How I'm Preparing to Hike Across Three Countries for My Honeymoon
This September, my husband and I are spending our honeymoon on the Tour du Mont Blanc: 100+ miles and roughly 33,000 feet of elevation gain across three countries. Ten days, a lot of uphill, and exactly the kind of trip that gets me excited.
I've always trained better when I have a real target in front of me. Something specific to build toward keeps me consistent in a way that "just stay in shape" never quite does. So this trip has become the organizing goal behind my whole training schedule for the past several months.
As a physical therapist, I obviously could not just wing this and pray my body holds up. So I built myself a training program, and since a few of you have asked what that actually looks like day to day, I figured I would share it. Consider this your behind the scenes look at what "training for a big trip" really involves, beyond just hiking more.
The Weekly Structure
Weekdays are for strength work. This is where I focus on:
Squats, lunges, and step ups for overall leg strength
Heel raises for calf and ankle endurance
Eccentric focused work for the downhills, since going down can honestly feel harder than going up
Single leg stability and balance work
Saturdays are a double header. CrossFit in the morning, followed almost immediately by a shorter hike, four to six miles. This is intentional. Part of preparing for back to back long days is teaching your body to perform even when it is already a little tired.
Sundays are our longer training hikes, with a loaded pack. We have been gradually adding weight to get closer to what we will actually be carrying on the trail.
Evenings got a small upgrade too. My husband and I have always gone for a short walk after dinner to catch up and unwind the day. Lately that walk has turned into a "ruck": packs on, some added weight, same route. Low key, but it adds up.
An Unexpected Perk
One thing I did not fully anticipate: this training has become its own kind of adventure. Chasing mileage and elevation has sent us out onto trails across Marin we have hiked a hundred times, and onto a few we had never touched before. Training for the Alps has, in its own way, been a beautiful excuse to fall for our own backyard all over again.
The Personal Rehab: My Right Hip and Ankle
Yes, physical therapists also deal with injuries. I have dealt with right hip pain for a long time, and my right ankle has its own history of being cranky. So a piece of this training program is specifically dedicated to getting both of them into the best shape possible before we go.
For my hip, that means single leg stability, isometrics and glute strengthening, done deliberately and consistently. For my ankle, it is a combination of heel raises and balance work targeting that side specifically. Nothing groundbreaking, just consistent, unglamorous reps aimed at making sure both are ready for ten straight days of uneven terrain.
One More Thing
I will be out of the office from September 3rd through September 23rd. If you need to schedule or reschedule anything around those dates, just reach out and we will find a time that works before or after the trip.
Wish us luck. Or better yet, wish my hip and ankle luck. They are the ones with the real job ahead of them.