September update – August was the month I became ‘fit’

August has been another pretty big month in the ongoing journey towards Everest Base Camp, and I’m starting to reach the point where this is becoming slightly less of a mad idea and slightly more of a genuine training programme. Although, having said that, I’m still not entirely sure that voluntarily walking around 150 miles in a month can ever be described as completely sensible.

The numbers certainly look a little ridiculous when they’re all put together. So far in August I’ve completed 34 activities, covering 171.9 miles, with 45 hours and 12 minutes of activity and 20,318 feet of elevation gain. Of that, 33 activities have been walking, giving me 146.5 miles on foot and 43 hours and 36 minutes of walking.

And because apparently I haven’t quite had enough, I’ve got another five miles planned for Saturday and another five on Sunday. Assuming I stick to that plan, I’ll finish August with around 156.5 miles of walking. I’m not sure what happened to the bloke who used to consider a walk to the pub sufficient exercise, but clearly he’s been replaced by someone with far too much free time.

The thing I’m most pleased about isn’t actually the mileage, though. It’s the consistency. Walking has gradually stopped feeling like something I’m forcing myself to do because Everest is coming and has become a fairly normal part of my week. That’s important, because the challenge in Nepal isn’t going to be one heroic day where I can grit my teeth and get through it. It’s going to be day after day of putting one foot in front of the other, often at altitude, while wondering why I ever thought this was a good idea.

Then there was Snowdon

August also gave me the opportunity to take some of this training somewhere a little more appropriate than the pavements and country lanes around Nottinghamshire, with a trip up Snowdon.

After months of walking, buying an increasingly ridiculous amount of outdoor clothing and convincing myself that every piece of kit is absolutely essential, it was time to see how it all performed on an actual mountain.

Snowdon was a really useful test. Not just of my fitness, but of the boots, clothing, food, water and general approach I’m going to need for the Everest trek. It’s one thing doing ten miles on relatively familiar ground; it’s another thing doing it while climbing a mountain and discovering that gravity has absolutely no interest in your training spreadsheet.

The biggest takeaway for me was that the preparation is starting to pay off. I’m certainly not pretending that walking up Snowdon means I’m suddenly ready to stroll into Everest Base Camp, but it was a useful reminder that all those miles I’ve been putting in are actually building towards something. This time last year, I’d have never been able to summit this anyway – let alone carrying 15kgs of kit, but I’ve proved to myself that I can.

A reminder that the mountains deserve respect

There has also been a much more sobering side to the world of mountaineering this month, and it would feel wrong to write about my own preparations without acknowledging it.

On 30 July, the mountaineering world lost Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja, who was killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan alongside nine other climbers. Nimsdai was a phenomenal climber and one of the biggest figures in modern mountaineering, having made history by climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks in just over six months. 

For someone like me, who is preparing to go into the Himalayas for the first time, it’s impossible not to take something like that personally. I’m not going to Everest to climb an 8,000-metre peak, and I’m certainly not pretending for one second that what I’m doing is remotely comparable to what Nimsdai achieved. But it is a very real reminder that these mountains don’t care how fit you are, how much you’ve trained, how expensive your equipment is or how confident you feel when you set off.

And then, just this week, we’ve seen the devastating flooding in the Nepal-China border region. The scale of the tragedy is difficult to comprehend, with hundreds of people killed and many more still missing. The flooding has devastated communities and infrastructure in the Himalayas, with rescue operations continuing in incredibly difficult conditions. 

It puts my own little adventure into perspective. I’m spending an enormous amount of time worrying about boots, backpacks, nutrition, training plans and whether I’ve packed enough socks, while people who live in these mountains and communities are dealing with events that are genuinely life-changing.

It’s also a reminder of why I want to approach the trip properly. Everest Base Camp is an adventure and a huge personal challenge for me, but it isn’t a theme park. I’m going into an environment that demands respect, and the preparation isn’t just about getting myself fit enough to complete the trek. It’s about understanding the risks, listening to the people who know the mountains better than I ever will, and knowing that sometimes the right decision is to stop, turn around or change the plan.

I’ll still be making jokes about the amount of walking I’m doing, because that’s generally how I deal with things. But there’s a serious point underneath it all. The mountains are beautiful, extraordinary places, but they are not without danger.

Getting a bit more serious

Another big development this month is that I’ve started working with Tom at Become Athletic, who is helping me with both my training and nutrition. I’ve known Tom some time now, and thanks must be extended to him for taking the time to build me not just an exercise plan, but also a highly useful nutritional plan that’s gonna help me arrive in Nepal fit, fuelled, and ready for the trek,

This feels like an important step because, while I’ve managed to get myself a long way through a combination of stubbornness, walking and an alarming willingness to spend money on outdoor equipment, I know there’s a limit to how far I can take this by simply making it up as I go along. Feel free to give Tom a call if you’re looking for some expert help with your own training goals. His link is included with the graphic above.

The weight loss has already shown me what I’m capable of. Losing 41kg is something I’m incredibly proud of, but preparing for Everest Base Camp is a different challenge. It’s not just about weighing less or being able to walk a long way. I need to make sure I’m getting the right training, recovering properly and eating in a way that supports the amount of work I’m now asking my body to do.

Tom is helping bring some structure to that side of things, which should hopefully mean that the next few months are about becoming fitter and stronger rather than simply seeing how many miles I can squeeze into a week before my legs formally resign.

It also means I can stop pretending that a kebab and chips constitutes a carefully planned recovery meal. Although I suspect that particular battle may not be entirely over.

The countdown is getting real

The strange thing about this whole journey is how quickly the idea of Everest has changed. When I first started talking about doing it, it felt like something a very long way into the future. Now I’m looking at my training numbers, testing equipment on mountains and working with someone to make sure I’m physically prepared, and suddenly the reality is starting to sink in.

I’ve gone from being 41kg heavier and deciding that something needed to change, to spending August walking more than 150 miles and climbing the equivalent of thousands of feet every week. There have been plenty of difficult days along the way, but looking at where I started makes it all seem slightly surreal.

There are still plenty of miles to walk, plenty of training to do and undoubtedly plenty of things I’ve forgotten to buy. But the pieces are starting to come together, and Everest Base Camp is getting closer every month.

For now, I’ll settle for another ten miles this weekend and try not to think too hard about the fact that, in a few months, I’ll be doing considerably more than that while thousands of feet higher than I’m used to.

Everest is coming. And, apparently, I’m walking towards it.

Thanks as always to all of those supporting me on this trek, but especially to my wife this month, who surprised me with some wonderful thoughtful gifts with my trek in mind. I’m always mindful and appreciative of the support she gives me when I come up with these random ideas – behind every decent man, is a decent woman they say.

I’m very lucky.

Until next time, love to you all

Rich