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nutrition and fitness

duckhunt

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Were only about 4 months away from the beginning of hunting seasons. Ive been slacking bad on nutrition and fitness. I wont be in the mountains this year but I will be hiking up and down the hills in north east Iowa. So I told myself today to get off my butt and get back on track. Good luck to everyone on preparing for the upcoming seasons.
 
I'm doing a mixed of P90X, biking, & hiking. I also supplement my diet with MTN OPS...down 14lbs in just about 3 weeks.

EDIT: I'm still a giant fat ass that even with 6 days a week workout I won't be in shape for about 3 more seasons.
 
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My 1st elk hunt was an eye opener on how out of shape I was. Ever since that year I've trained 5 days a week, 1-2 hrs a day. Last years elk hunt was a lot more enjoyable as I wasn't blacking out from lack of oxygen. Fitness is the main component of my hunt preparations these days.
 
I did a shed some fat diet and dropped 15lbs, at least my hunting clothes fit a bit better at the moment. Gonna be a slap it the face humping up the hills this weekend in Montana.

Nothing a little Ibuprofen and a few beers can't wash away while sitting by the campfire.
 
At 59 and getting closer to 70.....5 miles straight, up hill & down, two days, back to back, each week, is a good strong start. Granted, it's slower than when I was 21, but my 22 yr old son, and 16 yr old nephew are whining after about mile 0.5. Screw 'em...... Keep up ! :mad:
 
I've keep ramping it up each year since 2011 when I set a goal for myself to be able to run 6 miles in less than an hour.

This year I bumped it up to a 50 mile race that I finished in 9 hours and 31 minutes. Working on keeping my fitness at a high level, planning on doing the Elkhorn 50k southwest of Helena the first of August.

Of course right now I don't have an elk tag in my pocket for the first time since 2007 so all my fitness might go for naught this year!
 
I've keep ramping it up each year since 2011 when I set a goal for myself to be able to run 6 miles in less than an hour.

This year I bumped it up to a 50 mile race that I finished in 9 hours and 31 minutes. Working on keeping my fitness at a high level, planning on doing the Elkhorn 50k southwest of Helena the first of August.

Of course right now I don't have an elk tag in my pocket for the first time since 2007 so all my fitness might go for naught this year!

Wow, that's a great time. What was the course like?

The Elkhorn is a fun race. It's a tough course, lots of elevation gain/loss in the second half and it can be pretty hot too.
 
I train and hunt all year round. But in the summer I do a few big alpine hunts so pick up the training a bit. But as I get older I have to watch the amount of training as it can lead to injuries :(
 
I have always been slim and never had to worry about the weight,work took it off and kept me in shape.
But @ 60 ,years of hard work and a heart attack this year took it's toll. Luckily I had no permanent damage.Lost alot of muscle and have to get back the legs.
I go alot slower than I used to but still cruzin the hills 7-10k. Will be out again in the Gila this fall for bulls and bucks. Solo.
 
I quit training and decided I wanted to live a little longer without stressing my body out and tearing it up by overusing my muscles and lungs. I've taken up long spells of couch sitting and drinking Pepsi and eating Krispy Kreme. I also added 2 hours of extra sleep a night by not waking up at 5 AM to go work out. Occasionally I'll go for a walk at lunch and watch all the hot girls jog around town. I've packed on about 4 pounds since quitting my running and lifting programs 2 years ago. I'm now up to 164 lbs :( It's really sad watching myself let go in the mirror but it should be worth it in the long run.
 
I'll be starting after my Memorial Day fishing trip. Lately my only physical activity has been turkey/mushroom hunting and (shudder) yard work.

I'm happy with my weight but could stand to gain a bit of muscle and improve my wind. I'll be concentrating on hill sprints at the park and the stair climber at the gym as that's what I did last year and it worked out very well for me. I'll throw in one or two days of weights each week as well as some core exercises.
 
Well I made into the fitness center today. A few miles on the bike, A few on treadmill, And the 30 minute weight room ( a planet fitness thing). I can tell that ive been slacking but feels good to get back into it. Going for another round tomorrow morning.
 
I ran the Pittsburgh marathon again last week and will likely do a couple half marathons before fall. I have been considering a 50K that is near Charleston WV but would like to find somebody to do it with. I take it your out WV Hunter!
 
I ran the Pittsburgh marathon again last week and will likely do a couple half marathons before fall. I have been considering a 50K that is near Charleston WV but would like to find somebody to do it with. I take it your out WV Hunter!

lol, actually I wish that I could. The real reason my training has dropped is due to issues with my back. I get it where I feel good again and start slowly back into running or light lifting and then out of the blue I'll bend over to pick something up and bam my back goes out and I'm done for 2 - 3 weeks only to have to start over again. I'd be happy to meet up and take you out on the town after your race if you come down this way.
 
Well day 2 went well in the fitness center. Started something today that ive never tried before. I added incline on the treadmill. I usually do a few miles at 4 mph. Today I added a 3 percent incline. I can really tell the difference. Over time im going to gradually add more incline. Im feeling good about it except my body feels like a limp noodle. I really like to here what everyone else is doing. That keeps me motivated.
 
Wow, that's a great time. What was the course like?

The Elkhorn is a fun race. It's a tough course, lots of elevation gain/loss in the second half and it can be pretty hot too.

The course was FLAT and EASY!! The Brazos Bend 50 just outside of Houston. It was 3 - 17 mile loops and started at 6:00 in the morning when it was still dark outside. Rained hard and although it made a muddy wet mess of the trails, it was worth the trade off for the cooler temperatures. I did the first 2 loops in 5:33 and then the sun came out and you could see the steam coming off everything and I wilted in the sun and humidity and took 3:58 to do the last loop. I took 18th out of 95 runners so I was happy with it as my first ultra experience.

Just did a trail run outside of Alburquerque this week that gave me an appreciation for what the Elkhorn is going to be like. An up and down 12.8 miler with 3,800' of vertical and topped out over 9,000' on a VERY technical trail. I barely managed to get my pace down under 15:00 per mile and I worked pretty hard at it. Much harder than a 9:15 pace run on flat easy ground. Coming down my splits were still up in the high 12:00 pace but I didn't fall at all so that was a big achievement for me. I stumbled pretty good a few times but never hit the ground.

You for sure get a feel for what kind of shape you are actually in when you start climbing 500+' per mile at elevation on a technical trail.
 
There is a section of the Elkhorn called the "Ridge of Despair". It is aptly named. There is a section of the Bridger Ridge that is called the "Wall of Death". I has been re-routed some, but it is brutally steep.

You will enjoy the Elkhorn, it's a very pretty course.
 
My re-dedication to fitness will start Monday with a hernia repair. Should be back in the mix in good health by hunting.

The Bridger Ridge section that always kills me is heading up Saddle Mountain. Not sure if that is the official 'wall of death'. It's not that steep in that section - so that's probably not it. Maybe next year I'll be back in the game for that run. It's out for this year.
 
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