The Training Manual Arrives

Every time I get a piece of mail from WaterCan I get the jitters.  It's true.  Today I got two pieces of mail.  Both had my mind racing and my heart pounding. The first, was an invitation to paritcipate in WaterCan's 25th Anniversary celebration in Ottawa in June.  No biggie.  I do receptions etc. all the time. I may not like schmoozing, but I am pretty good at it.  I guess practice does make perfect. The second was the Kilimanjaro training and fitness manual.  This should have given me a lot of comfort. I read through it quickly and it seems I am doing exactly the right kind of training, I am doing more training than suggested and I started earlier than suggested.  So I am golden right?  Not exactly.  I figured it out.  Every time I get a piece of mail it reinforces that this thing is real and the more I read and hear about scaling Kilimanjaro, the more I understand that the major hurtle to summitting is mental, not physical.  And let's face it, even when I am really on my game I am a bit of a flake. So mental prep is going to have to be as much a part of my training routine as physical prep.  So here's the plan: (1) Do not give into negative thoughts or fears; (2) Consistency is a key to success; (3) Vary the training routine to maximize effectiveness and minimize injury; (4) Train in uncomfortable situations.  The end result will hopefully be a finely tuned body with a mind ready to deal with cold, dirt, fatigue, headaches and the nausea that can accompany high altitudes.