Of Maps and Sweat Equity TA's Weekly Update 10-10-10

Happy 10.10.10 and Happy Thanksgiving,

 

I don't think I was all that clear last week when I announcing my new approach to weekly updates.  For those folks who've been receiving your updates via gmail, you don't need to join Facebook-sorry for any confusion.  You can just visit my website and click on TA's Blog and you'll see any updates I've posted there.  If you'd like to receive those updates as they are posted, you can subscribe on the site and chose to have them sent out to you daily, weekly or monthly.  My blog's web address is http://taloeffler.com/tas-blog/ (and for the next while, I'm keep sending out updates until I'm confident folks have found their feet with the new system...do visit the blog as it's loaded with photos and links that I can't send out in an email because it would  be too many megabytes).

 

I'm loving the new creative possibilities of my new site and have been celebrating for now with a daily post called "Visual Soliloquy" where I talk to myself with both words and pictures.  I'm working to organize my digital photo library into a more manageable scene-with over 25,000 images, I need a robust system that makes is easy to find images as well as back them up.  So along with revisiting much of the writing I've done over the past six years, I've been seeing images in all new ways and am enjoying sharing them.

 

I spent much of Monday hiking around the Tilton Barrens on Monday helping Marian and Nolan map out a new orienteering course.  I tagged along as photographer.  In the process, I remembered how much I love maps and how my relationship to a map changes once I have traversed the terrain it symbolizes.  Topographical maps contain such a wealth of information that it's hard to totally take in that bounty until you experience the place first hand.  In both my work and play, I've had the privilege of creating an intimate knowledge and relationship with so many landscapes.  In looking through so many images of late, I realize that I try to capture, explore, and share the nuances of those relationships through photography (and through words as well).

 

Thursday, Marian and I drove the Irish Loop along the Southern Shore to pay a visit to Jacinta McGrath and Stella Maris Academy in Trepassey.  During the spring of 2006, Jacinta (of Bachelor of Physical Education, Grand Canyon backpack and Everest base camp fame) invited me down to speak at her school.  She knew I was aiming for Everest the following year and wanted her students to learn about what it takes to attempt the world's highest peak.  It was the first school I spoke at in the province and had no idea, four years ago, that that engagement would lead me into sixty-five other schools in three different countries.  I often say that when we identify and take on our personal "Everests", we have no idea where they will lead us (and that's half the fun).

 

Jacinta's students sent me off both in 2006 and 2010 with hand drawn greeting cards that deliver mountains of inspiration to me to keep climbing and training hard.  Given my current phase of looking forward and back right now, I so appreciated the opportunity to come full circle and be back at Stella Maris.  In four years, their student numbers have almost dropped by half so I spoke to the entire K-12 school in one group.  Of course, after the presentation, most of the questions came from the elementary students (it's not "cool" for the older students to ask questions in an assembly.)  After the presentation, one of the kids who'd asked a number of questions said to Jacinta, "Miss, I think I got a puffer fish inside me, I want to be a top chef and cook really good food - I think I can!"  One "pufferfish" moment makes it ALL worth it!

Yesterday, Marian and I finished up our reclaimed wood deck project and then headed over the Hilary and Adrian's new house to attend a painting party.  Both Hilary and Adrian have been working incredibly hard all summer to renovate the house they bought last spring.  They invited friends and family to come help move the painting along in one big collective effort.  Seeing the transformation of both the entire house and the walls since I'd last been there, I thought a bunch about "sweat equity."  I suspect the hours and hours of work the new homeowners have put into their abode will deepen their relationship to the place/their place, (just as hiking through a landscape nurtures a different level of knowing and commitment than driving through it). 

 

It reminds me of why I define an expedition as starting the moment I commit to it–why I spent a year on Denali rather than just the month of the actual climb–that I recognize(d) the critical importance of the journey, of sweat equity, of the process being as much the goal (or perhaps much more than) the product/summit.

 

Have a great week.  I'm thankful to have you all cheering me on.  With much gratitude,

 

TA

Navigating the Landscape: TA's Weekly Update September 25, 2010

Happy Equinox,

 

Hard to believe that summer is over and we're heading for the darker part of the year.  I've always wanted the longest day of the year to be in August, not June.  That way, the loss of light would begin at the end of summer rather than in its midst.  But given the calendar was set long before I showed up, I'll just have to cope.

 

Last Saturday morning, we awoke in a lovely campsite about 30 metres above waters of the St. Lawrence Seaway in Gros Morne National Park.  We finished our Long Range Traverse a few days early so we decided to add a hike to the Green Gardens to our agenda.   We also awoke to gunshots.  Very strange for any morning in the backcountry but even more strange for a national park.  Two guys in a dory were shooting towards the headland from their small boat.  Curious.  Then we noticed that there were white dots on the hillside.  Sheep!  We'd seen their tracks the days before (as well as their poop) and now we saw them scurrying for their lives down the way.  (Locals grazed their sheep there for centuries before the park existed).  The hunters/herders didn't seem to hit any of them with their 20 odd shots but we wondering if they were just trying to harass or herd them.  Later in the day, the wardens thought it was as equally strange as we did but could offer no explanation.

