Hi all,

So I have decided (before banding) that I will do the climb for cancer this year in Flagstaff...with my friend from work who does it everyyear. Her mom died of cancer...my grandmother did...everyone pretty much knows someone...but basically its like 8 miles up a mountain...they do have buses if you just cant make it. But I am inspired to make this trek with her this year. I want to be under 200 pounds by then which in itself will be an amazing feat.

Right now I can do 2 miles on flat ground fairly easily but this is quite a hike in already high elevation (7500 feet near the bottom) I am a bit worried about it and wonder if anyone has any advice as to the best way to train for this event.

Insane? No. I think this is a great goal for anyone and it's for good reason too! I'd suggest using a treadmill and slowly upping the incline.

When is the climb? My only advice is to get outside for hikes, because I found out the hard way that being on solid ground is a lot harder on your joints than the treadmill. My knees still hurt 4 days after my first 5K. If I were doing it, I'd use the treadmill to build up endurance, mixed with outdoor hiking to get used to the terrain.

This is not insane, it's a great goal to shoot for!

I just wanted to tell you good luck and what a great goal to have. I have a 5 year old with cancer so it's always great to see people doing these type of events. I can't wait to be able to do 5k's in honor of my son.