Blog Archives

Fitness Goals

8/25/2012

Now that we are home from our summer of hiking, I'm ready to start setting a few new fitness goals. The thing about hiking for 4 months is that it leaves you with amazing endurance and seriously strong legs, but it leaves your upper body strength and flexibility in a sad, sad state.

Not that this is a surprise or anything. There are people who take time to do pull-ups, push-ups and yoga on the trail so that they can avoid this very situation, but folks, I was just not one of them. In the beginning I did my fair share of yoga, but we were only hiking 10-12 miles then and I had extra time in my day. That only lasted a month though...and so did my yoga.

But that's OK. I was hiking and had different goals for a temporary period of time. Flash forward to the now and I'm ready to adjust my goals again. I've given it some thought (while scrolling through Pinterest and staring at the pictures of buff arms) and I've got two sets of goals.

My first goal is simply to restore balance to my overall health in this first month.

I will be starting each day with my morning yoga routine and adding more challenging poses as I go along. My focus will be on my core strength, lower back stretches and arm balances.
My arms are in a weak and undefined state so I've decided to give myself a push-up challenge. Everyday I will do 2 sets of 10 standard push-ups and 2 sets of 10 tricep push-ups. Each week I will add another set of 10 to each and an additional set of 10 for one other kind of push-up that will change each week. So week one will be 40 push-ups per day, week two will be 70, week three 100 and week four will be 130.
Since my endurance is in a good place right now I just want to maintain it. I'm going to run outside a few times a week and aim for 20-25 miles a week to start. I'll see how it feels for both me and Rooney (the best running buddy ever) and adjust mileage accordingly.
I also want to keep my calorie burning at it's peak so I'm going to lift free weights at home and just do some basic moves to start. I've been using only my own body weight and nature to stay fit for the past few months so I'm going to start simple with the weights.

My goals for the long-term are to work more on definition, but I don't have specific things that I am working towards just yet. Once I make a little more progress on my first set of goals, I'll start planning for the next.

Rooney and I on the AT. Somewhere in VA.

Before I go, I want to give you guys a quick update on how it's going so far.

It's only been about 3 days so I'm still in that "yay! new goals!" stage, but I can tell you that starting my with yoga and weights is pretty amazing. My lower back is feeling much stronger and my flexibility is already starting to return.
I've gone on 2 runs so far, each were about 5 miles long. I felt great and didn't have any trouble with it, even though it's been in the 90's here. It's nice to know that I haven't lost it!
The weights have been so-so, but that's only because I don't see the change immediately and I just have to trust that I'm making a difference.
The push-ups are pretty awesome. Nothing makes me feel stronger than finishing a set and even though I'm shaking a bit at the end, it's kind of great. Excited to keep this little challenge up.

That's it for today. Enjoy the weekend!

~Jill

0 Comments

THANK YOU

8/21/2012

4 Comments

This summer was truly amazing and it wouldn't have been possible without the love, support and encouragement from our amazing friends and family. This post is dedicated to you all. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

The Letter People - JT, L and E. The patience and helpfulness you showed us are beyond words. I can't imagine a better support crew and we are so grateful that you stuck with us through the many plan changes. The notes of encouragement and delicious snacks were so special and we're lucky to have you as friends. Thank you.

Our Parents - Not all parents would be thrilled if their 30-something kids quit their jobs to walk around for a summer, but ours were. Both sets of parents were supportive and downright excited for us. They met us several times on the trail and couldn't have been more positive. They're pretty adventurous too - spending their time in RV's traveling the country. We are lucky, lucky kids. Thank you.

My Brother - I always felt fortunate to have the sibling that I do, but he continues to amaze me. He's younger, but his advice always reminds me that he is wiser. And when we felt stuck in the middle of nowhere, he drove 20 hours in two days to get us. Quite simply, he is fantastic. Thank you.

People Who Housed Us - Along the way, we were invited to stay with friends who were close to the trail. Understand that we smelled awful, ate our weight in food daily and came with a giant dog, so we were not exactly ideal house guests. Yet still, we were welcomed by these special folks.

Walka - He hiked with Serial in '08 and invited us to stay for a night with him, his fiance and their two dogs. We ended up staying two nights and he even invited our friend TK to join too. They were truly generous and it was a well-timed visit since Serial was recovering from an illness. Thank you.
The Letter People - As if they weren't doing enough, they shuttled us to and from the trail and allowed us to stay with them on their farm. It was amazing to eat fresh greens from their garden and let Rooney play with his buddy, Runner. Thank you.
Christine & Brian - They are former thru-hikers who met on the trail and later got married (how cute, right?) so they knew exactly what we needed. They gave us space to spread out and a yard for Rooney to play in with their sweet doggies. Thank you.
Dennett - He let 30 of our friends tent in his yard and he opened his home to us. Let me say that first part again. He let 30 of our smelly hiker friends tent in his yard. That's a lot of hiker mess to invade his space. Thank you.
Angie - She literally moved out of her house and stayed with her boyfriend to allow us to stay there. Right after she had a cast put on her foot. Thank you.
Steve & Lauren - Serial's parents who live in a fifth wheel full-time while they tour the country. They obviously have limited space, but they welcomed us with open arms several times along the trail. They even gave us the bedroom. Thank you.
Karen & George - Karen drove an hour to pick us up and another hour to drop us off, just so we could have a weekend of relaxation with her and her husband. She made us delicious meals and gave us a basement fit for royalty to post up in. George even took us out on the Susquehanna River and taught us how to paddle. It was the perfect getaway. Thank you.
Joel & Amanda - They picked us up and hosted us in their amazing home in NJ. It was perfect timing because Rooney was still wearing his cast and they were so understanding and kind, even though it meant their cats had to stay confined to one half of the apartment while Rooney was in the other. Thank you.
Mitch - We stayed with my brother before the hike and now again at the end. There isn't enough room on the internet to thank him enough for all that he has done for us. Thank you.

Family - Serial and I both come from large extended families and having that many aunts, uncles and cousins cheering us on was amazing. Every time I sent an email update out, I received back loads of love. Thank you.

Friends - Our friends had some pretty major life milestones happening while we were gone and they still found time to send us love. Newlyweds, busy parents and three close friends that had brand new babies this summer (welcome to the world Finn, Ashlyn and Lily!!) and yet still they were there cheering us on. Pretty amazing.

Damascus Friends - A special shout-out to the people who put planted the hiking seed. Without the experience of living in Damascus, I would not have the passion for the outdoors that I do. Running, hiking, gardening, bonfires, building something from nothing (DD!)...all examples of what Damascus is about. Thank you.

Coworkers - I work in a corporate environment and that's not typically what you think of when you hear "hiker". But when I told my coworkers that I was going to take time off of working to spend a summer hiking, they showed nothing but support and encouragement. They sent packages along the way and emailed us all the time. Thank you.

Trail Friends - One of the best parts of hiking is the people that you meet. We were so lucky to have a great crew of people around us and I consider them friends for life. If they ever needed anything, I would be right there for them. TK, Octo, Brown, Hook, Solsbury, Ginger, Red, Little Foot, Bearcub, Guy Line, Mayor, Mountain Goat, Disco, Piedmont, Ghost Smoke, Sherbert, Fudgie, Sancho, Gator, Rudy, Flinstone, Strawberry. Thank you.

Kind Strangers - We encountered so many instances of kindness from complete strangers. Thank you taking a few minutes out of your day to help make ours better. Thank you.

~Jill, Terry & Rooney

4 Comments

The Windy (fast, loud & beautiful) City

8/21/2012

0 Comments

After a whirlwind couple of weeks, we are back in Chicago again! Let me give you a rundown of how we got here and what's going on with us these days.

When we last talked, the three of us had decided to leave the AT and start a new adventure on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail. (You can read more about the reasons here). My really amazing & accommodating brother dropped us off in Pittsburgh, PA and after furiously googling everything we could on our new trail, we set off to hike it.