 

The evening before we had a driftwood campfire on the beach.  It looked at first like an "ordinary" sunset of great ball of fire easing into the ocean would be served up but then with just minutes to go, clouds seemed to roar into place.  With their sculpture like shapes adorning the horizon, the sky was soon ablaze in a wash of deep orange and red.  It was probably one of the top five sunsets I've seen in my life.  We felt so lucky to be sitting on the beach basking in the glow of our fire and then to have our entire existence painted in the dancing light of that fire was incredible.

 

After waiting fourteen years to make it happen, the Long Range Traverse was incredible.  The hike out of the back of the gorge was a bit like a rock version of the Khumbu Icefall.  We surmounting the waterfall we had to haul ourselves up using branches to leverage ourselves up the very steep slope.  Up, over, around, with a few tight squeezes through some fallen boulders delivered us to one of the most photographed iconic views of Gros Morne National Park.  You can check out this view and other pictures from our trip here:  Gros Morne Picture Album

 

We camped at the top of the waterfall and wonder at the visual splendor that surrounded us.  The wind was cold and cutting so we cooked up dinner and tucked ourselves into our new MEC Gemini ES tent.  On my trip to Ontario earlier in the summer, we'd discovered that our old tent was leaky and not a strong enough shelter for the potential conditions of the Long Range.  It turned out to be a fine tent except for the door zippers, which drive me crazy and it sure looked good nestled above the waterfall in a rocky nook.

 

The next day brought more clear weather and we headed up for the top of the gorge.  The navigation was easier than expected and we moved along quite quickly and ended the day at Hardings Pond.  That part of the Long Range houses the source of the Humber River so I'm currently enthralled with the possibility of travelling the Humber from source to sea.  A moose came with the new neighbourhood and we enjoyed watching him graze through the early evening.

 

The third day brought the toughest navigation because it required the crossing of two barren plateaus where it was hard to pick out the shapes of individual ponds.  Other than that, I was surprised that the navigation wasn't more challenging.  We'd prepped well by bringing maps of different scales and kept a close tab on where we were and where we had to head to not be led astray but the multitude of game trails.  We didn't even have to bash through much tuckamore.  The last day began with a river crossing to ford the creek that drains Green Island Pond.  It was a cold start to the day, our only grey, rainy and cold one, but I love the picture of Marian halfway across the stream.  I had fun calling her my "Hardcore Mountain Woman." 

 

It was a foggy, low cloud day but we could still move by following the footpath left by others.  It's startling the impact that our collective footsteps can have.  The Traverse in open from July through September and by September, there really is a "trail" of sorts.  We'd brought along a GPS but were proud that we never needed to use it to fix our location.  I think of off-trail/backcountry navigation as moving from moments where you absolutely know where you are through times where you don't know exactly where you are (some might define this as lost) to times where you know exactly again.  It takes some experience to be tolerant with that state of unknowing.

 

I saw a connection to my life with this idea…there are times when I know that I am exactly on track–that my beliefs, actions, and passions are all in alignment and other times where I'm not sure what my path is.  I've gotten better at hanging out in the less grounded state and trusting that clarity about path and purpose will eventually reveal themselves and I don't have the push the timing/decision-making along.  Though with the passing of my birthday this year, I seem to be more aware than ever that the life list might not all fit in so I want to choose carefully what I direct my life force/energy towards.  I feeling like I'm in one of those "between knowing" spaces right now.

 

The fog and clouds rose just as we were getting close to Gros Morne mountain and I got to experience somewhat of the view that I missed out last September when Marian and I climbed it in a driving rain.  We descended the steep gully that led to Ferry Gulch, lunched, and headed down.  We stopped by the Visitor's Centre and got stoked about heading fro Green Gardens the next day.

 

Both before and after the trip, we enjoyed the hospitality of our Gros Morne "base camp", The Ocean View Hotel.  Once again Todd Wight and his staff succeeded in making us feel welcome and the luxury of packing in and packing out in such luxury was delightful.  Todd even bailed me out when I'd screwed up the dates in our reservation!  Thanks Todd!

 

I've entered a video in the MEC Video contest called "Cinnamon Roll Meditation."  It's about baking cinnamon rolls in the backcountry.  The video needs to finish in the top five in its category to go onto the final round.  The grand prize is $2500 worth of MEC gear…that would go along way towards equipping several upcoming expeditions (whatever they turn out to be).  Please vote for my video here: http://bit.ly/9kkyLo MEC promises not to abuse your email and voting closes October 6^th.

 

Thanks in advance and have a good week,

 

TA

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TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-864-8670
Fax: 709-864-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
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Summit Socks and Send-Offs: TA's Weekly Update March 7, 2010

Howdy to All,

 

March is here and the Everest Advent Calendar's doors are half open!  The remainder of the road trip went well with two presentations in Calgary and I've been busy since my return trying to take items off of the mountain-sized to do list and sneak a bit of training in as well.

