With the three-day weekend for Memorial Day, I thought it would be a good chance to test out my endurance on the 22 mile Lake Geneva Shore Path. I’ve done this hike once before, back in 2021 with a group. While I completed it then in good cheer with good company, it definitely exhausted me. I remember being completely wiped out that night and the next day being incredibly stiff, sore, and tired the whole day. For 2-3 days after, I was definitely feeling it. So I wanted to do the trail again, figuring it it would be a good test of my new training to see how my body reacts. I’m super proud to say that I passed with flying colors! Physically, that is. Mentally? Well, that was a bit more challenging and we need to talk about it!
The hike started out at 8am and in high spirits. The weather was perfect for it and I was excited for the challenge. The endless view with the early morning sun and clouds facing east over the lake was spectacular! How can you not be excited for a day on the lake when it starts like that!?
I chose to make my way clockwise, which is the opposite of what I did in 2021. I distinctly remember not remembering much from the last 5 miles of that day because I was so exhausted!
Also, there’s a weird little section of the lake called Williams Bay which juts out and when I did it counter-clockwise last time it was SO disheartening towards the end of a the long hike to have to see that whole bay ahead to have to pop in and do. It was much nicer this time to have the end literally in sight the whole time!
The 10.5 miles from the city of Fontana where I started to the rough halfway point in the city of Lake Geneva flew by pretty easily. I’m used to 10 milers now and this trail has very little elevation. This trail is maintained by individual property owners though, so at every property line the trail structure changes which is tiring. Constantly going from sand to grass to pavement to boardwalk to gravel and on and on really does a number on your feet. You can never really get into a groove and all the muscles in your feet and ankles have to keep adjusting. So my feet were already getting tired by then. I got myself an ice cream at the dock and it boosted my morale for another 5 miles!
At around mile 16, I met up with my partner, Travis, at one of the public access points. When I walked up to him the first thing I said was “This isn’t fun anymore.” and plopped down to take my shoes off and rub my feet. He got a good laugh out of that and then asked if I was ok and if I wanted to continue. Of course I did! Well, correction. I didn’t want to continue. I knew it would be brutal. But I knew I had to. Not just for the physical training aspect of completing a high mile hike to assess myself. But also for the mental aspect. I’ve heard time and time again from different sources that the actual hardest part of a big physical challenge can often be the mental side. That you need to train your mental toughness and develop the grit to do these things. Forcing myself to do the last 7 miles even though I was tired, my feet ached, and I was getting bored would be a very important aspect of my training.
I write this on Monday, Memorial Day, two days after the hike and I feel like this was a complete success. No notes! My feet were definitely tender the next morning. I got out of bed to go to the bathroom and my first cognizant thought of the day was “oh, shit.” But after a few minutes of massage and walking around, they almost felt normal. I was able to head to the dance studio and get an hour of aerial yoga hammock in and then two whole hours of practice on a routine we are putting together. While wearing 6 inch heels! I didn’t need to bounce back this time which means that all this targeted training is definitely paying off! Am I Grand Canyon ready? Certainly not! But I have 3-4 more months to go and this was a very uplifting sign to me that I will be ready when the time passes!
On that note, I’ll be ramping it up into high gear this summer! Heavier packs, longer hikes, more elevation, and a whole lot of stair climbing at the lakefront water plant. My personal trainer is also leveling me up with more reps, weight, and some new targeted exercises. Can’t wait to see what he unleashes on me on Thursday! I’ve got Colorado on the calendar in June. I’ll be doing back-to-back mountain day-hikes and tackling the Manitou Incline! I’ve also got a few small events planned in the summer with local organizations out on the Ice Age Trail that will be bigger miles & gain. I’m really going all-in on this one goal for the next 90 days. Everything I do either serves the goal or it has to go!
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