overall a good day".