 

A highlight of the week was receiving a care package from Madame Edwards Grade Three class at CC Loughlin School.  They sent along a sleeping bag and pillow for Flat Stanley as well as a bike for him to train on!  Each child in the class also sent along a greeting card and I loved Noah's interpretation on my name…he said TA's Totally Awesome and Trying Again!  Check out the covers of the cards at this URL: (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=394562&id=509940550&l=12068c83ca)

 

I knew I wanted to jump in hard to training this week so Natelle and I took to the hill on Thursday with tires in tow.  Neither of us had particularly checked the weather so when we found ourselves up high in the wind in the midst of freezing rain, we both declared, "We're a bit underdressed for this."  We kept ourselves warm by dropping off the crest of the hill as soon as we could and set a new record for a single pull of 27:22 and for doing four pulls!  The four pulls up and three pulls down amounted to 10.5 kilometers of pulling and nearly 2000 feet of elevation gain!  By the end, we were giddy with exhaustion and cold but very pleased to have pulled it off (ha, ha).

 

As it's taper time, I'm trying to maintain the intensity of training while dropping some of the volume, which is handy because there are a mountain of details to attend to over the next two weeks.  Like securing my summit socks…as I've confessed before I am a superstitious creature of habit: I always put on my left hockey skate first.  And I always buy a new pair of socks to wear on summit day.  This pair of socks is left unworn until the chosen day to swaddle my feet in new and fresh loops of merino wool (clean socks are warmer than dirty ones).  It's a ritual I've used on all my climbs and I'm not stopping now!

 

Summit socks and send-offs…I was chatting with a friend last week about send-off possibilities and realized that I was more interested in a welcome home party than a good-bye one (as Ed Viesturs so aptly put it, "The summit is optional, getting home mandatory).  So be prepared to party hard when we get back from Everest but in the meantime, I would like to invite you to a Signal Hill Send-Off of Sorts.  On March 20, we'll be doing our last big tire pull and then I'll be doing an additional five ascents (as per my tradition of doing ten ascents of Signal Hill before each climb).  We'll start around 9 am or so and be on the hill road for the next 5-6 hours.  We'll pull/trek up and use cars for the descents. 

 

Come join us for a hike up the hill-the tire ascents will be slower than the trekking ones and I'm sure the ascents will slow gradually over the day (so if you're worried about being slow-come later).  We'll be looking for folks who can spare a little time as drivers that day to help out the team with descents.  Come on out for a climb of the hill and then go log your accomplishment on the RNL Small Steps/Big Results Website as part of the Step Up to the Summit Challenge (http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults/).  It's an informal send-off and we won't have much ability to carry on conversation, as tire pulling is hard work but do come out, wish us well, honk your horn, walk along side, and get some exercise!

 

And if you're not in St. John's, please find a hill wherever you are and go for a walk up it on March 20 and drop me a line or a picture to celebrate with us!

 

Speaking of which, Signal Hill is calling me now to get off my butt, into my pack and walk uphill!  Have a good week!

 

TA

--
*******************************************************************************
Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning

Please support the Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  

Visit the  Memorial website at  the following URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure to type the name of the award in the box.

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-737-8670
Fax: 709-737-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
*******************************************************************************

Road Trip: TA's Weeklu Update 2-27-2010

Happy 2010 Olympics!

 

Another seven doors are open on the Everest advent calendar and I've had a good trip out west.  After months of wrangling with various bureaucracies, it finally worked for me to pay a visit to the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley, Colorado.  I met Chris Mullen in Little Rock, Arkansas at the Association of Experiential Education conference two years ago.  He's Director of Student Engagement at UNC and he seized on an opportunity to bring me out for a speaking event. 

 

In hindsight, I realized this was my first presentation to university students outside of Memorial University and AEE conferences.  I was in a mood to channel my inner stand-up comedian and gave the students an introduction to things Newfoundland and things Canadian.  Since Colorado is a ways south of the border, Tim Horton's isn't a daily ritual and so I had to introduce Velma as a cousin of Dunkin' Donuts.  The room was full of hockey fans and I risked their vengeance to predict that Canada would win gold in both men's and women's hockey.  The audience forgave me later when I invited them all to come up and hold my Olympic Torch.  I left Colorado with a wonderful banner decorated with signatures and well wishes from many of the attendees.  I will hang it where I can see it often in the next few weeks.  Thanks Chris for all your hard work!

 

As part of my stay in Colorado, I had the privilege of meeting Alan Arnette in person. We met for lunch and I appreciated Alan's sharing of his experience over 7500 metres, his perspectives on my preparations, and his attendance at the evening's event.  He and I have followed each other's climbs over the past four years.  Alan, (http://www.alanarnette.com), in honour of his mother, is climbing the Seven Summits to raise one million for Alzheimer's research.  Alan also does an excellent job in covering Everest climbing seasons.  His website is an excellent source of up-to-date information on all Everest expeditions and of fascinating interviews of Everest climbers.  Alan even has an I-Phone app for tracking expeditions this year–download it today so you don't miss any news from the mountain!  Thanks Alan for all of your hard work in sharing Everest expeditions with the world.

 

After Colorado, I flew up to Edmonton to spend some time with my family, make another pilgrimage to Mountain Equipment Co-op, and watch lots of Olympic coverage.  One of the highlights of this visit west was going wall climbing with Rayne and Xander.  I loved belaying Rayne as she climbed to the top of several climbs smiling and waving down to "Auntie" from above.  Rayne is taking a weekly climbing class and she was so proud of her ability to put on a harness, tie a figure eight knot, and introduce Xander to the gym.  Xander was rather taken with the bouldering cave and he might have a future as a luger since he loved sliding down the cave's padded floor.

