Going to be hiking up Ben Nevis in a couple of weeks - sugge

EmBlazes

Hi people. I'm going on holiday to Scotland on the 20th of August and my husband is absolutely dead set on us climbing/walking Ben Nevis (the tourist path). I hear it's a gruelling 5 hour walk (and that's just up hill!!). Is there any training I can do in the gym to help make it easier when I finally come to doing it? I'm a bit worried I won't cope very well. I regularly go to the gym and have a personal trainer but I'm always feeling like I'm just not as fit as I used to be.

Of course I'll be wearing my HRM the whole day to record the fabulous calorie burn!!!!

mrscampbe11

Hi! I live in Scotland and have climbed hills the last 3 weekends - not much in the way of training unfortunately. I would recommend lunges, squats and going up and down stairs. It has been my quads coming down the mountain that have had the hardest work to do. Make sure your shoes are comfy, you have lots of food to snack on and you take midge-repellent! (Skin-SO-Soft by Avon stops them biting.)
And enjoy! Take your camera, best of luck.

morganadk2_deleted

enjoy, i would love to do it!

EmBlazes

Thanks!! I am definitely doing stairs and lunges and squats (part of my regular routine anyway) so hopefully that will help. I had heard that the midges can be quite bad so we're definitely bringing repellent. Let's hope the weather stays good so we can actually do it (we wouldn't even attempt it if the weather wasn't very good).

mrscampbe11

I'll keep my fingers crossed for the weather for you - but it is summer in Scotland! :-)
I've been informed by a more reliable source (hill-mad Scottish fiance) that the path is nice, but it is a good 3.5 hours to the top. I've found resting and sugary snacks help me with the descent, and if it's a well kept path you don't have the dramas of uneven ground, boggy patches and slippery rocks. Plus a lot of the time being mentally focussed is half the problem.
Just focus on the pint of cider at the bottom of the hill and you'll be fine. If you burn calories like MFP says you can even afford 3 pints. (Can you let me know if their estimates are anywhere near accurate?? - I may need to cut my chocolate consumption on hill walking days. )
Pop some pics up too - I haven't been up Ben Nevis yet.

wendybird2

Hooray! Ben Nevis! My husband and I hiked the West Highland Way in July 09 for our "honeymoon" (beware the midges, and bring bugspray), finishing with a jaunt up old BN. (my profile photo is from a ruin along the WHW :-) It should be a fun time!

I was a bit worried about the trek because I was working crazy 12 hour shifts (desk job) for 4 months up to our trip. Luckily, I compensated by getting up early 6 days a week to work out. I logged over 500 miles of running in those 4 months, and did 45 min of strength training 3 times a week (to compensate for not having hills to run). It definately paid off. We hiked the Way with our packs of gear in 5 days, and "bagged" Nevis on day 6. We stayed at a bunkhouse at the foot of the mountain but were pretty butched and didn't get as early a start as we should have. It felt so great to leave our packs and hike unencumbered--we ended up passing throngs of people on the way up, and were the first group that day to reach the top! It took us about 2 hours, but it was grueling and we didn't stop much to rest. Although we did beat the thunderstorm on the way down, unlike everyone else

Anyway, I'd recommend bring and drinking LOTS of water, and incorporate some speedwork and weight lifting to your workouts to build leg and overall body strength. Hopefully you have been hiking/walking regularly as well, but as long as you're doing some form of aerobic activity, you should be alright if you take your time (in this case 3.5 hrs is probably a good conservative estimate)

Anyway, best of luck, and enjoy your trip!!

~Wendy~

mrscampbe11

Hi Emilie,
Was it today you were going up Ben Nevis? You've had good weather if so. We went 3/4 of the way up Ben Lomond today before realising that we needed to be back in Edinburgh for a show and wouldn't have time to get all the way up and back. Lovely day for it. And some nice days coming up for your holiday.
Amanda