When 4.76 Equals 26.2

Larry Patton and I did some off trail arch hunting where we didn’t reach any of our planned objectives, BUT we got a great workout as a result. We had to navigate plenty of blowdowns, rhododendron, mountain laurel, super steeps, and of course, loads of slick, challenging footing thanks to snow and ice. It’s a different kind of hike.

On the surface, here were the stats:

4.76 miles
1,657 feet of elevation gain
6 hours and 18 minutes on feet
0.8 mph average speed

Looking at those numbers, you’d think that was a pretty light day on trail. It wasn’t.

In terms of heart rate, here are some numbers:

4 hours and 31 minutes in Zone 1 (<125 BPM for me)
1 hour and 47 minutes in Zones 2, 3, and 4 (125-159 BPM)

Sometimes it can be hard to convey how much effort was expended on hikes because terrain varies so greatly compared to roads or sidewalks. Here is some eye popping math from this hike:

4 hours and 31 minutes of Zone 1 is equivalent to walking at a good pace. For me, that’s about 15 minutes and 30 seconds per mile (3.87 mph). At that pace, the Zone 1 portion equates to a little more than 17 miles of road walking.

The other 1 hour and 47 minutes at a higher heart rate is closer to my modest running pace of 12 minutes per mile (5 mph). The road equivalent running mileage would be about 9 miles.

While we only covered 4.76 forest miles, in terms of cardio training, it was a marathon effort similar to 17+ miles of road walking with about 9 miles of easy road running across 6 hours and 18 minutes.

If you’re out there hiking steep, gnarly terrain while bushwhacking, the energy spend is quite a bit greater than walking well trod trail, and the base metrics of distance and elevation gain do little to convey the effort required on these sorts of adventures.

We were moving at less than half a mile per hour on our off trail section. Be sure to start early, bring extra hydration/nutrition, and enjoy the bushwhack.

BTW, while this was a marathon effort on the cardiovascular system, it doesn’t train the muscles, connective tissues, or skeletal system as well as actually going 26.2 miles. BUT, your cardiovascular system will definitely yield outsized benefits compared to the base metrics of short mileage and relatively modest elevation gain.

So, if you’re out there bushwhacking some wild terrain, know that you’re getting a really nice workout even if the non-heart rate stats don’t show it.

Oh, and according to Coros, I burned 3,861 calories. I had a big ass sandwich, cherry tomatoes, a Coke, a Body Armor, bowl of chili with lots of crackers, a breakfast burrito, and a glass of Ovaltine afterwards. I was hungry after not eating on the hike.