Alpine Style!

I just arrived in Europe this week for a month of work and final preparations for the big expedition to K6. Oh yeah, and there will be some fine dining, drinking good wine and generally taking in the relaxed atmosphere. You really can’t beat the mountains here. It is easy to see why so many people get into climbing as there are just too many incredibly attractive summits around. I start off with a Matterhorn trip for a week, then a whirl wind tour through the alps in quest of classic north faces. So far, things are pretty snowy so the Matterhorn may prove a bit of a challenge by the normal route. The north faces, however, look to be in good shape for “winter” type conditions. This is perhaps just what I am looking for as long as there is some good weather.

After a couple months of intensity training with my single speed (SS) mountain bike, it is time for some long slow distance and work on putting in mileage at the bottom end. The SS is great for the top end cuz when you go uphill, you have to stand up and give it all you got until either the hill ends or you do. It is like doing forced, randomized interval training. Plus, even when you give out and resort to walking, you still get a good workout carrying 30 pounds of steel over your shoulder, albeit at a reduced pace. The other benefit of doing high intensity stuff like this on a bike is that I got a good mental break from the stresses of climbing. The winter’s full of ice and mixed got my technique sharp and my head straightened out. It is good to step away from that for short periods, from time to time.

But now, with the guiding and all, I’ll be moving slower and for much longer periods of time AND my head is back in the game. This is exactly what I need and will be a good test of how well the SS stuff helped out my overall aerobic capacity. Even though I am guiding, I am still on alpine routes and since I can’t move as fast as I would on my own the adventure component is still there c (never too high, though). So, I get a little bit of re-engagement of the mental muscle so important for alpine climbing.

I have been wearing a heart rate monitor lately which is a good and a bad thing. The good thing is that I can see what my heart rate is and compare that to my perceived exertion. I can moderate the pace or speed it up accordingly (partner willing). The bad thing is that I find myself looking at it all the time and wondering what my HR is instead of paying attention to where I am going and enjoying the surroundings.

Hopefully, though, this type of slower pace training and climbing specific movements will add the finishing touches to my training for K6. Aside from a little lingering pain from my spider/broken rib incident, I am feeling as fit as I ever have. Plus, I recently discovered some great new bands from Russia and the Ukraine that I am really digging right now. I am psyched!

I really believe that periodizing your training in this way really pays off. Oh yes, the food and wine have been great so far.