The GAP trail is a "rails to trails" path that is primarily used for biking, but hiking and jogging are common too. It's really flat and is mostly made of crushed limestone, but parts are paved too. It weaves through towns that are teeny tiny and some that are larger too. You travel along water almost the entire way, but from what we saw, not a ton of access to it. The GAP trail runs from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD where it connects with the C&O trail, which is very similar. The C&O takes you from Cumberland all the way to Washington D.C.

Day 1 on the trail was a rough one. Most of the trail has tree cover and is peppered with views of the water or trees. The initial stretch out of Pittsburgh though... that part is a bit different. Looking back on it we should have realized that the trail wouldn't be green and woods-like in such a big city, but we didn't think it would be so urban. There was ZERO tree cover and the trail was entirely paved in the beginning. Not a big deal if you're biking, but when you're walking it's pretty rough. We were sweating and really struggling to stay hydrated and comfortable. By the time we finally made it to McKeesport, one of the first towns out of Pittsburgh, we were spent.

We stopped to take a break at a gas station that had a shaded. grassy area and collected our thoughts. At this point, Rooney was really over-heated and we didn't want to make him do anything else. He was showing all of the classic signs of "nope, not doing this anymore" so we called a cab and got a hotel for the night. This was Day 1 and we were in a hotel already - not the best start. In all honesty though, we really needed it. It wasn't just Rooney; Serial and I were spent too. I remember we were walking in to the hotel and Serial said, without a hint of sarcasm, "I could just live in a hotel. I'd never go outdoors again and I'd be okay with that." I looked at him like, "who are you?!?" and realized that the heat had really done a number on him too.

While we were in the hotel, we did more research and found where the trail picked up tree cover and resembled more of a trail rather than a city park. So we packed up and skipped ahead about 10 miles to give it another go. From this point on, we were back to our normal selves and hiking was fun again. The trail is very different from what we were used to and it was strange not being able to camp anywhere we wanted, but it was all part of the adventure.

My only "complaint" really is that the flat ground took a toll on my feet. You would think walking a flat surface would be easier than climbing the mountains on the AT, but it's not. At least on the AT your feet are constantly adjusting to roots, rocks and anything else in the path. But on a flat trail your feet do one consistent motion repeatedly which really puts a strain on one or two key pressure points. Last fall I stress-fractured my foot while running on a trail really similar to this one and I could feel that exact same injury coming back again.

So, getting back to the now and how we got to Chicago. As you probably guessed by now, we didn't finish the GAP trail. The main reason is that my foot was getting to the point where I couldn't walk on it without serious pain. At the end, a ranger actually shuttled us off the trail so I wouldn't have to walk any further. There are a few secondary reasons as well, but the bottom line is we are back home and excited about it. I can't say that Chicago is home for forever just yet, but it's home for the near future and it will be a great time. This is the city that we met in, the city that holds so many friends and family members, and the city that is so nearby our MI/OH family.

We are both taking some time to readjust to living in a city again and spend time with my brother, who is putting us up until our condo is ready. We found a great dog park for Rooney, Serial found pick-up soccer and basketball games and I've been jogging the city streets. We soaked up the farmers market, spent time with my parents, celebrated birthdays and relaxed as a family. We met babies that were born while we were gone (3 of my good friends had children this summer! cuteness overload!!) and caught up with friends. In short, we've had a good couple of days!

We still have SO many people to see and catch up with. And plenty to do once our condo is ready for us to move into. Oh, and there's that silly little task of getting jobs :-) But for now, we're taking it one day at a time and enjoying everything we can.

~Jill

0 Comments

Big Changes

8/7/2012

16 Comments

Friends, we have so much to fill you in on. The past week hasn't had much hiking because we have been letting Rooney heal up and taking a few days to enjoy NYC with friends. Tomorrow we head back out to the trail, but not to the AT.

I'll wait a minute while you process that. Heck, I'm still processing it.

For a number of reasons we won't be hiking the AT any further this year. It's a combination of things from money to schedule to work and everything in between. It basically boils down to this: we have one month of hiking left before we need to return to our lives.