 

After a big afternoon of climbing, Rayne, Xander and I cuddled while cheering on the Canadian women in the big gold medal game.  That night, Mike and Shawn headed off to a movie and I had a recent "Ring of Fire" challenge trying to get the kids to sleep.  Shawn says she's always willing to contribute to my mental training.  As I've watched the Olympics, I've taken inspiration from so many athletes–their intense training and focus, their pushing through physical and mental barriers, and their deeply moving stories of tragedy and triumph.  I feel like one of the things I am packing into my big duffel bags is as much inspiration as will fit!

 

As I am typing this, my mom and I are watching the women's gold medal curling game.  Both my mom and dad played the game for years and I played in high school as well.  Being back here, I miss my dad even more than usual but I've packed up a few of my dad's tools and things to take home.  On my next visit to Marble Mountain, I'll be making tracks on a pair of my dad's skis.  We had lunch with Oma yesterday–she brightened with my visit but she has been so missing my dad.  In reality, all of us are missing our Heinz!

 

Speaking of inspiration, I'm hoping my expedition will motivate you and others to be more physically active!  In partnership with Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador (RNL), I am pleased to announce "Step Up to the Summit Challenge."  The challenge begins March 18^th and continues through May 31^st.  RNL's Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps.  I'll be reporting in on my number of steps per day in my daily updates and I'm hoping you will climb the mountain along with me.  Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults.

 

Have a good week,

 

TA

--

*******************************************************************************
Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning

Please support the Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  

Visit the  Memorial website at  the following URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure to click the button for the award.

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-737-8670
Fax: 709-737-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
*******************************************************************************

Everest Advent: TA's Weekly Update Feb. 22, 2010

Howdy,

 

I can't believe another week has flown by and I've added another 16.6 ascents of Signal Hill into the mix!  The tire pulling crew dragged their way up 3.5 times this week and we were joined by Deb Shortall who impressed us all by pulling on the way up and running her way to the bottom–she also helped with logistics by providing us with a few lifts up in her van as well.

 

My Everest "Advent" calendar started this week on Feb. 19…instead of a pre-Christmas countdown, the $.42 post Noel NHL themed bargain, is helping me mark and celebrate and motivate during the last 32, no 31, no 30, no 29 days until we leave for Nepal.  I'm thankful to Michelle and Kellie who provided me with a high quality chocolate substitute for the bargain version that was emerging from each hidden door.  Each day, the serotonin released through the ingestion of high quality cocoa solids helps soothe the ragged nerves of a to do list that grows instead of shrinks, the panic that I need to be doing more training not less, and the myriad of other emotions that occur in rapid succession these days.

 

All kidding aside, I am getting more and more excited to go.  The training deposits are in the bank, the gear is being organized into labeled bins, and it will be March 23^rd before I know it.  People are reaching out to help in both big and small ways. 

 

I'd like to introduce two new sponsors who've come aboard the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning team.  The Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union, (https://www.nlcu.com/Home/).  is a proud Camp Three sponsor and I appreciate their support.   RJG Construction (http://rjgconstruction.com/) is a Camp Four sponsor and they have helped me out tremendously by updating my satellite phone to a much lighter and more advanced version.  Known as the "Earth Movers", RJG Construction is helping put a solid financial footing under the expedition with that burden (and my phone burden) feeling much lighter these days. 

 

I am continuing to seek sponsorship so please continue to send leads and suggestions my way.  There are also many ways to support my efforts and the expedition.  I still need lots of small items like lithium batteries, hand and foot warmers, and trail snacks.  I always appreciate having small notes of encouragement to open while on the mountain–you can send these along to my home address (7 Wood Street, St. John's, NL, A1C 3K8).  You can make a donation to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University:  URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001

and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box.  You can also post notes in inspiration on the various websites on which you follow my adventures.

 

I'll post these again closer to the expedition but here are the websites where you can follow me up the mountain.

 

1)    TA's Website:  http://www.taloeffler.com  (Updates will be posted here daily)

2)    My Everest:  http: http://www.myeverest.com/ta  (Updates will be posted here daily and you can sign up for email notification)

3)    TA's Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php - !/group.php?gid=102972039777  (Updates will be posted here daily and members messaged at regular intervals)

4)    TA's Email Group:  If you get a weekly email from me now, you will continue to get a digest form of updates from the mountain at regular intervals.

 

I'm headed off on "Road Trip" out west for the week doing a few presentations and visiting my family and trying to train on the road!  Thanks for all the encouragement you'll send along both before and on the expedition–it helps me keep going taking it step by step both on the way to and up the mountain.

 

Have a good week,

 

TA

Life in the Zone(s): TA's Weekly Update Feb. 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day,

 

I try to pay close attention to my heart.  Both my physical heart and my emotional heart.  On this day, where we celebrate the loves in our lives, I thought I would write about a connection I've been making lately from my training to my life.  In almost all of my training, unless I forget to put it on, I wear a heart rate monitor.  At a glance, I can see the rate at which my heart is beating in beats per minute.  I can use this number, along with the physical sensations that go with it, to gauge the intensity of the workout I am doing.

