In Training

With only 60 days before DW and I head to Portugal, there are things that we still need to do in preparation for our trip. Sure, we've booked our flights, our accommodation, some tours, and we've fleshed out our itinerary, but there is some other planning that still needs to happen.

For example, we've learned what sizes of carry-on suitcase are required for various flights. Honestly, it kills me that every airline has it's own size limitation, and each time we fly, the size gets smaller and smaller. (When I flew to South Korea, in 2019, I was allowed one roller suitcase no taller than 21"—mine is 20"—and a secondary bag that was smaller—had to fit under the seat in front of me: I used a 20-litre backpack.)

For this flight, the roller suitcase must be no taller than 20" (DW's is 21") and the secondary bag must be no more than 17" tall, which negates my Swiss Army backpack. I had to buy a new backpack that fit the personal-item dimensions, and I'll have to get creative with what I bring and how I pack it.

Good thing I'm a capable traveller.

Our Ryan Air flight, from Porto to Faro, is even more restrictive, so I'll have to juggle things to check my carry-on suitcase and keep my camera gear on me.

But packing, while important, is not the biggest challenge for which DW and I must prepare: it's the walking.

Both Porto and Lisbon are towns with lots of hills and lots of stairs, and we need to get in shape so that we don't exhaust ourselves over the course of a day. In Algarve, there's an 11-kilometre trail along the coast, where there are also lots of ups and downs. Again, we need to train.

I'm sure that my cycling has helped a lot, but there are some muscles that are required for climbing and descending stairs that aren't fully used while pedalling. I also use the gears on my bike to a great extent to ensure that I can climb a hill without wearing myself out.

I'm getting up in age and my knees aren't what they used to be.

During the day, while DW and I work from home, we try to go up and down the stairs as often as possible, but of course there are long stretches where we sit at our desks, getting our work done.

My morning routine has me descending two flights of stairs, into the basement, where I clean the cats' litter boxes. I then walk upstairs, to the kitchen, to wash my hands. I then go back down to the basement to retrieve frozen fruit from our deep freezer and bring them up to the kitchen.

I measure out quantities of blueberries, raspberries, and pineapple, and then go back downstairs to return the bags to the freezer. Back up to the kitchen, where I make my ritual fruit smoothie. I then take my smoothie upstairs, to my office, to start my work day.

That's four times down a flight of stairs and up another four. And I haven't even started work.

To make sure that I get up from my desk, which is one of those kinds that can be raised or lowered for standing or sitting at, I make sure to raise my desk for every meeting and I march on the spot throughout the meeting (I never have my video camera on during a meeting so I'm not a distraction for my coworkers). Depending on how many meetings I have in a day, I can usually get about 7,000 to 10,000 steps completed by lunchtime.

Walking on the spot and climbing stairs at home are fine, but DW and I need to really experience climbing, so we've been looking for places in and around Ottawa to wander. But Ottawa isn't a particularly huge hill city—at least, not many hills close to home.

On the weekend, we wandered over to Hog's Back Park, where there are some trails that take you up and down. And, depending on how fast you walk, they can be a challenge.

DW was telling me, as we walked up a trail from below the Heron Road bridges to a lookout high above the Rideau River that she could feel the burn in her legs. She was unable to speak while we climbed. I spoke while we ascended the path, that had huge stone steps, but my quads were getting a good workout and I could feel my knees protesting by the time we reached the top.

It was a good first walk. I took some sunset photos as we wrapped up our first day of training for hills.

Mooney's Bay, just before the Hog's Back Falls.

We plan to revisit these trails between Hog's Back Park and Vincent Massey Park throughout the week, plus I'd also like to wander up and down the Rideau Locks, between Parliament Hill and the Chateau Laurier. Between the slope up the locks and the stairs that lead to Wellington Street, there's a good workout there.

All of the important planning requirements for our Portuguese trip are taken care of. There are a few minor organizational plans still left to take care of. But the hardest part, in preparation, is the physical training. We have only two months left before we set foot in Portugal but I'm confident we'll be fit enough.

Wish us luck!