trail legs

[downes911]

okay I'm a newbie and went out on the Knobstone Trail in southern IN, which they also call the "lil appalachian". After two days and some very steep hills (not mountains but hills), i was having to stop every 20 feet or so to catch my breath, cmon now i think i'm in pretty decent shape but really every 20 feet.
How long should i expect it to take before my "trail legs" and "trail breathing" kicks in.

[modiyooch]

that concerns me. my trail legs have nothing to do with my breathing. It concerns me because in May I went hiking with a gentleman that had similar problems and he had a major heart attack 3 days later. He kept having to take a breather, and neither on of us even considered his heart.

[ChinMusic]

The Knobstone is an *** kicker. You are correct that it is not mountains but I find the Knobstone tougher on me than the AT.

What pace did you have on your day(s)?

[hikingshoes]

i did that and i when to the VA to get a stress test,it checked ok.but i know what it was i was being on the safe side,now i got a bike and im up to 3miles now.

[chiefduffy]

To answer your question, it takes me 2 to 3 weeks on the trail to get my trail legs and wind. Maybe 5-6 weeks for peak shape. 'Course, then the shin splints kick in, if I go too fast....
YMMV

- Duffy

[Kerosene]

It probably varies by your aerobic conditioning also. I've been a regular soccer player up until this year (osteoarthritis kicked in), so it usually takes me 3 days to get my 'trail legs'. However, my aerobic capacity is pretty good right from the start. About 10-12 days in, if I'm out that long, I have reached another level of endurance. It's amazing what the human body can do.

In your case, downes911, you might try resting a bit longer when you do have to rest, perhaps by leaning your pack against a tree. Let your heart rate get back down to 120 bpm or so before you start out again. As long as you're in good general health, your endurance will pick up slowly. One trick I use is to fuel up before I get to a climb, and then use my 'low-slow gear' to chug up the mountain, walking slowly enough that I don't have to stop and then striding once I get to the top and catch my breath.

[Grinder]

I had the same experience when I started hiking two years ago.

I used to run a lot, but quit due to a stiff back. To get ready, I walked a lot.

When I got to the trail and started the loaded (backpack) climbs, I was astounded at how hard it was. "Gasping and wheezing" doesn't begin to describe it.

If you can, do aerobic exercise to prepare, If not, I developed ways to breathe, combined with baby steps, and periodic rests.

Something like twenty step with a breath every step alternating with twenty breaths resting. I found resting sooner, rather than forcing it worked best for me.

In two or three days, I could sense improvement. I think, at my age, it takes more than a week to get trail legs. On a two week hike this spring, I was better at the end, but far from skipping u the steep stuff.

It is what it is. Don't let being slow stop you from hiking.

[downes911]

thanks for the encouragement. I not worried about health/heart had a complete physical few months ago everything checked out okay. it's just like you said it was harder than i anticipated, so i will take it as slow as i need to get the job done and won't give up.

[Toolshed]

Shoes,
What kind of aerobic conditioning are you doing?
You said you are up to 3 miles on a bike?
That's not really a lot. Are you overweight?
I tend to slow down if I get out of breath but keep going. If I stop once I tend to keep stopping on a long climb-it seems to get easier to stop.

[ChinMusic]

If I stop once I tend to keep stopping on a long climb-it seems to get easier to stop.
I try to just take small and smaller steps, slower and slower. But your right if I succumb to that first stop, I'm doomed to keep stopping, don't know why.

[kanga]

happens to me all the time. sometimes on a long hike, i start out fresh and great and then wake up one morning and have trouble all day. then again, sometimes i suck wind all morning and by the 2nd hour am blasting through trail. my legs shake at odd times, but that has to do with nutrient intake mostly i think. don't worry about it, go with the flow each day and just enjoy whatever that day gives you.