 

A common system of physical training uses heart rate zones.  There are various formulas (each with their own limitations) you can use to set up your training zones.  Most of these formulas start with your maximum heart rate.  This is the fastest your heart can beat-you'd know it on this particular day because it was the rate your heart was beating when you first realized you were falling in love with your sweetie.  Another way people find it is through VO2 Max testing or various other tests that involve upping your intensity in an activity in increments until your heart (or you) can't go any faster.  I found mine by wearing my heart rate monitor and noting the highest heart rate I saw recorded…mine is 185.

 

People used to think that our max heart rate was 220 minus our age and that max heart rate declined with age.  From what I understand now, if we stay in good physical condition, our max heart rate doesn't have to decline with age.  Another interesting thing is that max heart rate is unique to you and unique to each activity you do.  My max heart rate in hockey is different than in hiking than in swimming and likewise, we shouldn't make the mistake of comparing our max heart rates–just because mine is higher or lower than yours doesn't mean anything about our relative fitness.

 

Another important heart rate number is your resting heart rate.  Ideally this is taken first thing in the morning before you move or get up.  Sometimes you find it by sleeping in your heart rate monitor or by having your basal metabolic rate tested.  My resting heart rate is about 40 these days.  Our resting heart rate is a good indicator of fitness as resting heart rates do decline with increased fitness because the heart becomes more efficient at doing its job.  I monitor my resting heart rate fairly often because a rise in it is an indicator of overreaching or overtraining (which I am trying very hard to avoid this time).

 

Back to heart rate zones…so the formula I use is called the Karvonen method that uses something called the heart rate reserve.  The heart rate reserve is your maximum heart rate minus your resting heart rate.  So my heart rate reserve is 145 and I can use this number to set my training zones (have I lost you yet?). 

 

So, my maximum heart rate is 185.
My resting heart rate is 40.
My heart rate reserve is 145.

My Zone 1 (long slow activity) would be in between:
Low value: 40 + 60 % * 145 = 127 beats per minute
High value: 40 + 70 % * 145 = 142 bpm

My Zone 2 (easy aerobic) would be in between:
Low value: 40 + 70 % * 145 = 142 bpm
High value: 40 + 80 % * 145 = 156 bpm

My Zone 3 (anaerobic threshold) would be in between:
Low value: 40 + 80% * 145 = 156 bpm
High value: 40 + 90% * 145 = 163 bpm

My Zone 4 (high intensity intervals) would be in between:
Low value: 40 + 90 % * 145 = 163 bpm

High value: 40 + 100 % * 145 = 185 bpm

 

Each zone invokes a different physiological response in the body and depending on your training goals, your training program would prescribe different amount of time spent in each zone over the course of a training week or training phase.  Some coaches use four zones, some use six and some use as many as eight.  Each person will have a unique set of zone boundaries based on their individual parameters.

 

As you can probably surmise, the intensity of the work also varies with the zone.  In Zone One, you can workout for hours and this provides a solid endurance base.  In Zone Four, you can only work out for 30 seconds to a minute without needing to rest–it's really hard work and tough to stay with.  So here's the kicker (a tribute to the freestyle skiers at the Olympics–the kicker is the jump they use to get airbourne)…

 

This week I saw that my physical heart has zones but my emotional heart/soul/life has them too!  I saw that I could divide my life into various zones that call upon me to adapt to different stresses/tasks/demands.  With Marian's surgery and my dad's death, the last six weeks of 2009 were pretty much in Zone Four and to balance that out I found that I've really needed to keep the first six weeks of 2010 in Zones One and Two! 

 

Life in Zones One and Two hums along with quiet efficiency and grace.  Zone Three things begin to get much tougher but are still manageable and Zone Four requires that I go all out, use multiple coping strategies, and reach out for support.  I think sometimes it's easy to get caught up in keeping life in the upper zones and getting off on the adrenaline that courses through us with that level of stress.  I know it's been my goal in general, and in specific to Everest to intentionally keep life/training at a manageable level so that I attain of my goal of arriving at the mountain well trained yet well rested.  It's been a challenge to remind myself of that goal and make decisions accordingly but I'm loving life in the lower zones!

 

If by chance, I've piqued your interest in heart rate zone training/testing and you live in St. John's, my sponsor Allied Health Services at Memorial University does both VO2 max and basal metabolic rate testing (http://www.mun.ca/hkr/ahs/about/).  Besides thinking about life in the zone, I had a good week of training both using the hypoxic training gear and working out with Phil Alcock at the Core Health Spa (http://www.corehealthspa.ca/).  You can see some photos of some of the unique workouts Phil has me do in this gallery:  (Training With Phil ).

 

I also paid a visit to one of my other sponsors, AppleCore Interactive, and shared lunch and a bit of inspiration with their staff.  They got to meet Flat Stanley and see pictures of the fake apple I pinched from the fruit at AppleCore in 2006.  Here's the AppleCore blog entry about the visit:  (AppleCore Blog).  For my last link of this link filled paragraph, the Tire Pullers and I were caught in action by CBC on Thursday where we were doing our biggest pull to date…a Three Pull!  You can see the video clip here: CBC Video

 

Okay…need to finish up so I can get some supper and catch some Olympics!  Need a dose of Olympic inspiration!  Go Canada Go!

