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Hello all!

To begin with, I have absolutely no experience with mountaineering. This is something I've wanted to try out for a fair bit of time but did not get the opportunity until now. In a few months, I'm going to leave Denmark (I currently live here) and go to India to a mountaineering school for a few months and possibly my first expedition. I'm really excited for that.

I've been fairly active, physically. I have no consistent routine but I manage to haul myself to the gym now and then. I also practice Karate sparsely. An area I'm lacking in is stamina. I just cannot run for a long distance, I tire too soon. (I don't smoke). I'm studying the biology of exercise and breath (VO2, lactic acid, etc.)

I'm looking for ways to improve my stamina. Any suggestions would be great. Also, suppose I had to run 25 Kms up-hill bearing a 15 kilogram load. What would be a good time?

It's great finding this community.

Thanks!
Dennis.

The answer is obvious. Get consistent with your cardio. Start off with 25 minutes of cardio at 60-85% of max heart rate on a treadmill. Increase the time as this becomes easier. Increase the intensity by adding incline, increasing the rate.

Do some training specific to mountaineering outdoors, loaded pack going up an incline. In other words, hiking

Not sure why you want to be RUNNING with a heavy pack? That's asking for sore knees.

If you want to run, and you are interested in building stamina, avoid injuries and burnout by following a sound training program. Read some running books. I would never run with a heavy pack. For trail running without a pack in steep terrain, start with a goal of 10-minute miles and start with running three or four miles at a time and build from there. Stamina is a product of genetics and steady training. Work on the steady training and take your time. And work on running correctly... I'd highly recommend reading Born to Run.

http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Superath ... 186&sr=1-1

Go to www.mtnathlete.com This is a great resource for building endurance in the mountains.
Walking up hill with a pack on is good "sport specific" training, but think about over all fitness, building some strength will make you more durable, and give you a reserve in the Mountains. A few months is not a long time, but it can make a difference.
Find a program like mtn athlete, and follow it. You don't have time to experiment much, you need to jump on a program and stick with it.
Feel free to PM me with any questions

Plenty of good responses above. I want to reinforce the idea that running with weights of any kind is potentially harmful, and in my opinion, should be discouraged. I personally run long distances, but almost always on flat surfaces in town. Hiking is great, and going with a pack is a good idea (as long as you aren't running with it).

I would also say a good cardio base is really helpful, and I believe essential whether you run, bike or swim if you want to be able to fully enjoy tough hiking or climbing. If you try running and aren't fast, that's ok. Running slowly, but over longer distances would help you more than short runs. Even if you occasionally walk, that's ok too. Hill running shouldn't be attempted until you already have built up a good endurance base, or you run a significant risk of injuries.

Regarding consistency, being goal-oriented as you mention helps tremendously. Partners help. If you work out alone, like I do, it could be hard to maintain a consistent regimen- keeping a weekly log might be helpful.

Good luck to you!

Woodie

For mountaineering, it's all about your uphill slogging ability. Load a pack with water, hike up the biggest hill around. Drink and dump the water, then go down and repeat it until you can go the whole hill without a break. Then add more weight.

I absolutely agree with you Dan. The only problem for the OP is that Denmark's high point is 173m, and it's not much of a hill! If he wants to work on his stamina before leaving Denmark, the best he can do is likely a stairmaster if he wants to go uphill.

To begin with, I have absolutely no experience with mountaineering. This is something I've wanted to try out for a fair bit of time but did not get the opportunity until now. In a few months, I'm going to leave Denmark (I currently live here) and go to India to a mountaineering school for a few months and possibly my first expedition. I'm really excited for that.

Congratulations! It sure did change my life.

DanTheMan gave you the best advice. For mountaineering it is mostly about your 'uphill slogging ability' as Dan said. Usually the days (approaches) are long.
What I did some times for conditioning was fill up gallons of water (I started with 3, advanced to 6. Some people say it is best to do it with more weight, some say it is best to do it with weight you will carry on your climbs, in order to avoid learning to be slower. I do not know which is the best way, but I think 6 is the best number for me) and either walk up and down a steep city block for 3 hours with a good pace. Or do a Bay Area peak with 2200ft of elevation gain 1-2 times usually, my best was 4 trips up with loaded pack. I dump the water on top/drink/eat. Worked as the best conditioning in my opinion.
Running uses different muscles and is not as helpful. Although a lot better than doing nothing. Remember that in the mountains you are usually short of breath because your blood does not have enough red blood cells to carry enough oxygen from your lungs to your body. So acclimate, hydrate, eat enough.

Good luck in India.

I live in the flatlands as well, and workouts like those from Mtnathlete have served me well for 14 hour days in the mountains.

Going up and down stairs has always worked for me. I live on top of a hill with 240 steps going down to the beach. Going up and down those steps, singles and doubles, no pack, about ten times, three times a week, does wonders. If you live on the flatlands, find a high-rise and take the stairs. I hate all the turns on those, but it's better than nothing. To carry a load you need to find a hill. Like someone said, carry a load of water up, drink and dump the water on top and go down on an easy pace. Save your knees. You're gonna need healthy knees in the mountains.

One thing that can affect stamina whether or not you are eating and drinking.

When I was young and fit, I lacked stamina. No matter how hard I trained, I seemed to get tired too quickly. I never ate anything, and I didn't drink much water either. Then I started eating a bit of energy gel and drinking water regularly while I was climbing. It really changed things around.

I'm older now and not in nearly as good of shape as I was when I was young, but I have a lot more stamina simply because I force myself to eat and drink regularly when I'm climbing.

it's all mental toughness. you were born to walk. it's just putting one foot in front of the other and going. aim to push yourself tot he limit and then go a little farther. you'll be amazed at how far you can go.

sidenote: i hate running. it's not that i cant run for very far, it's that i absolutely don't want to. i get by though with biking.

I have been walking about 2.5 miles each day, which drops about 500 ft first, then regains it on the way back. This has been a great way for me personally to get in shape, and good because it takes about an hour a day.

I don't have all the time in the world to get in shape, and this is my main limitation; I have to work as well as train, so I can't just go for it every day and kill myself before work. And unlike a lot of people, i can't just sit in a chair all day where I work, I actually have to do physical things so if I injure myself, I can't work.

taking it slow is my advice; the mountains will still be there if it takes you a few months or even a year to get in shape. They aren't going anywhere in your lifetime, so there's not a hurry.

Does anyone here carbo-load? Or eats excessive amounts of food before big days, or when does several big days in a row?
I do it (drink/eat more), but thinking of a better way to do it. I wonder if there is some site where they talk about it..

I usually load up two or three days before running ultras, and make sure I'm well hydrated before starting. There are plenty of long distance/ultra running blogs out there discussing pre-event loading. For me this also seems helpful before bigger climbs.

Woodie