[Datto]

okay I'm a newbie and went out on the Knobstone Trail in southern IN, which they also call the "lil appalachian". After two days and some very steep hills (not mountains but hills), i was having to stop every 20 feet

I too hiked the Knobstone Trail (northbound from Deam Lake for me) the summer prior to starting my AT thru-hike. The KT was great preparation and made the Georgia AT not seem so outlandishly rugged. There was a part of the KT that I've termed "Stairway to Heaven" because that thing had been the most difficult climb I'd ever done and seem to go on forever. It told me I needed to do way more hiking before starting the AT. So I hiked all the name brand trails in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, consuming pretty much every weekend up to the start of the winter just prior to starting my AT thru-hike. That taught me a lot.

Here's an example of getting trail legs. A couple years prior to the start of my AT thru-hike, I did a section hike of the AT just north of Damascus, Virginia (Damascus is about milepoint 434 or so for a northbounder). That small section hike in Virginia wore me out but good.

Then, on my AT thru-hike, starting north from Springer Mountain, Georgia, that same section of the AT in Virginia a month and a half after Springer was such a breeze -- I actually went up the mountain toward Mt. Rogers backwards for about a mile while singing because it seemed so easy compared to my previous section hike. I hadn't hit full AT trail legs yet but I was probably 3/4 of the way to getting full trail legs.

Months later in Maine, I had to go up four steepazz Maine-type mountains in a day through the 100 mile wilderness to try and get passed a blizzard that was coming in that I'd heard about on the radio. That was one of the particular points on the AT where I'd realized how good of shape I was in. I must have sustained 3 mph uphill (and down) for the entire day while carrying five days of food. Ahh, didn't make it past the blizzard and had to hunker down in the snow for three days.

I'd say by the time I hit Rockfish Gap (the south end of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia) on my AT thru-hike I was at about 90% of full trail legs and pack weight didn't seem that big of a deal anymore. Being without my pack in sight was more of a big deal than actually carrying my pack by that point on my thru-hike. You get pretty used to carrying your backpack after a while and sometimes feel uncomfortable without your pack next to you or on your back. About that time you start loading up on better, tastier food because your appetite has gone bananas on you and you're craving good food.

Datto

[Spokes]

I agree with Chiefduffy- 6 weeks to hit peak shape.......at least that's how long it takes for my "hiker hunger" to kick in!

[Tinker]

I don't agree that this is a thruhiker specific topic, so I'll answer the question.
When I'm out of shape I get out of breath easily.
That brings up the question of just what "in shape" means.
Basically, in the context of hiking, if you are "in shape" you shouldn't have any breathing problems unless you're pushing to keep up with faster hikers, the climbing is near vertical, or, in my case, just pushing yourself because that's what you tend to do automatically.
In short, you're probably not in bad shape, but, if you're really curious about just how fit you are, take a stress test and ask a sports physician to interpret the results to you. If not, keep hiking those hills and you'll eventually begin to see them as a challenge rather than an obstacle. You'll be fine :)

[jersey joe]

I would say it takes about two weeks to start to feel like you are really getting into trail shape.

[Pedaling Fool]

It takes a long time to get in real shape, regardless if it's "trail shape" or anyother type of shape. All the infomercials that say do a certain activity on "this machine" 30 minutes per day 3 times per week are just playing to Americans' need for a quick fix.

When I started hiking I could feel very small improvements from day-to-day. However, I didn't get my trail legs until a little after Damascus (~600 miles into my trip). Another thing is that being in shape involves much more than cardio capacity, there's a lot of physical pain to overcome. You won't here that on any infomercial.

[Pedaling Fool]

I don't agree that this is a thruhiker specific topic, so I'll answer the question.
When I'm out of shape I get out of breath easily.
That brings up the question of just what "in shape" means.
Basically, in the context of hiking, if you are "in shape" you shouldn't have any breathing problems unless you're pushing to keep up with faster hikers, the climbing is near vertical, or, in my case, just pushing yourself because that's what you tend to do automatically.
In short, you're probably not in bad shape, but, if you're really curious about just how fit you are, take a stress test and ask a sports physician to interpret the results to you. If not, keep hiking those hills and you'll eventually begin to see them as a challenge rather than an obstacle. You'll be fine :)
It is a very subjective standard, not just from person to person, but even one's own definition changes as their level of fitness increases.

