Lindsay's training for Rainier!

Here's a look at another climber's training... Lindsay is training for a 4-day Rainier climb in August.

Climbing Mount Rainier is the latest adventure to preoccupy my busy life. Why would I do this? My answer to that would be "who wouldn't!" After reading Ed Viestur's book "No Shortcuts to the Top", both my husband and I realized that climbing Mount Rainier had to be on our list of things to do. Now that it is May, I am starting to get the itch to get out and climb. The only problem with this is I live in Edmonton. Not exactly a hilly place so training can be a challenge. I find I have always needed some kind of external motivation to keep me focused. As I am writing this blog, I realize that I need a lot of motivation...so the first step to committing to climbing Rainier has been to hook up with the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation. My husband and I are raising money to support the organization which certainly gives me an added incentive to want to train and be prepared for the climb. Friends and family are following our progress so I have to make sure I am ready!

So, how do I train? Right now, I'm gearing up for my first triathlon next weekend. In the summer, I set a goal of doing my first triathlon this spring and thought it would be perfect training for the climb. One thing I have to work on is getting enough resistance training into my schedule. I'm not a fan of weights, but I know they are really important for being prepared for climbs. I bike at least twice a week, swim twice a week and run twice a week. Softball just started on Thursday, so a little cross-training helps too! Last Sunday I was able to get out for a 35 min bike ride, Monday was a 500m swim, Tuesday was a brick workout (40 min bike/25 min run) (which I did at the gym because it was snowing out – yes, it is May), Wednesday was 30 min on the bike, Thursday I played softball, Friday was an off day, Saturday amounted to an arms and core resistance training session and Sunday will be a long run (usually over 10 Km). Most of my workouts I do solo, but I like to change it up by training with my husband. I guess we will see how training goes this week as I prepare for my race. Cheers!