PCT still on the mind

Just in case you were thinking that my talk of the Pacific Crest Trail was a whim, I want to let you know that 5 days later, I'm still seriously considering the undertaking. Usually if I'm just toying with an idea, after 3 days it will be put to rest. But this, my dear friend, is serious business and I wholly plan on completing it within the next 5 years!

2 Rules:
I will not race
I will not try to have the lightest pack on the trail.

From reading many accounts of personal PCT missions, I've noticed that some people tend to get really caught up in finishing the fastest and having the lightest bag. I've set enough PRs in track and field throughout the years that I only care about one thing for this adventure, and that is finishing. How long it takes me and how much weight I carry are frivolous to me. Of course, both are important to take into account, I will have to post a lot of mileage per diem and keeping the pack light only helps with this matter. But I won't kill myself or lose all my money trying to do either of these things. More to come-

Sick day

Ugh, sore throat, head ache: at home not able to concentrate. Bah sickness.

But, when my minds amok, it comes up with some great ideas, here are two of my best:
1. Hike the Pacific Crest Trail sometime in the next 5 years. (2650 miles Mexico to Canada)
2. Hike the John Muir Trail next summer as a warm up for the PCT. (226 miles)

I'm really excited about these two adventures! I'm going to need to start figuring out a training regimen so I can hike with a heavy pack for long distances. Most people that hike the PCT average 15-20 miles per day, over 6 months. I figure that over the next year I can build up my hiking mileage and do an overnight hike once a month to train my backcountry camping skills, and then by July of next year I can do the JMT in about 3 weeks.

Great idea eh?
So next on my list is some sort of First Aid class in the near future-

MindS over Matter

Yesterday my running buds and I set off on a 3-mile interval session on a very congested Kezar Track. There must have been over 100 newbies running around, who didn't understand that when someone yells "TRACK" it means to move your butt out of lane 1. We managed just fine though, hitting all of our times in style or better, usually better due to my lack of pacing after 200 meters. We ran three mile sets. Our first two sets in the form of 400-800-400 and our last mile being just that, I came across the tape in 6:46-painful but not too bad, with my buds running record miles for the year. This was another day that championed the essentialness of training partners, I really was adamant in stopping after two miles -tough workout the night before, but they kept me up and I managed to run my last mile just fine. Mind over Matter. but in reality MindS over Matter can be so much more effective!

Now, I am paying for it; my legs feel like 80-pounds of lead. But well worth it!