FAQ and threads for those just starting to hike the Colorado 14ers.
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DArcyS wrote: it hardly takes a fine-tuned athlete to climb a 14er. You need to train to do a 100-mile bike ride and you need to train to run a marathon, but you don't need to train to climb a 14er.
Hi Darcy- I don't really want to get into squabbling, but I do want to make a very succinct point that you are incorrect.
You don't even need to train to run a marathon, I ran a marathon having not run in years in steamboat, finished in 3:53. Anyone can do any of these things without training for them provided that they are incredible athletes and fantastically gifted as I am.
On April 21st, 1982, three weeks before the release of Combat Rock, Joe Strummer, at the height of The Clash’s fame, ran the Paris Marathon with his girlfriend Gaby Salter after allegedly drinking 10 pints of beer the night before.
[...]
The 1982 Paris Marathon wasn’t Strummer’s first or only marathon. He allegedly ran the 1981 London Marathon as well as the 1983 London Marathon which was sponsored by and – sponsored by the supermarket tabloid The Sun. He claimed to have ran the 1983 marathon in 4 hours and 13 minutes, which is pretty good time to run 26.2 miles.
strummersmashhitsapril1983.jpg (102.23 KiB) Viewed 7097 times
Q: Correct me if I’m wrong but is it also true that you never trained for any of them?
Joe: You shouldn’t really ask me about my training regime, you know.
Q: Why?
Joe: Because it’s not good and I wouldn’t want people to copy it.
Q: Don’t make me beat it out of you.
Joe: Okay, you want it, here it is. Drink 10 pints of beer the night before the race. Ya got that? And don’t run a single step at least four weeks before the race.
I love the attitude with which people support/defile high intensity.
There is a simple binary key to solve the problem.
1. Do you live in Boulder and have hours each week to spend walking/running up and down green mountain?
1a: yes - then do that
1b: no - go to question 2
2. Do you have family or work obligations or other interests in life that would preclude you from spending more than 20% of you waking hours cranking out low intensity cardio?
2a: yes - then go do high intensity and feel rad, crossfit the f**k outa Bierstadt, do some kettlebell swings and slam a Michelob ultra and/or exquisite craft beer back at the car.
2b: no - then shut the f**k up and go spend all your free time doing low intensity cardio
Seriously. I'm a fan of the Steve House book, but the level of alpinism that book was gear towards ain't 14eneering.
Go hiking a bunch. Do some weight training, it'll make you stronger. If you don't like being in the gym, then don't. 14ers are supposed to be about enjoying yourself and the mountains, not self-flagellating your way to an arbitrary goal.
Dave B wrote:Seriously. I'm a fan of the Steve House book, but the level of alpinism that book was gear towards ain't 14eneering.
Go hiking a bunch. Do some weight training, it'll make you stronger. If you don't like being in the gym, then don't. 14ers are supposed to be about enjoying yourself and the mountains, not self-flagellating your way to an arbitrary goal.
On April 21st, 1982, three weeks before the release of Combat Rock, Joe Strummer, at the height of The Clash’s fame, ran the Paris Marathon with his girlfriend Gaby Salter after allegedly drinking 10 pints of beer the night before.
[...]
The 1982 Paris Marathon wasn’t Strummer’s first or only marathon. He allegedly ran the 1981 London Marathon as well as the 1983 London Marathon which was sponsored by and – sponsored by the supermarket tabloid The Sun. He claimed to have ran the 1983 marathon in 4 hours and 13 minutes, which is pretty good time to run 26.2 miles.
strummersmashhitsapril1983.jpg
Q: Correct me if I’m wrong but is it also true that you never trained for any of them?
Joe: You shouldn’t really ask me about my training regime, you know.
Q: Why?
Joe: Because it’s not good and I wouldn’t want people to copy it.
Q: Don’t make me beat it out of you.
Joe: Okay, you want it, here it is. Drink 10 pints of beer the night before the race. Ya got that? And don’t run a single step at least four weeks before the race.
Of course there's also the Don Whillans Himalaya Training Regimen:
IMG_0399.JPG (74.2 KiB) Viewed 6973 times
"I want to keep the mountains clean of racism, religion and politics. In the mountains this should play no role."
- Joe Stettner
"I haven't climbed Everest, skied to the poles, or sailed single-handed around the world. The goals I set out to accomplish aren't easily measured or quantified by world records or "firsts." The reasons I climb, and the climbs I do, are about more than distance or altitude, they are about breaking barriers within myself."
The summit is a source of power. The long view gives one knowledge and time to prepare. The summit, by virtue of the dizzying exposure, leaves one vulnerable. A bit of confidence and a dash of humility is all we get for our work. Yet to share these moments with friends is to be human. C. Anker
Of course there's also the Don Whillans Himalaya Training Regimen:
