Are you physically ready for hunting season?

[bigdonniebrasco]

""could no longer outwork a bad diet. ""

This...

 

[ElkHunter11]

Good morning everyone, this will be my first post to the Hunt Talk forum. Love the site so far and everything that Randy stands for. As for physical conditioning, I feel I am in good shape overall. I live in Dallas, so being in "good" shape doesn't mean much when I get up to 9,000-12,000 feet on a 5 day hunt. The past 2 elk hunts I've been on put me in my place.

I will be on a first rifle hunt in CO in October. I workout year round roughly 3-4 times a week, but I don't necessarily watch what I eat or drink (no sodas though). I started really training for this hunt in early July, working out 5+times a week. Again, I know the mountains are going to test my lungs, so I'm just doing my best to prep my legs as much as I can and hope my lungs can adjust more rapidly than the prior 2 years. I've started watching what I eat and do not drink during the week (beer/wine). I'm going to completely eliminate alcohol starting September in order to give my body the best chance to push my limits up on the slopes. I've also yet to harvest an elk and I can't come home again with an empty tag. This motivation will hopefully continue to drive my workouts and diet. I will do as some of you have mentioned and "rest" the week before by going on walks and hydrate as much as I can. I hope this will be enough and can finally lay my hands on a bull elk this October. Good luck to everyone this season!

 

[maxx]

Well signed up for a 5K tomorrow. Then I am running this next Saturday. www.titan-mob.com

 

[The Hedgehog]

I would like to do the Bridger Ridge run sometime. Being from the flatland I just can't prepare adequately for the continual climbs and descents. Last year I finished a flat 50 mile trail run down by Houston over an hour quicker than I finished the Elkhorn Endurance 52K over in Helena. With 8,000' of climb and 8,000' of descent in essentially 3 big climbs and 3 big descents it pretty much ate my lunch. The trail was a bit more technical too, but it seems crazy that it took over an hour longer to run 18 miles less distance.

There really isn't a good way to prepare for the big ups and downs other than going up and down. My longest hill I can run here drops about 200 feet in about a 1/2 mile. The big elevation changes on that run were something like 2,500' in 3 miles. Lugging 215 pounds up and down those will wear on a person!

As much as I hate any running, I highly suggest doing the ridge run. Yesterday was my 5th time. I always say it's the last time. It was my better half's first time. Here's a friend of mine at the last "aid station" 4 miles from the finish yesterday on Baldy.