On Saturday, I will be hiking the Manitou Incline after a summer-long training period filled with stair climbs, hill runs, and strength, balance, and flexibility sessions., thanks to Dani at DBatch Fitness. I'm pumped, I'm a bit jittery, but I'm totally prepared. Can't wait for Saturday to come already!
So, if you've been lucky enough to check out the Manitou Incline in Manitou Springs, CO, you know it's a real beauty and a total beast. This stairway to heaven only has 2,768 steps. Sounds simple, right? I mean, you've been hitting over 10,000 steps every day for the past year with your FitBit or iPhone, haven't you? But these steps are nothing like those smooth, evenly spaced ones that Rocky Balboa sprinted up. Nope, not even close. They're randomly spaced, some two feet high, made of stacked wooden railroad ties and packed dirt. Just the thought of them makes my quads, glutes, and hammies quiver.
Okay, but the hike is under a mile long, so how tough could it really be? Well, let me tell you. Going from 6,200' of elevation at the first step to 8,200' at the summit in less than a mile means it's gotta be an impressive slope. These spine-straight stairs shoot up the east side of Rocky Mountain, which is on the eastern flank of Pikes Peak, at a crazy incline of 42 to 68 degrees. And remember, at this altitude, the air is thinner and the sun is more intense making the trek hot, dry, and leaving you a bit breathless. But man, those views! If you make it up there early enough, you can catch the sunrise over the horizon. You'll see the day break over the eastern plains, Colorado Springs, and the green mountainsides of Manitou Springs as each minute passes. And the hike back down Barr Trail is a three-mile zigzag through gorgeous forested hillsides and boulder fields. It's classic Colorado, no doubt about it.
Now, I know these things because I did a recon climb in August. I nailed it then, so I am pretty confident I can nail it again. But this time, it's for all the marbles. (My own marbles that I've totally made up, but still--all of them!) You see, I have a time goal in mind. I've decided I want to reach the summit in under an hour. That's a pretty big ask of me considering that in August it took me a solid 72 minutes. But I've been training hard and putting in the time. So I feel like I can achieve my goal given all the right conditions, some sound sleep, and with a little good luck on my side.
Reaching your goals
But here's a couple things to remember about goals: they're unique and they're personal.
When I first decided to conquer this climb, I had no clue what I was getting into. So I started Googling "How long does it take to hike the Manitou Incline?" I was thinking it's less than a mile, so the world record time must surely be a matter of a few minutes, right? Um, no. Turns out the fastest known time is 17:16. That's a 5K (3.1 miles) time for a great runner, so you know this is no ordinary mile. But knowing this didn't really give me a clue about how I would perform.
So went to step two: reaching out to some people I know who have climbed it to see how long it took them. I got the answers I was looking for, but I still wasn't any clearer about what I'm up against.
Step three: I hopped on a couple of Manitou Incline Facebook groups. And that just added to my confusion! I saw tons of great pics, good tips on parking, and witnessed lots of people celebrating their accomplishments. But, the summit times were all over the map! Some breezed through at 33 minutes while others took five hours. Some were from Colorado. Some were flatlanders. One poor guy was really down on himself that he didn't finish and he didn't shy away from sharing his disappointment with the group. (There are a couple spots where you can bail out if things get hairy.)
Right then I decided I needed to do a practice climb for myself.
Why, you ask? It's simple--because I am none of these people. It's cool that they're all fast and in great shape, finishing in crazy times. And it's awesome that those who took five hours are stoked about making it. But in the end, we're all different. It kinda reminds me of that Japanese concept of Oubaitori. It's all about not comparing yourself to others because we are all on our own path and timing in life.
My path is different, but I'm not lost
Here's the deal--I'm tackling this challenge with my own unique circumstances. First off, I'm pretty new to living at high altitude (again). I only moved back to Colorado in August of 2023, so I'm still working on getting my high-altitude running game back on track, which definitely requires time, patience, and a whole lot of perseverance. But guess what? This month, I finally managed to run all the way to the top of "the hill" in my neighborhood without having to stop or walk. This hill is a tough one--it's a mile and a half long, starting at 8,100' and going all the way up to 8,500'. It's a real challenge, with its long stretches, steep inclines, and no mercy. Just when you think you're at the top, surprise - there's more to tackle. But after months of consistency, I hit my first goal: running the whole thing. Next up, I'll be focusing on improving my time and maybe even conquering it twice in a row before long.
