Get the latest updates on Gail's Kokoda Track Journey
Overview of early training:
On 25 January I had my first session with a personal trainer. It went well and was very strenuous both aerobically and strength wise. I did 2 visits a week for a total of 12 visits and then stopped because I was getting permanent pain in my knees. I did get stronger and fitter though. My wonderful mentors Bron and Stuart (ex-Olympians) said that if I was going to walk Kokoda the best training was to walk up and down mountains so that is what I started doing. On 4 and 5 March I walked Mt Rogers and Lake Ginninderra, the first is undulating and the second is fairly flat. I also started swimming later that month. During that month I also got the first of 5 plasma injections into my knees so didn’t do any other exercise except swimming. My wonderful masseuses advised me to do that and it helped my knees a lot. On the 9th April I did my first walk of Mt Ainslie, a moderately challenging walk of 4.5km up and back where you go up about 280 metres overall. It is supposed to take 1 – 1.5 hours. It took me 1 hour to get to the top and I felt dizzy and nauseous the whole way and stopped about 20 times or more. I was very proud of my self for reaching the top, but realised I had a LOT more work to do! Over the succeeding weeks I walked Mt Ainslie between 1 and 3 times a week gradually improving to where I could walk straight to the top without stopping. In May I did 2 sessions of walking all 3 circuits: Mt Ainslie, Mt Rogers and Lake Ginninderra. Boy, was I sore after that! Then I added in some incline training on my treadmill at home and from late August I joined a local gym to use their Stairmaster and incline treadmill, plus weights. As mentioned on the donation page I have now walked Mt Ainslie 4 times in a row and have walked 8 days straight around Lake Ginninderra for a total of 165 km. So I am vastly fitter now than when I started in late January.
10 September: Today I walked up and down Mt Ainslie in Canberra 4 times. It is a 4.5 km round trip but quite steep so it took me about 5.5 hours. I noticed my legs were much stronger after having done 4 lots of Stair Master and 4 of treadmill incline at my local gym in the last few weeks. I also noticed that my ankles were quite sore so I need to do some ankle strengthening exercises which I have the exercise bands for and know how to do. Finally, I need to keep working on my very stiff rib cage (decades of shallow breathing) as that effects my mid back. So, after about 5 hours of walking I start to get a really horrible ache in my back which is harder to cope with than any of the other aches and pains. But I also have exercises for that which I will keep doing and hope it improves!
12 September: 2 lots of Mt Ainslie today. Not so much pain. Also spoke to my exercise mentor who advised that she had had the mid back pain and the ache was from the muscles stretching and strengthening against tight ribs, so not going to cause an injury. She walked through it and it got better, so that is what I will try next – 4 to 5 circuits of Lake Ginninderra!
14 September: Today I did 5 circuits of Lake Ginninderra which is 35 kms plus some incidental walking took me to 41 kms for the day. Very sore feet, plus sore knees and hips, but I was able to keep my back pain to a minimum. I used visualisation of my back as being floppy, loose and jelly-like with stretchy muscles and told my brain that the discomfort was really a nice relaxed feeling of my muscles being used and growing stronger. And finally I pushed my ribcage out to the sides as much as I could and that really helped too. Did lots of stretches in between circuits ad also when I got home. Took Panadol and ibuprofen after dinner and stretched some more in bed as I woke up a lot with the aches and pains.
15 September: Felt good this morning after the first few steps to get my body warmed up. I decided to go for a swim which I hadn’t done in a long time. I thought that would also help loosen up my muscles. I did 1 km of backstroke, because I never learnt to swim I can’t do freestyle (the breathing). I float really well so backstroke is really just gliding up and down without too much effort or speed. It was also much easier than previously as I am fitter and stronger. All my muscles felt great afterwards.
17 September: Had a quiet day yesterday. Today at my local gym I did a replica of my upcoming VO2 Max fitness test. Sadly I didn’t do any better than the first time but there could be any reasons for that. I will increase my water and carbs intake and just do my best. In relation to Kokoda I won’t be walking that at 5.5kms an hour as I have to do for the VO2 test so I am not too worried about that. Although, on Kokoda there are 2 parts that are particularly challenging. One is an elevation of 400 metres over 2 kms and the other is an elevation of 750 metres over 2.5 kms. The first won’t be too bad, but the second will be a nightmare! Anyway I will keep plugging along.
