In Part 1, we explored the importance of finding a trainer, getting used to uncomfortable conditions, breaking in the gear and going on hikes. Here's a snapshot of some of our other training tips.
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| Westcliffe after sunrise |
One might think that being born and bred Jo'burgers, many of us would have a distinct advantage when adapting to high altitudes, having lived all our lives at 1753m above sea level (only about 250m below the start of the Kili climb). Well, that remains to be seen. Apparently it's possble to train your body to adapt to high altitude in very sophisticated and expensive ways. You can hire altitude sleeping and workout systems designed to train you to cope with oxygen deprivation. Or you can just do what we're doing which is hike as often as possible and engage in interval training. Many people experience some form of altitude sickness on the mountain - whether it is shortness of breath, nausea, loss of appetite, poor quality of sleep or headaches. When people ask me if I am training to adjust to high altitudes, I think of the symptoms of altitude sickness - in particular the shortness of breath and the nausea and how I feel after I've climbed the Westcliffe stairs a few times with my backpack on. 'Definitely!' I say.
Anyone will tell you that stretching after exercise is really important. Stretching helps to increase your flexibility, prevent injuries, limits muscle soreness (although I have to say, I have seldom experienced this particular benefit!), improves athletic perfrmance (ok, if you say so) and (supposedly) improves circulation (those mornings I've forgotten my gloves, my fingers feel as though they will develop frostbite within the hour). Actually, one of the most amazing things about this expedition, is that the journey is taking place just as much internally, as it is in our every day lives, if not more so. If it's true that the Kili team is stretching leg, back and arm muscles, it's just as true that we are stretching our minds and our hearts to accommodate this beautiful adventure. As we call into action dormant flexors and extendors, there is an awakening that seems to be taking place spirtually, emotionally, intellectually, socially. It's true that when you open yourself to change, even if initially, the opening is only as big as the eye of a needle, the universe will conspire to do the rest. In the truly open spaces where we let ourselves be responsive to new experiences, light shines into those unexplored places and infuses every day with brand new meaning.
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| Kili Team on Linksfield Ridge |
Training Tip # 8: Push your limits; extend your boundaries!
It was a Monday morning. Tshepo had us doing hill sprints on Long Ave, the road that runs up past my children's school. He had told us that we were to sprint as fast as we could past three lamp posts. Turn around walk back 1/3 of the way and jog the rest of the distance to the bottom. Repeat for 40 minutes. I was doing beautifully. By then we'd been training for a few weeks and my running experience from last year was kicking in. I was finding the work challenging but not unpleasantly so. Three lamp-posts, that was my goal, my focus, my limit. All at once, there was Tshepo sprinting along next to me. Casually, he said, 'You're going to run to the next one.' My first thought was 'Oh no I'm not! I can't possibly. Three was my limit'. I turned my head just to confirm I hadn't misheard, my heart was pounding pretty loudly, maybe I was mistaken. Please G-d let me have been mistaken. 'Do four.' Tshepo smiled. 'Not possible', I said to myself again, now acutely aware of just how laboured my breathing was, how tired my legs felt. 'Says who?' asked another voice from inside my oxygen deprived brain. 'Who ever said three was your limit?' So I pushed. I kept running, even though I felt like my lungs would combust or I would collapse or have a heart attack. I ran the extra distance, just as fast as I could strain every sinew in my body to go. I went beyond my comfort level, because my trainer thought I could and because he thought so, I believed it too. The distance wasn't important. The speed wasn't either. The lesson was just this. We are so often more capable than we give ourselves credit for. I'm nervous about summit night. It will be cold, it will be dark, it will be a long night and a hard climb. I will be tired and possibly suffering from altitude sickness. I think though, that if I can put myself back on Long Ave moving up the hill towards one more light, then in the midst of exhaustion and possible despair, I might just manage to keep going to sunrise and the crest of a new day.
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| Our trainer Lucky recuperating after one of our "Crank It" sessions |
Training Tip # 9: Strengthen your core
Core strength refers to the muscles of your abdominals and back and their ability to support your spine and keep your body stable and balanced. Important when you're climbing to almost 6000m with a 35 litre backpack. At least twice a week, and usually more often, the Kili team is hard at work doing one legged squats, walking lunges, weight lifts, balancing, bridge and plank positions, stomach crunches, step ups, push ups, the list is pretty much as endless as the exercises feel when you're doing them. All this to develop and sustain core strength to support your spine. Well to me the metaphor is a pretty obvious one. As my muscles tighten and tone, as I hobble and limp from one training session to the next, I draw comfort and support from my own core. The central force that holds my world together - no, not coffee! My family and friends. If it weren't for their unconditional love and encouragement, I think I might be pretty spineless in the face of some of our upcoming challenges. For all of us, there is an internal motivating drive. But what makes the reality of it all a little less confronting and for me more manageable are the stablising forces external to myself. My children keep me grounded, my husband keeps me motivated, my parents keep me inspired, my siblings keep me determined and my friends keep me encouraged. Also, how would I ever face them all again if I didn't make a success of this after all the noise we've made about it! There is actually a reason Kilimanjaro is called "Everyman's Everest". True, the climb is accessible to most people and with a little will and preparation, mostly anyone can manage the climb. We've seen footage of climbers who are blind or even legless summit. But it is a challenge nonetheless. When you take on something like this, it really helps to strengthen your core, and to have your own core of loved ones, embrace and strengthen you.
Training Tip # 10: Have amazing team mates
So here we are - 20 women, as diverse as we can be: married, single, mothers, daughters, with different religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, women in our twenties, thirties and forties. What we had in common was a dream to climb to Uhuru Peak. But as I train, hike and sit in meetings with these incredible women I am struck again and again by how fortunate I am to be counted among their numbers. There is a vibrancy expressed in razor sharp intelligence, a wealth of warmth and comeraderie, a genuineness in the care extended to one another. There is an abundance of fun and an openness to joy that is intoxicating. There is a willingness to venture into the unknown and a shared promise of a quest yet to be articulated and discovered. It is a group open to new experiences and changes, anchored by common sense and practicality but set aloft on the wings of dreams and anticipation. Everywhere I look I see bravery, integrity, commitment, faith. These women are bold, bright statements of how life can and should be lived. It is an honour and privilege to be among them. If you're going to climb a mountain, have good climbing partners. Although I had no hand in choosing mine, I am filled with gratitude and gladness; humility and happiness that G-d put me in this place, at this time. The only place to go from here, is up.
by Tali Frankel
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| Team Kili: Partners in climb and life |
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