Physical Preparation
The decision now made, the preparation began. There were things to learn, to do, to acquire, physical issues to finally deal with and habits to change. It was clear that I would not make it being 50 years old, 5' 9" and weighing 225 (on a very good day). However, the power of a goal provided the motivation to make changes that were previously too difficult without a very compelling reason.
Within two weeks I gave up caffeine completely by mixing caffeine Diet Coke with non-caffeine Diet Coke decreasing the caffeine ratios until finally, there was no caffeine left. I tried to give up caffeine many times prior but this time met the challenge that has continued so far for more than 8 months.
The arthritis in my feet would very likely be a problem so I had nearly 20 of the deformed or inflamed toe joints removed by Indiana's podiatrist of the year winner. Performed one foot at a time, the surgeries were also a complete success. For the first time in nearly 10 years I could purchase a regular shoe at the correct size for my feet and wear them right away without the usual months of "break-in" pain. Hallelujah. I doubt I would have ever really gone through all that if it were not for the obvious necessity for the trip. And, if you're wondering... regardless of what mental picture you might be creating, my feet now look quite normal with only a few minor scars that are barely noticeable.
I also began a relatively unknown non-fad and non-typical nutrition plan that works best by eating actually more food, but of the right carb/protein/fat mix at the right times. It works by increasing my metabolic rate and has reduced my weight to around 180 at the time of this writing (4 weeks prior to departure). However, weighing 155 with 160 as weekly maximum is the ultimate goal and will not likely be met prior to departure, though 170 is still reasonably achievable.
After healing from the surgeries and a couple months of physical rehabilitation, time was getting short to rebuild the necessary strength and endurance to needed to complete the climb. I acquired an adequate variety of fitness equipment that turned two basement rooms into a reasonably well equipped fitness center, and began working out based on what I found seemed to work for me long ago. I also used several fitness books that offered a plethora of exercises as well as frustrating advice that conflicted on on my issues. Since time was short I was becoming concerned with using the 90-100 days remaining as effectively as possible. I made several inquiries with ads and friends, then interviewed and hired a personal trainer to focus on what I needed to be most effective. The personal trainer shows up at 5:30 AM on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Though I sometimes wished it, he is never late, and neither am I. Soft spoken and low key, he could entice me to work beyond what I would do alone.
My bench press increased from 90 pounds to today's personal record of 2 reps at 260 pounds after working up to that today from 150 adding 10-20 pounds each set. With a surprising variety of abdominal crunch routines totaling 200-300/day, my core strength and endurance increased dramatically. Legs are building with a combination of lunges with and without carrying dumbbells along with various squats utilizing a medicine ball against a wall again holding 15-40-pound dumbbells in each hand. I acquired dual sets of dumbbells from 5 to 50 pounds which he uses in a large repertoire of exercise combinations to build my legs, shoulders, back, arms, and other muscles that continue to hurt in new places every week.
While my strength was clearly increasing, my cardiovascular capacity was and is still very much lacking. Advised not to run or jog by my knee surgeon, my usual method of losing weight and building cardio was not an option. Biking seemed to work well with the knees so I equipped a 21-speed with a couple of gadgets (a Cateye, and a Polar S720i) that monitor my speed, cadence, heart rate, and even altitude so I could effectively compete against myself. I found a challenging 10.5 mile route that included a very steep hill as the half-way point where I could coast from a stop at the top to 38-40 MPH by the bottom within 30 seconds to give you some idea of its grade. I turn around and peddle up the hill increasing my speed from a couple of stops at first attempt, to using the lowest gear to achieve 2.6 MPH up the hill without any rest stops, to my current 4 MPH non-stop if I kept my pulse to 165 BPM or less.
Doing the bike route 4-5 times/week along with the 3 workouts/week substantially improved my cardiovascular endurance. from my original state of being quite winded using both legs and both arms to climb a normal set of household steps only 6 months ago, but I'm still not even close to physical condition of my very fit climbing partners. Whether it's good enough yet to achieve the mountain's high altitude summit is still a question for me. Therefore, I remain committed to the total physical regime from this point until I leave 4 weeks from now.