Raising the Bar

I detailed my workout and training plan to Steve and Christoph and asked for recommendations. Well, my plan is apparently a bare minimum for SP! Here's what I said:

3 times/week on cardiovascular (more on stairmasters) for 1 hour each session
2 times/week on weight lifting
Hiking on weekend with added weight backpack - By July I must be able to carry 30-35 lbs to hike up the mountain near my place (Mission Peak or Mt Diablo)

Here's what the experts says:
From Steve
- Mountaineering expeditions
- Winter camping
- Cross-country and touring skiing
- Tire-pulling
From Christoph
- Need to go out, camp, ski, sleep, wash, anything, in bad winter weather

Advices are taken seriously.

I have now plan for two climbs this summer: Mt Shasta and Mt Rainier. More hiking trips to Yosemite or other places will be done this summer/fall. Right now I hike two times a week. My god, it's not that easy. Last week I had small problem with my left knee so I only had 3 bottles of water in the backpack. Yesterday I had 1.5 gallon of water and today I added more to 2 gallons. 2 gallons is about 16.5 lbs (7.5kg) of weight. Just half of what I need for Shasta. So my plan is each time increase by half a gallon. It seems small but it is killing if you do it consecutively. Mission peak is now my weekend hang out place. It is only 2517 ft (767m). The trail is 2.8 miles (4.5km). So far I did it within 1h 20 mins straight with no break. First I need to get the weight up, then speed.

Another hangout spot is the beach. It sounds nice if you go there just to chill. "Lucky" me, that's where I do my tire-pulling. I pulled the tire around my neighborhood last week. Some people looked at me weird, like I have some mental issue. I didn't care, kept on pulling. But pulling on asphalt and concrete is pretty easy, so I "raise the bar" today. I went to the beach after the hiking, starting to pull. I did get a lot of stares, that for sure. Some poeple gave me thumbs up, not sure if they know what I am doing ;). Pulling the damn tire on the sandy beach is damn tiring. It really drains you. I could only do 30 mins this time. I need to increase the duration. One thing I could see that keep me going is the fact that I was on the beach and it was very nice. There weren't that many people today as it was quite cold, but it worked out great for me. I was hot!

And for training, I have increased cardio exercise duration and frequencies. I now do on the weight day too, but shorter. So hope all of this will help. One thing I could see change immediately is I eat a lot now. All those calories burned need to be refilled.

Good thing I see progress, everytime and everyday. Don't know where I am going reach the ceiling but I need to keep on pushing. Sometimes it difficult to self motivate but I think having a goal in mind really helps to raise the bar.