Hiking fitness and recovery stuff

[sectiag]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum, I live in Southern Arizona about 45 minutes from the border, 66 years old, I mostly hike the terrain from North Tuscon and South to the Mexican border.Santa Catalinas, Rin Cons and Santa Rita mountains.

Since fall 2022 and this year I've been struggling with my energy levels during steep hikes.Yesterday a 6 mile out and back with 2500 ft elevation gain to 7300 feet, I was nearly at a crawl as I got to the saddle. My compadres even commented to me about checking my fitness. Coming back down ,drinking water makes me feel full and sick , but I force myself to drink. so I know I'm under hydrated and get punished with cramps. After hikes I drink gallons of water but am still onset with cramps for hours. I consumed 2 litres of plain water on this short hike . Temps were in the 60s, 40 at the top

What has happened to my energy levels before and after? and whats up with feeling sick drinking water during the hike? Am I getting too old for this stuff? Any suggestions for prep routine alterations or whatever is appreciated.

Any insights ?

 

[rubberlegs]

At 58, I noticed a significant drop in power. Fortunately it hasn’t dropped a lot since and has been a more steady decline. It could be something like that happened to you. Maybe check with your doctor. Also some of your symptoms sound like altitude sickness. You could experiment with electrolytes too.