 

Thanks for zoning in instead of zoning out!

 

TA

 

--

*******************************************************************************
Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning

Please support the Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  

Visit the  Memorial website at  the following URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure to click the button for the award.

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-737-8670
Fax: 709-737-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
*******************************************************************************

Shakedown for the Summit: TA's Weekly Update Feb. 6, 2010

Happy Snow Day,

 

Sitting here in my chair after an epic climb of Signal Hill to do some gear testing in today's big blizzard.  When I saw the forecast, "Snow at times heavy and blowing snow. Amount 20 cm. Wind west 60 km/h gusting to 80 except gusting to 110 along parts of the coast. High minus 4," I couldn't resist going out in it.  As St. John's winter weather is often mild, it's hard to find extreme conditions to test combinations of clothing and gear in but this week was an exception.  You can check out today's shakedown mission here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=379576&id=509940550&l=af2633e943

 

Some will remember that last February, I ventured north to Iqaluit to attend a polar training program led by Matty McNair.  "One of the key factors of any polar expedition," Matty coached, "is the shakedown."  She hounded us over and over again to experiment, test, recombine, futz, retest, and retool our gear and clothing systems before any big expedition.  Matty suggested that all gear be chosen at least one year out so there would be ample time for testing and then adapting systems.  I hear her loud and clear and have been evaluating clothing I have used in the past and acquiring some new items in the meantime.

 

I'm on a two-month countdown rather than Matty's suggested 12 months but am making good progress towards clothing combinations for various conditions and elevations.  Tuesday night delivered fairly cold temperatures (for here) and a good stiff wind resulting in a wind chill of minus 27 Celsius.  After playing two games of hockey, it was time for a different set of "padding."  When climbing the upper reaches of Everest, climbers often choose to cloth themselves in a down suit.  Rather like a sleeping bag with arms and legs, the down suit provides warm to slow moving climbers (remember high on the mountain it can take four to six breaths to take each step) in the super low temps of high altitude.

 

Given I am a fairly warm-bodied creature who pumps out heat rather easily, I have often feared immolation if I ever tried to wear my down suit inside.  Marian was game for a late night visit to the top of Signal Hill to take the suit through its paces (actually its zippers.)  I discovered that certain zipper pulls used for certain elimination tasks were too short and needed lengthening–good to know now rather than being stuck with an open zipper that I can't reach at 8000 metres.  Marian drove me up and was kind enough to record the evening's antics/costume for posterity.  You can check out the her artwork here:

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=378641&id=509940550&l=18eff3d5ae

 

Wearing the down suit is an intense experience as its fluffy folds cut you off from the environment and create kinda of a sensory deprivation situation.  Add to the suit a practice oxygen mask and goggles and the transition to urban astronaut is complete!  Wearing goggles makes it a challenge to see your feet; add the practice mask and that challenge doubles.  The practice mask had its air intake near the bottom of the mask so every time I tried to look down, my air supply was completely cut off thus being an even more realistic rendition of high altitude.  The winds were strong enough to move us around a bit as we climbed up to the summit cairn near the Ladies Lookout.  I'm hoping for a few more low temp wind chill moments to go out again with a few more combinations of clothing layers underneath my Pillsbury Dough Boy suit but overall it kept me quite cozy!

 

This was a fifty percent week.  The break in training hours and intensity gave me a chance to catch up on a few tasks and attend a few appointments.  The first part of the week seemed to be filled with "summit" energy–things were cruising along and feeling great.  The second part of the week was filled with more "valley" energy–things seemed harder and I felt more fatigued.  Funny, how I can be more tired during a rest week than during a big training week.  Having both energies in close proximity reminded me that it's good to practice being with/in the valley sometimes.  Of course, the summit is much more fun but like the tide, energy ebbs and flows.  The key is to flow with it and not attaching too much meaning to either end of the spectrum.  I noticed my mind's temptation to ramp up a bunch of doubt as my energy flagged.

 

I thought back to my 2007 expedition and wondered what effect arriving at base camp with bronchitis had on my entire experience.  I'm guessing it sent me careening towards the valley (both figuratively and eventually literally) and set off some of the same thinking I had this week.  I'm grateful for the chance to see it here when my mind is less clouded my altitude.  I can practice working with my mind on it now, do some meditation, and remind myself that likely more than half of the challenge of Everest is mental.

 

A few weeks back at the invite of Michelle (of tire pulling fame), I attend a kickboxing training session.  It was so much fun that I've been going along with her since.  There is something very elemental in learning to punch and kick.  As a kid, I studied judo.  I loved the discipline and learning to throw people and now it's being great to learn to throw punches.  About a year ago, I first gave voice to an idea:  "I want to learn to fight," I said to myself.  I had no idea what that meant or exactly why…other than a long term dream of wanting to bike from Tuktoyaktuk to Tierra del Fuego and wanting to know more about self-defense before taking that on.  I consulted a few friends who'd studied some different martial arts and poked around a few gym websites but never took any action on it.

