AT's AT Hiking Training Plan, Week Five

Week: April 29 - May 5 (7 Days)
Miles Hiked (Week): 7.65
Miles Hiked (May): 7.65
Miles Hiked, (April Goal): 30
Miles Hiked (Yearly Total): 26.40
Pounds Lost: 2.8
Percentage to Next Milestone: 0%
Pounds Lost (Total):  0
Weekly Goal Met: No
Nights Camped (Week): 0
Nights Camped (Total): 2
Nights Camped (Backpacking): 0

Now that is better.

After last week's step backwards, this week is a return to normalcy, with a weight loss that is roughly what I am looking for during the duration of the plan. This was due in part to a few better choices with my eating, especially compared to the week before, and another 7+ mile weekend of hiking. One week does not make a trend, but it is a good start.

I'm happy with my second straight weekend of solid hiking, this time with two hikes that included two fairly tough climbs. Although the rest of the hiking around these climbs was fairly easy*, those climbs were no small thing, with one being up a steep sandy trail, and the other up 300 wooden stairs. Between the steep bluffs I climbed this weekend, and the hills and ridges from the week before, I've put paid to the myth that the Midwest is nothing but flat corn fields.

Looking ahead, I expect to continue building off this good week. It's been tough for me the past several months, rarely having two good weeks in a row, let alone a steady stream of them. As long as I can keep the hiking up this week (I'll need another 6-7 miles to keep pace) and stay away from problem areas like last week, I should be able to continue the progress. It's tough getting excited for efforts like this, as I'm not breaking new ground, but catching up to where I was. However, I am optimistic I can make this a good week.

* With one small exception, which I will detail in the "Hiking the Lists" entry for Magnolia Bluff