An Ordinary Odyssey

1. This Week’s Journey

X Marks The Spot: Establishing Foundational Habits, October 2024-December 2024

This fall, it’s all about locking in some solid habits for my Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim training. I’m still figuring it all out, but here’s where I’m at:

Hydration: A work in progress. Sometimes at work when I’m busy, I’ll suddenly realize it’s been hours and I haven’t had a sip of water. I down a bunch then, but I want to get better at good hydration becoming second nature. During my hike this weekend, I barely touched my water bottles because I didn’t want to stop. Which means I gotta start using a water bladder again so I can sip without stopping.

5-Minute Daily Mobility Routine: Loving this already! A quick stretch in the morning and before bed is making a huge difference. I’m feeling less stiff and more “at home” in my body already. No major difference in flexibility or anything this early on in that habit, but I think it will make a huge difference as time goes on.

Post-Work Gym Sessions: Going okay, but I’ve had a few forgetful moments (hello, no headphones or socks 😬). I need to pack my gym bag with backup essentials and plan to give my bag an overhaul tomorrow. Also, I’m working on car snacks so I don’t get hangry on the way to the gym. I know if I stop at home, I’ll be tempted to skip the gym. So I need to pack something to snack on.

Training Log:
Right now, my main goal is just showing up and doing anything physical every day. No true rest days yet since my workouts aren’t intense enough to warrant them. I’ve been consistent, with just one semi-lazy day at the gym. Still, I did decent workouts all week with some treadmill walking/running, ab work, and upper body exercises.

Today (Saturday) was an absolute blast! I did a 9.5-mile hike called the Two-For with the Ice Age Trail Alliance – Waukesha/Milwaukee County Chapter, as part of the Mammoth Hike Challenge which is where all of us Ice Age Trail-obsessed peeps try to hike 44 miles and visit three Ice Age Trail communities in October to snag a sweet patch and certificate. For the Two-For, we hiked two full segments—the Delafield and Hartland Segments—and visited those two awesome trail communities. The hike had some hills which were mostly downhill, but not too bad on the knees. We had perfect weather and so much awesome Trail Magic in the community! I’m feeling surprisingly good and even plan on squeezing in a walk tomorrow before hitting the gym!

2. The Ups and Downs
Sunny Summits: The Mammoth Hike event was a win. Super fun and great company. Plus, it was a confidence booster since my body handled it pretty well. Next weekend’s Leaf Stomp (15 miles) will definitely be more challenging, but this felt like a really good hike and promising sign of things to come.

Rough Terrain: Not proactively setting up my gym bag and forgetting things is very not on brand for me. One gym session was headphone-free, which made it super boring. Another day, I forgot socks. Rookie mistakes. Also, gym intimidation is real. I still feel awkward not knowing how to use all the equipment and being surrounded by people who clearly know what they are doing.

3. Trail Talk

For my first Trail Talk topic, let’s talk about the realities of the dangers in facing down a 1,218,375 acre hole in the ground. Specifically, let’s talk about a book called “Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon” by Michal P. Ghiglieri and Thomas M. Myers.

I had just found a cool podcast all about hiking in the Grand Canyon, and the first post I saw when I joined the podcast’s Facebook group was for this book. The very next day, I stumbled upon a copy of the book in the absolutely cutest used bookstore in Sheboygan, WI. It was prominently featured on the travel shelf, and my jaw about hit the floor! I immediately snatched it up and started reading. I figure the most important thing I should learn before I dip even one toe beneath the rim of the canyon is how not to die in it. Right? Right.

I’m only on page 87, but it is a wild ride. he book details all the ways people have tragically met their ends at the Canyon, most from things like heatstroke, dehydration, falls, and general recklessness. Some of the stories of things people have done are honestly and sadly just incredibly stupid. So many people jump over barriers for pictures, ignore signs, and go into the canyon in the summer with just a single little bottle of water and no advanced planning or training. While it’s a bit nerve-wracking learning about all the potential dangers, it’s also reassuring because I know that my penchant for obsessive planning and if/then scenarios will help me avoid most of this. We’ll see how I feel when I finish the book though!

4. On the Horizon

Next week is more of the same. I’m not really changing anything up, since it’s only week 2. It’s an oddball week for me at work, because a major event I am in charge of takes place on Thursday. So I will be taking a rest day that day, but I am not allowing myself to use it as an excuse to not make it to my scheduled activities the day before or the day after! That’s the whole goal. To get into a habit. Yes, sometimes there are days you just have to make exceptions for and this is one. But exceptions should either be a legitimate emergency or they should be pre-planned.

I have the 15mile Leaf Stomp hike. I plan to bring my bladder and hydrate better and hike slower than this event. I was hiking with someone who hikes fast and I kept up with her, but the Leaf Stomp will be a different group and I want to go slower and take more rest breaks. Stretch well before and stop to stretch during at least once. It’s a hillier hike too since it isn’t a trail community but rather out in the Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest.