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Posts By Julie

When I'm not traveling for my work as an ethnographer, I'm traveling for fun! Luckily, traveling for work is sometimes fun too, so I have the best of both worlds. My home base is Belmont Shore in Long Beach, California where I slow down, recharge and plan the next adventure.

Day 10 – The Challenges

May 16, 2012 · by Julie

May 14, 2012
Monday

The Training

Okay, this is where the going gets tough and real life challenges get in the way. Today I left my home in sea level Long Beach for eleven straight days of work travel. During that time, I’ll be in three different U.S. Cities, staying in four different hotels and guest houses. I know some of them well, but others will be new to me and I’m not sure if I’ll have a place to work out.

To make matters worse, I’m an ethnographer. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it – almost nobody knows what an ethnographer is. More on that later! For now, just know that I study culture for a living. When I’m working, I immerse myself in the worlds of other people in order to tell their stories. I’m tied to their lives, their schedules, and their daily activities. My own world goes on the back burner.

This time around, I’m working really odd hours. Some mornings, some nights, some weekends. I’m not sure when or if I’ll have time to run, and I will definitely not have a chance to hike. Today, the shuttle picked me up for the airport at 9:30am, and I spent the morning packing and preparing for my fieldwork. I’m not a morning person and I have no energy if I try to run early, so exercising before I left was out of the question. I arrived at my hotel at 4:30pm, where I had to check my email for the day and do some accounting work and some writing. By the time that was all finished, it was 7:15pm and I hadn’t had a chance to eat all day. Airplane snack boxes aren’t really an attractive option.

I’m near one of my favorite Indian restaurants, so I went to dinner there and practiced eating curry using only my right hand, Nepali style. It’s hard. I’m afraid I’m going to screw this up, but inadvertently violating norms is a part of my job so I’ll do my best and go with the flow. I’m happy that ACTIVE Himalayas tipped us off about some of the local norms in Nepal, so we’ll have some idea of the mistakes we should try not to make. That’s helpful.

Now for the good news – I’m in a city that’s at a much higher altitude than my home, and I will be here one week out of every month from now through July or August. This is my fourth time here this year, and a chance to get a bit of an idea how my body adapts to altitude changes. The first two times I was here, I had a headache and definitely felt short of breath even though it’s not high enough for bona fide altitude sickness. I felt the change though, for sure. Last time was much better, and I’ve learned that it’s important for me to avoid caffeine, alcohol, and a hard workout on my first day in town.

This time, the first two were easy but my Week 5, Run 3 was my first “long” run and I couldn’t skip it. On Thursday, I’ll be getting back to the hotel from work after midnight and the shuttle to the airport is picking me up at 3:30am. That day absolutely MUST be a rest day. So today, I need to run. By this time, it was after 8:00pm, but the hotel gym is open until 10:00pm so I headed on down.

To my surprise, I rocked out this run! I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to do it even at sea level, but I was just fine at higher altitude and could have kept going. I have no idea what the science is on adjusting to altitude with several weeks in between higher altitude visits, but it does seem like I’m adjusting better and faster each time. I hope my time here helps me get to Everest Base Camp, even though I’m still less than a third as high as I’ll be going. Still, it’s better than nothing which is the high altitude training I got before Peru.

I’m feeling really good about fitting in my workouts, and really motivated to figure out a way to keep up while I’m on the road. For now, time for a bit more work before bed and an early morning. And a rest day. Yes!!!

Day 9 – Disneyland!

May 16, 2012 · by Julie

May 13, 2012
Sunday

Disneyland!!!


No, I’m not kidding. It was a rest day, so I met a friend at Disneyland. It’s actually a lot of walking around and the perfect “rest day” activity. Nothing strenuous, but still staying active. It certainly beats sitting on the couch – as long as you avoid the churros!

Day 8 – The Gym

May 14, 2012 · by Julie

Saturday
May 12, 2012

The Training

I’ve been trying to hike on weekends, but this weekend it’s just not going to happen. I had a hike planned for today but one of my friends has had the worst week ever, so I put off the hike to have lunch with her instead. I figured I’d meet her and then walk to the gym after lunch. She ended up working late, so that plan fell through without enough daylight left for a hike. The gym it is.

Here’s one problem I have with gyms – they close too early. I am not a morning person. I don’t care if the gym opens at 4am. I like to work out at 8 or 9pm and gyms that close early do me no good. The Belmont Athletic Club is usually open until 10pm, but only until 8pm on Saturdays. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it with enough time left for a good workout, but I did!

Today was Week 5, Run 2 and every single run is kicking it up a notch now. This one was tough, but I made it through without walking which was quite an accomplishment for me. The hard part about running at the gym on a Saturday night though is that I sweat. And I live close enough to the gym that I’d rather just walk home and shower in my very own shower. This means that on my way home from the gym in my friendly little beach neighborhood, I am likely to run into someone I know. If not someone I know, I’ll still run into the whole Saturday night crowd with everyone all dressed up for the restaurants and bars on 2nd Street. This sucks when I’m in gym clothes, no makeup, stringy post-workout hair, and my face completely red from a hard workout.

I’ve planned a course between the gym and my house that minimizes the likelihood that I’ll have to interact with the Night Out Crowd directly. My biggest challenge is getting to the end of the block that the gym is on, since it’s right in the middle of the nightlife. But if I go to the left, cross at the light before the restaurant, then walk on the other side of the street until I get to the residential area, I miss a lot of the activity. There are always fewer people walking near the banks, the dry cleaner, and the mobile phone stores than near the restaurants and bars. This route is still dangerous though, as it takes me past Frosted Cupcakery and SuperMex, which are two of my biggest challenges along the way. Getting past them is like getting past the First and Second Steps on Everest. Okay, well, maybe not quite. But it’s tough, let me tell ya!

Today, I made it through the gantlet relatively unscathed, although I did get a few funny looks from neighbors walking in the other direction, all dressed up for a night on the town. Doesn’t matter though. I made it to the gym. I ran. That’s all that really counts. 🙂

Day 7 – Foot Massage!

May 12, 2012 · by Julie

Friday
May 11, 2012

The Training

Today is a rest day, but it’s also Foot Massage/Pedicure day! This is sort of for work, since I’ll be meeting with clients while wearing open-toed sandals over the next two weeks, but during the process I realized how critical it is for training too.

My feet were a mess.

I felt terrible for my manicurist at Bliss on Broadway, who so tactfully informed me that in just four weeks I’d developed more calluses and blisters than she’d seen on people who hadn’t had their feet taken care of in years. She carefully cut away the dead skin around the healed blisters, scrubbed around the not-yet-healed blisters, and smoothed the calluses until my feet were baby soft again.

The true Bliss though? The foot and calf massage. I imagine this is what nirvana might feel like. Oh. My. My feet and calves were so incredibly tight that every touch hurt at first, but with an expert amount of pressure she worked through the knots one by one, releasing my muscles back to normal. I started to wonder whether I would be having so much trouble with my left heel if I’d had a foot massage before and after my first attempts at breaking in my new boots. Too late now, but going forward I’m definitely going to try to do this more often. Running and hiking are killing my feet.

For now though, my feet are relaxed, knot-free, and pretty. My clients won’t have a clue I’ve been beating them to death while preparing to climb mountains. Excellent.

Day 6 – Running

May 11, 2012 · by Julie

Thursday
May 10, 2012

The Training and Some Gear

I’m back in the game today, feeling much better! I usually try to get to the gym before the after-work rush hour, but today I didn’t make it there until just after 5:00. I have two gyms but the one I use the most lately is the Belmont Athletic Club, a small, locally owned gym in my neighborhood. I like this one because I can walk there from my house. It’s also clean, friendly, and did I mention locally owned? That’s really important to me. Unless it’s raining, I use the walk there to warm up and the walk home to cool down. Going home is the hard part, since at the end of a really tough workout the last thing I want to do is walk half a mile uphill to get home. It’s good practice for the trek, mentally more than physically.

Today it was cloudy and looked like it might rain. Instead of taking the car rather than taking the chance of being caught in a downpour, I cut the tags off my new Typhoon rain shell and stuffed it in my gym bag, hoping for a testing opportunity. A test rain was not to be, but I did learn that the stiff brim on the hood makes the jacket a bit hard to stuff into a bag. I’m sure I’ll appreciate the stiffness in a Himalayan downpour, so I just rolled the jacket around the brim which worked fine. Not great – it could stuff a lot smaller without that brim – but fine.

I had a great workout at the gym, starting Week 5 of my running program. After that, I cranked up the incline on the treadmill and walked up a fake hill for two more miles. I wanted to get some time in on the stairmill but since I was there at rush hour they were both taken. Next time.

My left heel is hurting a lot though. The first hike in my new hiking boots seems to have triggered plantar fasciitis, ugh!! So I’m home now rolling it on ice, stretching, and reminding myself that if people with no legs can summit Everest I can certainly suck it up and get to Base Camp with a strained plantar fascia. It’ll either get better or I will get used to hiking through the pain. One or the other. Time will tell.

Day 5 – Sick

May 10, 2012 · by Julie

May 9, 2012
Wednesday

Ugh. Today I’ve accepted that I’m really, legitimately sick. I only slept for an hour and a half last night and despite the headache, nausea and fatigue, I had a ton of work that I had to get up and dive into first thing this morning. Rough day. It’s finally 5:00 and I’m probably not going to get my running in today. Never say never. I might feel better in a couple of hours, but I’m not counting on it. I have to run tomorrow if I don’t run today. No excuses. For now, I’m falling asleep on my couch. This is the problem with being a real girl. Life gets in the way.

Update

I did not run. So be it. Tomorrow is another day. I will run tomorrow.

Day 4 – Yoga!

May 9, 2012 · by Julie

May 8, 2012
Tuesday

The Training

Easy day today – technically a rest day, but I did do some yoga. I’ll admit that I’ve been slacking on the yoga since I started the running program and wow, did I feel it today! My muscles were very tight and it seems like I’ve lost quite a bit of flexibility in just a month or so. I always have trouble finding time to balance both running and yoga, but I really need to do a better job. If I stop running, I lose endurance quickly. If I stop yoga, I lose flexibility. I want both, so I need to make time for both.

The Gear

My new Mountain HardWear Kelvinator down jacket and Typhoon rain shell arrived! I was far too busy with work to do anything other than check quickly and make sure I’d received the right items, but I’m looking forward to trying them on. Initial thought: The Kelvinator is a much prettier blue than I was expecting from the internet photos. I was a bit hesitant to go with light blue since the jacket I took to Peru was light blue and never came clean. This one is a actually a bit darker and matches the color of my office walls. Nice!

Day 3 – The Details

May 8, 2012 · by Julie

Monday, May 7, 2012

Handling The Details

My first order of business for the trip today (fit in around all my business for, well, my business) was finishing my part of the trip confirmation. ACTIVE is in New Zealand and I confirmed by phone last week. After that, they sent me an email with a reference code to log into their online booking site, where the details are all laid out for me, and where I sign away my life. I’d logged on quickly last week, but the first item was to print, sign, and fax or scan the contract. Since my printer and scanner are BOTH acting funky when accessed from my travel laptop lately, I put it off until I was on the computer in my office. I did, however, download and read the gear list, information about Nepal, and their reminder to “get fit” with some tips on how to not be a slacker and ruin the trip for yourself and everyone else. Tips that I learned, in Peru, will do you absolutely no good with regard to high altitude. Fit or not, you can end up being That Person as soon as you hit 12,000 feet or so. So the goal for me is to make sure that the altitude is the ONLY problem that I will be dealing with in the mountains, should it hit me hard again.

Today, I logged back in to print out the contract and realized that I could just mail it back along with my $750 non-refundable deposit. Gulp. The moment of truth. I just had a very expensive and unexpected car repair, but I’ve budgeted for this trip well in advance. Still, anything non-refundable always causes a moment of pause – that brief moment of fear before you dive in completely – but it was only a moment. As I slid the check into the envelope the fear lifted and was replaced by firm commitment. This is real. Whether my friends (who are still debating the trek portion of the trip) choose to go or not, I’m doing this.

The Training

I was really busy with work all day and didn’t get to the gym. As evening hit I was exhausted – mentally more than physically, but my allergies were also really terrible and I had a sinus headache. I really, really, REALLY didn’t feel like working out. At all. In any way. All I wanted to do was kick back on the couch and watch the two hour finale of The Amazing Race. I indulged my fantasies of a workout-free evening for about an hour before realizing I felt restless and guilty. I mean, this inertia is exactly the kind of scenario I might run into on the trek, especially if I suffer from altitude sickness. I remember that altitude headache – today’s sinus headache’s got nothing on that monster. It’s not even in the same league. If I can’t get in some cardio in my own living room when I feel like I do now, how do I expect to keep putting one foot in front of the other through worse pain and exhaustion in the Himalayas?

So I dragged my spinning bike in front of the television, cued up the TiVo, and spent two hours multi-tasking – some hard spinning AND the Amazing Race finale. I used the legs of their race as a guide – I’d crank up the tension on the spinning bike and tell myself I couldn’t ease off until all of the teams got the next clue. By the time the winners crossed the finish line (for the second time), I was drenched in sweat and feeling really good about my night.

If I can keep this up, I’ll be ready. Mind over matter. Mental as much as physical. No doubt.

Day 2 – The Pack

May 7, 2012 · by Julie

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Today is a rest day, but I did spend some time doing research on The Pack. The LowePro Photo Sport 200 isn’t bad, but I really think it’s going to be too small once the down jacket is involved, and I hate, hate, hate that the back isn’t mesh and leaves me in a puddle of sweat. There’s so much I like about it, but I’m just not sure it’s going to work. So just in case, I checked out some others. Most seem to be lacking either the photography features or the trekking features that I need for this trip. A few companies make photography trekking packs, but most of those are either awesome but too small, like the one I have:

Or awesome but too big, like the Naneu Adventure K5:

I did find two from Clik Elite that look promising:

The Contrejour 35, which seems to have everything I’m looking for, but might also be a touch too big. I read one review that said it fits under most airplane seats if nothing is in the front section. I like to be able to slide my daypack under ANY airplane seat so I can get at my stuff and leave the overhead space for other people. Other than that, they’re on the right track for what I need though.

But I think the pack that’s in the lead for backup if I need it is the Clik Elite Obscura, which seems pretty much perfect and gets fabulous reviews, but a lot of the online retailers are sold out. I’ll probably have to make a decision pretty soon if I want to get my hands on one. Either that, or wait until the 2012 models come out, which might be even better. When does that happen? Worth waiting? I don’t know.

My new Mountain HardWear Kelvinator down jacket and Typhoon rain shell should be arriving this week. At that point I can load up The Pack and see if there’s even any possibility of getting away with using the one I have. If not, it’s one of the above. Anyone have any experience with any of these?

Day 1 – The Hills

May 7, 2012 · by Julie

Saturday
May 5, 2012
12:45pm

It’s not really Day 1, as I’ve been increasing my workouts in anticipation of this trip for a couple of months now. I’m in Week 4 of “Couch to 5K” running, and I’ve done a few conditioning hikes at Palos Verdes. So things are moving forward.

Today is another relatively hot day – low to mid 70s – and I’m sort of dreading putting on my new, heavy, hiking boots with wool socks AND a liner. But I need to break them in, and even decide whether or not they are the right boots for me. Still having trouble with my left foot, which seems to be quite different from my right. Trying some new heel gel inserts – was going to get good ones, but saw some cheap Dr. Scholls while I was waiting in line at the pharmacy so I grabbed them. A bit hard to install, but we’ll see if they make a difference.

I’ve decided to head to Peters Canyon today to do some hill training. I haven’t done this trail since last year, and it can be quite tough. I’m wearing my BodyMedia FIT to see how many calories I burn and compare it to the PV trail, which is just one big hill – deceptively easy on the way down, steadily challenging on the way up.


I’m a bit worried about my allergies, which made the going rough on my last hike. It’s a bad time of the year. I just checked the pollen counts and both tree and grass pollens are at “high” and “very high” right now, respectively. I’ll be taking allergy meds before I head out and I hope I can breathe. That’s my biggest challenge, but luckily one I shouldn’t face above the tree line.

Also trying a new pack today – actually considering leaving my trusty CamelBak Trailblazer behind for this trek. The reason? My camera(s). I have a LowePro Photo Sport 200 that’s designed to better protect a camera, and that has a rain fly attached which my current pack does not have. That was a problem in Peru. I’m just not sure if this new pack will hold everything I need for the trail. It might be a challenge to pack my down jacket, rain gear, extra fleece, snacks, camera(s) and water. So…a’testing I will go!

Okay, time to hit the road. By the time I get there, the temperature should be past today’s peak and falling, which is one thing I do love about this time of year. Plenty of time for a late afternoon or evening hike before getting caught in the dark.

Saturday Update

Got to Peters Canyon around 2:15pm and headed out. I’ve noticed that my body warms up slowly. The first half hour or so of a workout always feels really, really hard. Then something kicks in and I can suddenly haul ass! So the first few hills felt pretty tough, then I was good to go! By the time I was heading back, I was moving pretty quickly and feeling really good. It’s very strange, but I’m starting to understand that it’s just my body’s rhythm, for better or for worse. I do think that I might want to eat a bit more before hiking, as all I had was a little bit of leftover quinoa pasta. I may try having  a bigger meal before the hike and eating an energy bar or some such thing just before starting out. I’ll see if it helps. The good news is that when I’m hiking, time always seems to fly. I was out there for 2 1/2 hours, but it didn’t feel like it at all.

When I got to the car, the first thing I did was drink my Vega Recovery drink. Before leaving home, I put a scoop in an extra water bottle and I brought extra water to mix it up. Like an idiot, I left it sitting in the sun on the seat of the car so it was boiling hot, but still drinkable.

When I got home, I was exhausted. I think the hike combined with the antihistamine that I had to take for all the flying pollen just knocked me out. I ate my Thrive lunch of quinoa and veggies and sat down on the couch to figure out what I wanted to do for Cinco de Mayo. My neighbors were having parties, my colleagues who were visiting were going out later, and my friends were celebrating in random bars and Mexican restaurants all over town. Me? I fell asleep on the couch at 8:00pm. Woke up at 10:30pm just long enough to move to my comfy bed. Slept until 9:30 the next morning. Wow. I didn’t feel like the hike was that hard, but my body sure reacted as if it was pure torture. Hopefully, it was the antihistamine and I won’t feel like that every time.

Okay, gear report:

Vasque Wasatch GTX Boots – Feeling much, much better! Not sure if they’re just breaking in better or if the gel heel inserts are actually helping. I was a bit worried when I arrived and realized that I forgot to put band-aids on the hot spots by my pinky toes, but I need not have worried – no blisters! Just one hot spot at the base of my right big toe this time. Didn’t quite blister, but it hurt later when I took off my boots. My left heel felt fine! The only thing I noticed is that my feet felt overall sore and bit more fatigued than usual after a 2 1/2 hour hike. I hope that eases up as they break in some more. Isn’t the point of a stiffer boot to prevent that kind of foot fatigue? I never had that issue with my old ones. So, we’ll see. Still, I’m seeing improvement, still love the traction – there are a lot of slick areas and loose rocks on this trail – and I’m becoming more optimistic that although they will never replace my trusty old pair, these boots might actually be capable of becoming my friends.

Black Diamond Women’s Trail Shock Trekking Poles – These are new to me, but required for the EBC trek. This is only my second time out with them and I’m just not coordinated enough to instinctively use them well. For a while, my feet always moved faster than my arms and I’d catch the poles and trip if I tried too hard to coordinate the movement. It takes more mental concentration as well, since you’re not only looking for a good place to put your foot but also a good place to plant your pole at the same time. For the first 60 minutes or so, they seemed to slow me way down. However, I adjusted the height and feel like 105cm is a good one for me, although just a bit shorter than the recommended 90 degree arm angle. Once I shortened them, I seemed to be better able to get in the swing of things.

Another training issue with the poles is mental. People give you funny looks – and even make snide remarks – when you’re training with boots, a pack, and poles on the local trails. Three people on the trail commented – one guy who had one pole and told me two poles were for old people “but I guess your pack must be really heavy, so you need the help.” Another guy on a bike who told me I was “cheating” because now I had four legs. (Although he did give me a great tip on another hill training trail nearby.) Both of these encounters left me feeling like I had to explain and justify myself, although they were good conversation starters.