So we weighed three options for how we wanted to spend this month. Option 1 was to shuttle up to the Whites in NH and hike to Katahdin. Option 2 was to hike from MA to VT. Option 3 was to do a totally different trail.

We picked option 3 and we're really excited about it. Of course we have mixed emotions about leaving the AT and I already miss it, but I'm not one to dwell on a decision and question it. I'd rather be positive and focus on the adventure in front of us.

Ok, ok, so you probably want to know what that adventure is. Drumroll... the Great Allegheny Passage. It's a rail to trail line that runs from Pittsburgh to Washington DC and is about 330 miles total. We actually crossed this trail on the AT and it caught our eye. We made a note to hike it one day...we just didn't think it would be today! But there are a lot of positive aspects that just made it appealing to us.

It's incredibly flat so it will be gentle on Rooney while he is finishing out his meds and will allow us to log more miles each day.

It's closer to Chicago and will be easy to get home from in Sept.

It's near plenty of towns so I can be looking for work and possibly interviewing along the way.

We will get to hike the full trail in one shot. It's not easy to give up on our goal of an AT thru hike and thru hiking this trail gives us a different goal to work towards.

So that's our big news. I hope you guys can continue to support and love us like you have through our AT hike. It wasn't a decision that we made lightly and we truly think it's the best choice for all 3 of us. We are proud of what we accomplished on the AT...1300 miles and 8 states. Once we complete the Allegheny it will be over 1600 miles and five months of hiking this summer. Not too shabby!

I'll continue to post updates here and keep in touch like we did on the AT. Until then, we appreciate you all and hope you're enjoying your summer as much as we are.

Much love.

~Minutes, Serial and Rooney

16 Comments

AnaplasHUH??

8/7/2012

6 Comments

When I tell people that we are living in the woods and hiking everyday for 5 months, I often hear "aren't you scared of bears?"

My answer is always the same...I'm much more afraid of ticks and mosquitos. The tiniest little buggers can truly do the most damage. They can carry things like West Nile or Lymes Disease. Or Anaplasmosis.

Yep, Anaplasmosis. It's a bacterial disease that's transmitted through ticks and is very similar to Lymes in terms of symptoms. And my good buddy Rooney is currently being treated for it.

Last week we were camped at a shelter in NJ and enjoying a night like so many we've had before. We made dinner and Rooney played with other campers before we turned in. He seemed like his normal self that night, but the next morning we woke up and his paw was twice its normal size. He had trouble standing on it and we knew hiking was out of the question that day.

Before that moment, we really hadn't seen any symptoms and this seemed to come on pretty suddenly. Thankfully Serial's parents were at a campground an hour away AND the shelter had a road directly it. That hardly ever happens and we were so lucky that Steve and Lauren were able to pick us up without making Rooney walk on his paw.

A trip to the vet ruled out any broken bones and introduced us to Anaplasmosis. The great news is that it's completely treatable and Rooney is already on the mend. He had a splint on his leg for 3 days while his paw healed and he will be on medication for about a month. Today his paw is fully healed and the meds are doing their thing. He's a little tired and his appetite is a bit off, but mostly he's his old self. And we are so grateful.

So that's the latest on our little grey monster. Thanks for all of the care and concern!

~Minutes

Rooney's splint, he was too cute!

6 Comments

Update! Life has become busy in a great way, so we don't have a lot of time for blogging these days. We've left the site up as a reference, and we do check our blog emails whenever we can, but we are no longer actively posting or commenting. Thanks for understanding and have a wonderful day!

Stay In Touch

About US

I'm a Chicago girl who loves the outdoors and everything DIY. He's an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker and addicted to nature. Follow us as we share our experiences with home projects, recipes and hiking with our energetic Weimaraner, Rooney.

Fitness Goals

THANK YOU

The Windy (fast, loud & beautiful) City

Big Changes

AnaplasHUH??

Stay In Touch

About US

Popular Posts

Instagram

Grab Button

Serial's Other Sites

Categories

Archives