I remember when I started riding a bike thinking that if I could just maintain 20 mph for 20 miles, like my friend who was in very good shape than I'd be happy. Well I've surpassed that standard and and still am not happy with my cycling capability.

Same with hiking for most, the reason hiking doesn't get easier from day-to-day, is because if we do X-number of miles in a given time we (I believe most of us) feel a self-imposed pressure to improve on that.

When I felt like I was floating on air as I hiked, that's when I decided to declare I was in trail shape. Despite knowing others could go farther, faster and more often.

[fredmugs]

Knobstone Trail is a knee buster more than anything else. You basically go up and down a number of 200 - 250 foot climbs that are not switchbacked. The first time I hurt my knee was hiking on Knobstone. I think I saw a study once where somebody determined that if the trail was properly switchbacked it would be 30 miles longer.

If you are literally stopping every 20 feet you are no condition to do a thru hike or even an overnight hike.

Trail legs and trail shape are all relative. I ride an exercise bike about 4 times a week and I can maintain a 30 mph pace for an hour. I am drenched with sweat when I get off that bike. Three of the section hikes I did this year had a first day of 24, 28, and 26 miles repectively.

I agree that the KT is a fairly good option for getting ready to hit the AT but if it's kicking your @$$ aerobically you need to put in a lot more work. I would consider riding an exercise bike and alternate between easy resistance where you maintain a high RPM and a harder level to work on your leg strength. It works for me.

[BobTheBuilder]

I agree - it varies by person and is probably genetic, to some extent. I section hike for a week twice a year, always starting back at square one, fitness-wise. I see the real difference about day 4 or 5. This seems pretty quick, so I think it must be something hereditary since no one would consider me as fit, including myself. I learned not to rush it, though. I force myself to keep it at 10 mile days the first couple of days and it seems to help a lot.

[pjbarr]

when i did my first section hike (smokies), i was in college and thought I was fit and athletic. i had no idea how difficult it was until that first day on the trail. and throughout the week, everyday my friend (of same condition, age) and i were leaning over, dripping sweat, sucking wind, panting, dead tired. old men and women were passing us giggling - and rightfully so. thru-hikers were getting annoyed that they kept having to wait behind us for a spot where we could pull over.

what i learned was that you can think you're in good shape, but the trail itself will eventually tell you what type of shape you are really in, and eventually shape you up to handle it. we also quickly learned that short bursts for 5 minutes - attacking the slope with all our might - and the 10 minutes of bending over not being able to breath wasn't the most efficient way to walk. a slower, but constant pace, can be sustained for a lot longer, if not all day (between meals). my friend still hikes like this, but the turtle always win the race and enjoys the scenery more.

unless you do have the heart condition as was mentioned in the first reply, i'd say you're on par for the course (er, trail), and a few more repeated hikes will improve your aerobic ability and stamina considerably.

years later, i've started running as daily exercise, and on recent weekends when i've hiked, i noticed i can now hike up steep slopes at a decent rate and hold full conversations with little winding, so the mantra that hiking is the only way to get better at hiking isn't completely true - i guess there is still a difference between trail legs and aerobic ability....

[Jim Adams]

the first signs that you are starting to get your trail legs is that you will still run out of breath but you'll notice that your steps are getting longer and you're going further between stops.

geeks

[TwoForty]

After two weeks, I tend to really hit my stride. I did the same amount of miles per day at the end as I did in the beginning. It just got easier.

[hikingshoes]

sorry,it took so long to get back with you.for as overweight going by the Army std.i am.I was 249lbs(being layed off didnt help) but im down to 235lbs and up to 5miles a day.After retiring from the Army Res.i havent ran in 2yrs and didnt want to after doing for 22yrs,but after going on that hike may me do some thinking,thats why im taking my time and i feel 100%better now.Im want to get down to 200lbs-Army std are 195lbs @5'11''.Thanks for ask.Charles
Shoes,
What kind of aerobic conditioning are you doing?
You said you are up to 3 miles on a bike?
That's not really a lot. Are you overweight?
I tend to slow down if I get out of breath but keep going. If I stop once I tend to keep stopping on a long climb-it seems to get easier to stop.