 

There is always such joy in learning a new skill and this has been no exception.  The outward learning of weight transfer, punching combinations, and intense interval activity is fabulous.  There has been a more subtle inward learning as well related to connecting to a more primal level of assertiveness/anger than I usually experience.  I still don't really know what it all means but I do know it's darn fun and I have a sense it's going to come in handy at about 7500 metres as I "fight" to leave Camp Three for Four.

 

The blizzard abated Saturday morning just in tire for another epic pull up the hill.  I was joined in this somewhat ambitious post blizzard activity by Natelle, Michelle, and Marian.  On the first pull, the snow actually gave us a break reducing the friction we were pulling against.  On the second pull, drifts started depositing snow across the road giving us barriers to surmount and bigger wind chills to guard against.  The last half pull yielded and we could celebrate the longest pull to date 2.5 up and 2.5 back…in all a nearly 3 hour of experience of good, solid, hard work.  Thanks to my tire pulling team mates–you make it all much more fun to do!  Kent Barrett captured us in action and his commentary still has me laughing…check it out here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kentbarrett/4334943080/

 

Marian also captured some of the action on the hill this morning and you can see her photos here:

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=379939&id=509940550&l=11b9a4078a

 

I still have Everest 2010 toques for sale.  The have an embroidered Everest 2010 Logo, black knit exterior and pile on the inside for a double layer over the ears.  The toques are $20 each including tax (shipping is extra).  Email me if you are interesting in giving some toques a good home!  I'm also still selling my book, "More than A Mountain: One Woman's Everest."  If you email me and said the codeword "shakedown," I'll give you the conference rate deal of $20 including tax (shipping is extra).

 

Commercial ended…

Hope your week was filled with lots of learning, fun, and you found a few things to shakedown as well.

 

Catch ya in seven,

 

TA

*******************************************************************************
Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning

Please support the Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  

Visit the  Memorial website at  the following URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure to click the button for the award.

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-737-8670
Fax: 709-737-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
*******************************************************************************

Ladder Practice for the Khumbu: TA's Weekly Update Jan. 31, 2010

Greetings from Another Week,

 

Downtown St. John's is a cacophony of colorful rectangular houses whose front doors open onto the street and whose back doors open into secret gardens that double as cat paradises.  Today Marian and I had the joy of moving two sixteen-foot extension ladders into the back "yard."  You'd think this would be an easy task and you'd be wrong.  You see the next house is only four feet from by back door.  The door is seven feet high.  You do the math–it's impossible to have enough angle to get the ladder out the back door.

 

Plan Two.  Carry the ladder up to the second floor.  First, open front door and back ladder back unto street and angle up the stairs.  Make sure not to take out any passer-bys with the ladder.  Carry ladder upstairs and into bathroom at top of stairs.  Back ladder into dining room-the kitchen counter is full of dishes and is backed by a beam we need to maneuver the ladder around.  Ease ladder into corner of room and knock plant off windowsill but manage not to put ladder through large window.  Scrap past beam and open door and take ladder out to deck.  Reflect on the experience and move second ladder through the same path with greater aplomb.

 

Celebrate.  Ladders are longer than the deck so slide one onto neighbours roof in order to separate the extension piece from the ladder piece.  Easier said than done.  Go downstairs for pliers and return with whole toolbox.  Good thing since ladder is playing hard to get and my dad always said use the right tool for the job.  Eventually, through much problem solving, vice grips, handsaw, and many sockets, the Siamese twins are separated and lowered off the deck.  Another ladder is set at an angle using the old cupboard from the utility room renovation last summer–always knew that would come in handy.  Make another ladder course down below using some old cement blocks. 

 

Get excited.  Go find mountaineering boots and crampons–it's time!  Balancing on the ladders with sneakers was proving to pretty easy so time for the real stuff!  First choice…use middle space between front crampon teeth and back teeth?  Use front points on one rung and back teeth on another?  Use the space between the mid points to balance?  Try all three.  For now, the last option seems to be working best.  No guide ropes on the home course yet as there will be in the icefall so balance is key.  Soon I'll install some rope to be able to practice fixed rope technique (sliding my ascender along as I climb up the one ladder and across the others).  I figure my fitness can get me only so much speed–other speed will be gained from having quick ladder and ascender changes.  Check out this week's picture album at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=377179&id=509940550&l=de530ad293     (sorry about last week's broken link).

 

My dad.  Missing him today and most days.  Heard the song "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley this morning.  We used it in dad's memorial video.  Every time I hear it I see the pictures of my mom and dad enjoying life together in my mind and my heart goes out to my mom who I know is missing her dear love.  I enjoyed working with tools this morning on the ladder project this morning because my dad taught me how to use them.  He taught me to take things apart and put them back together and how to make things work.  Dad taught me to put on winter tires and change the oil and cast lead bullets for the black powder rifles we would shoot together.  He taught me to drive a boat, snowmobile, and standard transmission.  His tools lessons often carried life lessons as well and I often hear myself repeating some of his wise adages.  I'm grateful that my dad taught me these skills and the confidence to use them.  I know his support and teaching have helped me go forth into many arenas considered non-traditional for women including Mount Everest. 

