After my warm-up, I spent 15 to 20 minutes going through my stretching routine to loosen up my sore muscles from the week’s training. I spent about 20 minutes performing core exercises and then it’s off to hit the trails. Just behind our gym, there are miles and miles on end of power lines filled with thick brush, sugar sand, cactus, and the worst…… sand-spurs. I started my run today at 12:30 p.m., the hottest time of day as you can see by the picture below. Not only was the sun beaming, the humidity was at 95%, almost like breathing water.
The high country out west will present some challenges I am not conditioned to, so I have to train my body in the most extreme conditions I can. Taking trips back and forth to places of high altitudes/thin air can be expensive, not to mention time consuming. Running through thick brush, to soft sand, and up and down hills forces my body to adapt; engaging muscles not normally used running on solid ground or even a treadmill. Every now and then I get poked by a sand spur, but I continue concentrating on my footing. It does nothing more than ease my mind of the struggles I am really experiencing.
To train for your next hunt, add a trail run once a week into your schedule for your cardio. You will be shocked at how tough they can be and may experience some soreness the day after. Every now and then I have a client who is a runner, one who runs races on a designated path of asphalt or concrete. Their body is accustomed to the same type of footing on every landing. They can run long distances and be okay the following day with little to no soreness. I put them on a trail for 3 to 5 miles, and if they have never ran them before in the past, you can bet that my ears will be ringing the following day.
As hunters, we never know exactly how we will suffer, but I can tell you from experience, we will. Whether its from cuts and bruises or the hunt itself making us feel like the biggest failure on earth. There are no guarantees on any hunt, but that’s what make this incredible sport so interesting. Preparing for a hunt can be a challenge in itself such as training, shooting, visualizing, etc. The more prepared you become, the greater the odds. It’s you versus an animal that knows the terrain ten times better than you with ten times the keen senses. We try our best to predict the unpredictable, with our hunts concluded by a grin on our face, and our hands wrapped around the horns or antlers of trophy game, but we all know we are not always successful on every journey. Challenge yourself everyday to gurantee that your body will be ready. Hunt Strong, Train To Hunt.
