Amandaba respawns. Time to get serious.

[Amandaba]

A little about myself to start, I joined Nerdfitness nearly 10 years ago after. I had promised my zombie loving friend I'd complete the Run For Your Lives Zombie 5k obstacle course with her. I was a year out from reconstructive knee surgery, wanted to get as prepared as I could for the race and when searching for tips how to do a pull up found Nerdfitness.  I didn't progress far enough in time to do a pull up but I was strong enough to complete the obstacles. One of which were adult sized monkey bars-something I NEVER was able to do prior to this. 

 

Between work injuries and personal stressors I've been off and on with Nerdfitness, working out and eating healthy (more off than on) these past 10 years., but I find when I have a goal with a deadline (like the 5k) I do so much better with being consistent.

 

My current motivation is the looming  Half Dome hike at Yosemite National Park next  year.  I and my friends have gone on a few hiking trips over the past 10 years. In 2017 we went to Zion National Park and at the pleading of one of my friends, hiked Angel's Landing. I am still so proud I was able to complete it (even if I had to stop several times on the way up the switchbacks-in those moments I decided switchbacks were my arch nemesis).   (pic if of me hiking up Angel's Landing)

 

Upon return from that trip he told me he wanted to hike Yosemite's Half dome and proceeded to show me photos. With which I asked him if he was trying to kill me. That I'd have to lose about 50 pounds first. Well, it's been a few years now, we've been to Glacier, Acadia, and Olympic National Parks. A couple of months prior to Olympic I discovered the incline trainer at my gym that takes you on virtual hikes and adjusts the speed and incline to match the trail. My friend commented that I was doing so much better this trip in managing the elevation changes on our hikes. I wasn't needing to stop to catch my breath. We are initially supposed to do Yosemite and therefore Half Dome this past week but I convinced him to give me ONE MORE YEAR on the incline trainer since it had made such a difference in a couple of months I had been using it. He agreed and instead we went to Red Wood National and State Parks, Crater Lake, and Lassen Volcanic National Park.  I haven't been able to use the incline trainer as much as I wanted (the last few months people have decided the incline trainer is a treadmill and are using it as such which is frustrating since there are only 4 incline trainers and the two rows of treadmills are never full). So I got a bit more winded than I hoped but still did not need to take any breaks and could keep up conversation (even if broken at times). 

 

He mentioned on a trip a couple of years ago he really wanted to complete this hike before he is 40,  which is September 2025. I have been pushing him off year after year for fear of not being able to complete it due to my obesity, not being physically prepared, and my leg not holding out for the hike and giving out on me either near the top or on the way down.

 

A big issue I have is my knee. Due to a snowboarding injury and the resulting surgery I do not have the same endurance in my left leg as my right. At Acadia we hiked the Bee Hive and while I did not waver during that hike, I could barely walk the next day as my knee kept giving out and had to wait by the car while my friends hiked the Precipice trail the next day. I was pretty disappointed in myself. 

 

Long story short I need to get my butt in gear so I can have a year to get as prepared as possible.  

 

Half Dome is 14 miles long, planned 12 hour hike, 4,8000 elevation gain. The cables pictured below are for hikers to climb the last 400 feet to the summit without rock climbing equipment

 

 

 

 

My diet is also a mess.  I don't have much time to cook and many times will get food from the cafeteria at work and a drive through or frozen pizza at home. 1-2 weekends a month I travel across the state to visit my grandfather for the weekend and cook some meals for him that my grandma used to make. This makes it difficult to prep meals for myself for the next week, which is something I'll have to work on figuring out a solution for.

 

OK so long backstory complete.

 

My ultimate goal is to lose 50 pounds by Yosemite and in the process of doing this be able to complete Half Dome.

 

[Elastigirl]

Following and cheering you on!

[ViperN7]

That sounds like an amazing adventure! 

Cheering you on ?