The final encounter, however, made me feel much better. As I was going down a hill, I met a man coming up it, also with hiking boots, a big pack, and two trekking poles. He never slowed down as he passed me, smiled, laughed and said, “Training for something too, huh? It’s pay now or pay later, right?” I laughed back, agreed, and kept plugging away. Okay. Someone gets it. I am not alone. I need to get over feeling like an idiot, because if I let that affect my training, I WILL pay later! No thank you.

By the end of the hike, I had the rhythm down. I also noticed that despite the 80 degree heat and my notorious lack of drinking enough water, my hands did not swell like they often do when I hike in the heat. This is a good thing. I might get to like these things after all.

Pressurized Hydration Pack – Jury is still out. The bite valve leaks, even when off – all over my couch at home and the car seat on the way. It initially takes up a LOT of space in my pack, although the air doesn’t add any weight. Still, when I started out it was digging into my left shoulder blade with no way to adjust it. Didn’t like that. However, as I drink the water it deflates and by the end of the hike it felt normal. I guess it’s a good incentive for me to actually drink enough, but I’m still not entirely sold. I’m considering going back to my ancient CamelBak bladder, since the new design gets bad reviews for massive leakage. I’ll be carrying expensive cameras in my bag and can’t risk that. Yet again, the trusty old-school version might win out.

LowePro PhotoSport 200 Backpack: Yes, I’m considering leaving the trusty old-school CamelBak Trailblazer behind. Although I have mixed feelings on this since the LowePro pack is comfortable and perfect in so many ways, accessing my video camera was a problem in Peru, as I had to stop and take off my backpack in order to get to it. This led to several days where I was so exhausted from the altitude that I didn’t even bother. This time, I want to document the trip better, since I want to use the footage as a demo on my website. I also want to protect my camera better, as the one I took to Peru took a serious beating along the way. Lots of war wounds, although it still worked just fine at the end.

Today, I tested out this new LowePro pack. It has a dedicated compartment for the camera in the bottom, which I like. Instead of taking the pack all the way off, you just slide it off one shoulder and the camera is easily accessible. This works well for me.

However, there are two things that did not work well for me. First, I’m not sure it’ll be big enough. Although there is space on top of the camera compartment for extra gear, I packed it with my super light down jacket, a light rain shell, a bathroom kit, sunglasses, my cell phone, my wallet, and keys, and strapped the poles to the side, and it was jam-packed full. Part of the issue might be the pressurized hydration bladder, which is in a separate compartment but takes up a lot of airspace. I won’t really know if this will work or not until I get the new down jacket and rain shell that are coming this week. Then, we’ll see. I do like all the outside pockets for granola bars and such, and plenty of straps to hang an extra water bottle or some such thing. But being able to carry my big down jacket, a rain shell, and an extra fleece is critical. If I can’t do that, I’ll need to look at other options.

The second problem is that the back of the pack is NOT made of any type of wicking fabric, and it’s flat against your back. With a thin tank top in 80 degree heat, I was soaked with cold sweat. I’m not sure how relevant this will be in cold weather, as I’ll be hiking with it on top of several layers so it won’t really be right against my skin. Might work. Might not. Again, something that’s really hard to test in SoCal.

BodyMedia FIT: Although I love this thing, I’m not sure how accurate it is. It said that I burned 638 calories on this hike. Which sounds great, except that it also said I burned almost that many calories on a nice, easy, breezy, walk on the flat bike path on the beach without all the heavy gear last week. I just don’t believe that I burn as many calories without breaking a sweat as I do backpacking up and down hills in the burning heat.

Still, one interesting thing that I found is that I can click on the calorie burn chart in the activity monitor when I get home, and get a nice approximation of the terrain, since I burn more calories on uphills than I do on downhills. I could actually see how many hills, and how intense each hill really was. The FIT did not, however, register any “vigorous activity” on this hike that totally wiped me out. It rated it all as “moderate” which is the same rating as most of the beach walk. In fact, the beach walk did register some vigorous activity. It just doesn’t pass the “reality check” test for me, so I wouldn’t take it as gospel. If you realize the numbers may be more of a trend than they are strictly accurate, it is nice feedback to have.

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