Also, I'm a breast cancer survivor. About nine years back, I finished an 18-month treatment regimen and it took me a good two years to bounce back from it. But bouncing back didn't mean I was fit as a fiddle. Not at all. It simply meant that I could go about my day without bone pain or getting out of breath. I could go for a hike or jog without feeling like I was pushing myself too hard. I wasn't super fit, but hey, I was very much alive and getting back to myself.
Thanks to my chemo medications, I hit early menopause at age 43. Since then, I've dealt with the joint pain and stiffness caused by a lack of estrogen, in addition to an accelerated loss of bone mass. And because of my previous diagnosis, taking bioidentical hormones is off the table for me. So I find natural ways of alleviating the natural decline in muscle tone, strength, and flexibility. And there are some areas of my body that are likely to never be the same. I strive to achieve equal strength on my right and left sides, maintain good posture, and stay flexible despite radiation tightening.
Plus I've never climbed stairs as a sport before. I've never even hiked anything that steep either. That's why I wanted to climb this particular set of stairs myself. I just had to see how I'd handle it. I needed to figure out what I'd need to feel totally prepared to give it my all.
Talk to yourself like someone you love
Let's face it, once we start to compare ourselves to others, we start to feel down. Not good enough. Not athletic enough. Not fast enough. But let me ask you this: not good enough for whom, really?
The messages we get from a thousand different sources mess with our heads and affect how we see things. Maybe it's social media, a bad coach, a critical parent, or any number of negative experiences in our lives, that all adds up and makes us think less of ourselves. "I suck at sports." "I can't pull that off." "I'm never going to be as quick as I want " "What if I come in last place?"
Man, I want be like "Fuck all that.." But I know it's not that easy. I think the key to truly moving on from something and leaving it in the past is first to recognize it, accept it, and grasp how it's affecting your present behavior. Only then can you shift your mindset and not just fake like it's all good. (More on this soon, especially about how burying your emotions messes with your health.) Life's too short, and I'm all about seizing each day, so I'm down to dig deep and unearth problems so they can be sorted out.
One thing that definitely helps me is remembering to talk to myself the way I talk to my kids. You can also think of it as talking to a friend or sister--whoever works for you. I think that's pretty cool. It makes you stop and consider how awful it would be if we spoke to others the way our inner critic speaks to us. I mean, would you ever say, "You know you can't do it., especially now that you've gained a few pounds and look terrible in shorts."? I doubt it. If a friend/sister/daughter shared a plan to get fit and set a goal, you'd be all supportive and wish her luck. You'd probably even join in and cheer her on. You'd let her know that she's amazing for trying. This trick helps us rewire that negative inner voice that puts us down and encourages us to speak to ourselves in a kinder, more positive, friendlier way.
Remember why you started
My main aim in this endeavor is to get fit. You know those Facebook groups I mentioned? There's always that one person who's like, "Why the rush? Just chill and enjoy the view." I get that. I really do. I do appreciate the view, but right now I'm all about reaching my fitness goal here. I'm not rushing through just to get it over with. I'm challenging my self to beat my previous time. To reach a goal that --let's be honest--has been a decade in the making. Sure, one day I'll go back and hike the incline with no time goal in mind. I'll pause every 100 steps to snap pics of the sunrise at my back. But not this Saturday. No ma'am. I'm going to hustle up every last railroad tie as fast as I possibly can. The only person I'm competing with is the me from yesterday.
Don't forget to give yourself a big pat on the back as you hustle toward your goals for all of your:
hard work
dedication
perseverance
ideas
willingness
effort
refusal to quit
ability to quiet your inner critic
focus on your own journey
response to challenges
positive attitude
careful attention to what your body needs
knack for following your plan and not your mood.
I know that all of these and more will be top of mind for me as I summit (in under an hour) on Saturday. As an added incentive, afterward, my hubby and I are heading to Sun Water Spa for a therapeutic mineral water soak and a detox aromatherapy massages to treat our bodies after all the hard work.
Coming soon
October is all about Breast Cancer Awareness, so keep an eye out for my deep dive into the latest integrative therapies I'm checking out, what I've learned about the underlying causes of illness and why they're so crucial, what every woman should know about hot flashes and more. Stay tuned!
Go for the plate Boomer! 😍