18 September: Slower tempo today. Went to my stretch and strength session with my husband – he mainly goes for the jokes and laughs from the wonderful people who run it! I take it a bit more seriously. After that home for a healthy salad with beef slices, then off to the local swimming pool to do a few laps. Only 500 metres today. The next 2 days will be fairly light so that I won’t be tired out for my VO2 Max test on Thursday. I’ll let you know my results after I have completed the test. I am hoping for a better result than from the one in July, even thought that was fairly good. I will reveal both results on Thursday!
21 September: Well, my fitness test was a bust! I arrived and mentioned that I had some diarrhoea this morning and was told that it would not be a good idea to do the test as I probably wouldn’t do as well as I normally would. So, we discussed maybe getting another test when I get back from doing the Kokoda trek. In June I did the first VO2 Max test and my results were scored as 28. This equates to the 60th percentile for 40 – 49 year olds, which means I tested fitter than 60% of 40-49 year olds. So, I was very happy with that at the time and was hoping for a slightly better score this time as I had done so much training. It is likely that I would have scored higher but I will just accept that the test didn’t happen and move on with my training. Tomorrow is likely to be strength training at the gym and a swim.
22 September: A more successful day today. I did a very concentrated 45 minutes of strength training and my stomach crunches are definitely improving. I do the ones where your lower arms are resting on padded rests, your body is hanging straight down and you bring your knees up to your chest. Today I did 3 sets of 10 reps – although the last 2 reps of each set were a bit dismal! I then had a wonderful lunch with friends – yum fish and chips! My excuse is I do a lot of exercise so I can indulge myself. After that I went to the pool and swam 1 km backstroke so am feeling very virtuous today. Over the weekend I willdo some more of the dreaded aerobics – Stairmaster, treadmill incline and possibly Mt Ainslie.
23 September: Today was the Stairmaster which I definitely do not enjoy! But, I did a total of 1803 steps over 41 minutes – 30 minutes straight, short break, then 11 minutes, then collapse. I also did some stomach crunches. I was going to go for a swim but felt too tired so I will do that tomorrow. This morning before the gym I did an 10 minute radio interview on NETs and Kokoda which went well. They have asked me to come back after the trek and talk about it, so that is good too.
24 September: A bit of a late start but I still got in my 3 circuits of Lake Ginninderra (21 km) and a 500 metre swim. It was too busy to do the whole 1 km swim. I had a bit of a surprise on my walk as there was a 1 metre brown snake slithering across the path about 2 metres in front of me. They are the poisonous ones! The lake area is looking lovely as all the pink blossoms are coming out and the deciduous trees are all sprouting bright green leaves. I wore the wrong socks so underneath a couple of toes is a bit sore. My back was good, only slightly twingie and I just focussed on expanding my rib cage outwards which worked. But I do need to do those ankle strengthening exercises that I mentioned a while ago and haven’t yet done! My left ankle was a bit painful after a while – so do the exercises!
25 September: Today was a lighter day. I did my stretch and strength session with Ian and then we went to visit a friend in hospital who has a broken leg. We brought her the things she had ordered plus a few treats! It was 3.30pm by the time we got home and I was feeling quite tired so I didn’t do any more today. I think I might be suffering from a bit of over-training as I was very tired this afternoon and evening. I am giving myself 2 days off to recover – plus I have my 3rd and final Rabies injection tomorrow.
29 September: Today I walked Mt Ainslie twice after having had quite a few days off. I was aiming for 4 times but I am struggling with the cardio exercise now as I so don’t enjoy it. However, I wasn’t at all sore after those 2 circuits.
1 October: Had yesterday off and went to a movie with my husband which was fun! Today I did an hour of weight/strength training at the gym followed by a 1 km swim. I am feeling good, pain free and strong! The plan this coming week is to do 2 maximum efforts at the gym of treadmill incline and Stairmaster with about 4 days between them. Other than that it will be swimming, because I like it, and some more weights training which will end on Sunday 8 October. After that just some gentle walks and eating lots of carbs. That’s the plan, anyway!