 

Practice.  Dad taught me the secret to any skill was practice whether soccer or downhill skiing, ladder climbing or grass cutting, public speaking or baking.  Practice does indeed make us closer to perfect and I appreciate my parents for both demonstrating this in their own lives as well as inspiring it in mine.  Practice.  It's what I try to do in preparing for all of my climbs–practice the skills and attitudes I will need on the mountain.  Mr. Hamilton, my English teacher in high school who taught me to rock climb, said it wasn't good enough to tie a figure eight knot fast.  He said, "You need to be able to tie it fast behind your back in a cold shower."  I aspire to practice so that I can cross the ladders in my back yard backwards, in crampons, with a big pack in the dark!  The Khumbu Icefall is a very dangerous place and I aim to be ready to get through it as fast and as safely as I can.  Practice will help.

 

Camp Two.  I'm just finishing up the phase of training called Camp Two.  I've got eleven hypoxic training sessions in the can and eleven to go.  As I enter Camp Three phase, the pace of training will increase once again to prepare me for the rigors of the Lhotse Face.  The phases are all at once, literal, figurative, and metaphorical (Mr. Hamilton taught me well).  We passed the two-month countdown to departure this week.  Time is both flying and moving slowly.  The to-do list grows exponentially each day and I remind myself to breathe frequently.  What needs to get done will get done and everything else will fall away.  Time to stop writing this and start laying the foundation for Camp Three.

 

Have a great week.  Thanks again for coming along! 

 

TA

 

 

--

*******************************************************************************
Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning

Please support the Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  

Visit the  Memorial website at  the following URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure to click the button for the award.

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-737-8670
Fax: 709-737-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
*******************************************************************************

Flat Stanley is in the House: TA's Weekly Update Jan. 27, 2010

Good Morning,

 

I'm back in my chair after a whirlwind road trip to the far side of the province.  Marian and I headed out Friday morning to drive to Gambo.  There I did a first–I presented at Smallwood Academy to the entire school of Kindergarten through Grade Twelve.  In the past, I've done either K-6 or 7-12 so keeping the entire school of 300 students engaged was a good challenge.  I had no idea in 2006 when I first visited Everest 2010 trekking team member Jacinta Macgrath's school in Trepassey that I would go onto to visit over 60 schools and speak to over 21,000 kids in Newfoundland and Labrador since.

 

Monday, in Corner Brook, we picked up Flat Stanley 2010.  Those that have been following my adventures since 2006, will remember that I took a Flat Stanley to Mount Everest in 2007 from Woodland Primary School in Grand Falls-Windsor.  Flat Stanley is a children's book character who was flattened by a bulletin board. He travels in an envelope by mail with miniature milk and cookies packed by his mom.  He visits different parts of the world and reports back on his experiences.  In September, on the day I was leaving for Australia, I presented to the Edge Education Conference here in St. John's.

 

Patricia Edwards was in the audience that day and afterwards came to ask if I would take her class' Flat Stanley with me in 2010.  I said I would be thrilled to and given a speaking booking in Springdale, I offered to pick up Flat Stanley myself in Corner Brook.  I spoke to almost the entire school and enjoyed walking the school corridors that had been festooned with prayer flags that Madame Edwards' class had painted.  I had my picture taken with every member of her class and Roger's Cable even paid a visit to learn about the upcoming expedition.  Patricia hosted Marian and I in her home and I look forward to the special connection with her class that will be built as Flat Stanley reports back on his experience.  Here's a link to see pictures of Flat Stanley 2010:  (http://bit.ly/bj2wb)

 

Tuesday, we woke up beside the beautiful Indian River in Springdale at the Riverwood Inn.  (http://www.riverwoodinn.ca/).  The sunrise colors reflected in the river were stunning.  We were treated to a night in such luxury by the Inn's owner, who was one of many sponsors, who made my visit to Springdale possible.  Margaret Stirling, facilitator of the Bridging the Gap program in Springdale, asked me to come speak to the students in the class.  As the class is small, I suggested partnering with the local high school to be able to reach more people with my visit.  She brought together the Town of Springdale, several programs, several sponsors, and the result was a packed house in the theatre in Indian River High School. 

 

The Springdale partnerships also enabled me to leverage the road trip to include the visits to Gambo and Corner Brook.  A talk to 14 students in one program blossomed into an outreach to over 1400 youth and adults in three locations…wow…the power of working together pays dividends!  The visit also allowed me to train in some deeper snow by spending two days snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in Gros Morne National Park and a half-day downhill skiing in Corner Brook.  Special thanks to Todd Wight of the Ocean View Hotel in Rocky Harbour, (http://www.theoceanview.ca/) for finding us a place to stay in Rocky Harbour. 

 

And now, as my father would say, "If you want to dance, you have to pay the band"… time to get off my chair and stuff five days of intense training into three.  It's the last week of Camp Two and a 100% week.  Pitter, patter, time to get 'atter!

 

Have a good week,

 

TA

 

--

*******************************************************************************
Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning

Please support the Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  

Visit the  Memorial website at  the following URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure to click the button for the award.

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-737-8670
Fax: 709-737-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
*******************************************************************************