Training and All of that Jazz

There seem to be all sorts of training regiments for a thru-hike of the PCT.  Some people train increasing miles with increasing pack weights for up to 6 months.  (This was my good-intentions plan.)  Some people sit back and chow, gaining a few pounds for the 20 or so pounds they know they'll lose on the trail.  (This has not been my plan, though it has been recommended by others.)  Some people just keep up with their normal fitness plan--running, swimming, hiking, cycling--and figure the first 700 miles of desert will bring their bodies into distance hiking form.  (Not a bad plan.)

Me? Well, as I said, I had good intentions.  I had a 6-month spreadsheet all laid out in September.  Increasing miles, increasing pack weights.  I'm more of a distance runner, so I took my marathon and half-marathon schedules and traded long runs for long hikes.  Simple.  It made for a great regiment.  On paper.  I've never followed it.

Oh, I am running.  And I am hiking with a weighted pack.  And I'm lifting free weights.  But I'm also doing something else.  Something I'm certain will improve my trip, body and soul.  No, not yoga.  Not Pilates or any type of technology-age machine routine.  Just Jazzercising.  Yes, I said it.  Jazzercising.  And I think it has made all of the difference.

I know, I know.  I didn't think that after the 80's, I'd ever do Jazzercise again.  I used to go with my mom when I was a kid.  We had Jane Fonda workout tapes.  I had sweatbands.  I lived in leotards.  I wore side ponytails.  I thought turquoise and pink were the best color combination ever.  I knew what Jazz hands were and could do a jazz square on command.  And all of this came back remarkably quick when I went to my first Jazzercise class on Thanksgiving.

It was a bit of a dare from my officemate.  My 20-something male officemate.  His mom has been Jazzercising since I started in the 80's, and there was a special fundraising class every Thanksgiving morning for the local food aid organization.  We rounded up nine of us and dressed in our 80's best.  It was a blast.  And I knew it would be fun.  But it wasn't just fun.  It was a heckuva workout.  And it challenged my coordination.  And there was pretty good music.  And for whatever reason, be it watching half of the town doing synchronized dance moves with Jazz hands or the feeling of euphoria when 33-year-old me remembered something that 8-year-old me used to do, I could not stop laughing and smiling.  I was hooked.  I became a member the next week.  And have been Jazzercising regularly since.

The benefits of Jazzercise?  (I'm sure you're curious to know . . .)  Increased coordination, strength, stamina, and flexibility.  Dance moves that work surprisingly well while out on the town.  (Just don't do the entire routine.  And drop the Jazz hands.)  Increased nimbleness and stability.  (These are what I feel will really benefit me on the trail.)  Confidence.  (Just try shakin' it in a room full of people during the daytime under fluorescent lights.  You can only hide out in the back row for so long.)  And last, but not at all least, happiness.  These past seven months have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster--we all have these times, and leaving everything that's secure for 5 months of adventure just adds a little something extra.  Jazzercise and the company of the women in my class have kept me balanced and happy.  If you swing by the Trail this summer, I'll be the one grapevining with Jazz hands to my mp3 player.