2 October: I went to the gym today and did 30 minutes on the treadmill at 15% incline (plus 15 minutes of warm up and cool down). I was going to do an hour at 15% but as I get down to the last week or so after so many months of training I am finding it really hard to do as much as I probably should at this stage. I should say that this only applies to cardio. I am ok doing weights and swimming as I like both of those, but the dreaded cardio I really dislike. I will be very happy when I am doing the real thing and don’t have a choice about going on, whether I like it or not! Hopefully I will do better on Friday or Saturday when I do the Stairmaster. But if I don’t, at least I can say I turned up and did something!
3 October: Did my stretch and strength work today at Fit To Manage. It went well. Also I attended a Zoom session with the Kokoda company. There are 22 of us going and most were there, plus the 4 guides who will be coming with us. There will also be about 40 locals who will do porter duties and help us out, as well as do cooking, cleaning etc. There are 4 women in the group: 1 about mid-twenties, 2 x 40 year old twins, and me. The men appear to be mostly 40s and 50s with a sprinkling of younger guys. Everyone seems very nice so hopefully we will get on well. Mick, the leader, says there is usually about 10 minutes between first and last trekkers and everyone should go at their own pace. I just don’t want to be last! I did check the Kokoda weather report (extended 2 week forecast) and it says rain most days from 2 days before we start! I hope that changes between now and next Friday otherwise it is not going to be pleasant!
4 October: Day off today. Weather was horrible and I wasn’t super motivated.
5 October: Good exercise day today. Did 1.5 hours of weight training at gym. Can now do 3 x 15 reps of stomach crunches on the hanging bar, which is much much harder than lying down!
6 October: Day off today. Had lovely lunch with a friend and saw a great exhibition at the National Art Gallery.
7 and 8 October: Wipeout on the weekend. Feeling overwhelmed by all the small things I have to organise and pull together. Slept a lot and was very unmotivated. I did collect a few more of the things I need though.
9 October: Day started with my stretch and strength work with the wonderful Stuart and sadly a missing Bronwyn. I had a very good session and received lots of good wishes from the Monday regulars which really perked me up a lot. After lunch I went to the gym and used the Stairmaster – that I had been avoiding doing all weekend – and I managed 2051 stairs at a lower maximum heart rate than previously, so my fitness has improved, which is great. After that it was a quick trip home for a fast wash and a change of clothes and off for a massage with the equally wonderful Penny. A great massage and a hug plus lots of good wishes sent me on my way with a big smile. I am feeling much more energised and motivated thanks to all the wonderful support people I have around me! My plan for the final 3 days before I leave is to perhaps do a swim tomorrow and then definitely do a weights session on Wednesday. Other than that I will be checking all my gear, including labelling every piece of clothing, and working out how to inflate my mattress and pillow and making sure I have all the batteries in all the right things. I will do a final blog on Thursday 12 October, before I head off at 5.30am on Friday 13 October – I know what could go wrong with a date like that!
11 October: Yesterday was a day off training as I picked up some last minute items and labelled every single thing I could. Today I did some weight training and also had some short videos taken at the gym of me training on the StairMaster, treadmill and doing stomach crunches. WinNews TV (Channel 9 Canberra) sent me an email yesterday asking if I had videos of my training and if I would be doing videos on the walk. So I will do that and hopefully there will be a small segment on their news broadcast when I return. I will let everyone in Canberra know if it happens. I don’t know if there will be an item about me in the free Canberra Weekly out tomorrow. I will have a look. After my training this morning I picked up some more items to give to the village children on our way along the Kokoda Track. I then had a fabulous lunch with a friend at Lamsheds in Yarralumla and am now feeling very full! Tomorrow I do the big packing session and hope everything fits. This will be my last post until probably Tuesday 24 October when I will write up a short daily summary of my 10 days in PNG and 8 days on the track!
October 15: Sadly, I was unable to complete the Kokoda trekking. I ended up with an infection and severe dehydration and had to be airlifted back to Port Moresby. Thank you to all my supporters though and just know that I did give it a good try.
For those who are interested in details of the trek itself the following link provides text and photos of each day of each current trek. As noted my trek begins on 13 October 2023. https://www.australiankokodatours.com.au/current-trekk
Facebook and Instagram links to the treks are available here: https://www.facebook.com/australiankokodatours/ and https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw9L52yPnEk/ .