Intro to Training

Steve Whittington, Flaman’s VP of Marketing and an avid mountain climber, will face one of his biggest challenges in March when he attempts to climb Mount Everest. Part of that challenge lies in the vigourous training he will under go in the next few months to prepare. Steve will be sharing his training journey with us in a series of blog posts; all the ups and downs, struggles and successes. We hope this inspires you to climb your own “mountain” – whether it’s a tough physical task like Steve’s, or simply losing those last 5 pounds in your weight loss goal.

In less than a month I will be 39. I started climbing later in life, at 29, and it seems as I get older I keep climbing harder lines and bigger mountains.  I will admit, part of me wishes I started climbing when I was younger.  The training is hard. I do not remember training being this hard when I was in my twenties…maybe I am just training harder because now the training has meaning.  I am training for something, as opposed to training for training’s sake.  Or maybe age and mileage on my body is catching up….

Because of my passion, training programs and dedication, my friends and climbing partners call me a beast. Despite living in the middle of the prairies and having a full rewarding career, my passion for climbing finds me spending a minimum of 30 days a year in the mountains, with around 20 of those days living in a tent on the side of these mountains.  I have climbed four of the seven summits, and have been expedition leader on many climbs including a recent first ascent attempt on a mountain in the Yukon. I am a trip section leader for  the Alpine Club of Canada, and I climb everything: ice, rock, mixed, scrambles and quick alpine accents. On March 22nd, 2013, I will be leaving for Everest with my long time climbing partner who I met on Aconguaga in Argentina.

This blog is about the ramp up for the Big E, my last three months of training before I go. I plan on sharing the workouts, the aches, the pains and mental game that is training for what may be the hardest physical and mental endeavor of my life.  I hope you read along, enjoy and perhaps gain some insights for your own training.