Kilimanjaro

We did not follow the recommended exercise routine rigorously but we did put a fair amount of effort into preparing for the trip. We combined the preparation with activities we enjoy and also, had to fit everything into our regular working lives.

Before we booked the trip, we were exercising fairy regularly, we went to the gym around twice a week and tried to do one outdoor activity on weekends. After booking the trip, we tried to increase this to a point where we were exercising 5 days a week.

We only booked the trip 2 months before we left for Tanzania so this is an indication of what we did during those 9 weeks.

Week 1	Monday 14 August	Gym - Ride 10min Steps 10min Super Circuit
	Wednesday 16 August	Gym - Ride 10min Steps 5min Run 10min Weights
	Friday 18 August	Gym - Ride 20min Run 10min Weights
	Saturday 19 August	Run 3km
	Sunday 20 August	Cycle 23 km
Week 2	Monday 21 August:	Gym - Ride 10min Super Circuit
	Tuesday 22 August	Gym - Ride 20min
	Wednesday 23 August	Gym - Ride 20min Steps 10min
	Saturday 26 August	Gym - Ride 20min Steps 10min Run 10min
	Sunday 20 August	Cycle 28 km
Week 3	Monday 28 August:	Gym - Ride 10min Steps 5min Super Circuit
	Wednesday 30 August	Gym - Ride 20min Steps 10min
	Thursday 31 August	Gym - Ride 20min Steps 10min
	Saturday 2 September	Cycle 80km It is possible to cycle from Randburg to Magaliesburg largely on dirt roads on tracks. This is the ride we took this day. We cycled one way only and arranged a pickup in Magaliesburg!
Week 4	Monday 4 September	Gym - Ride 15min Super Circuit
	Wednesday 6 September	Gym - Ride 20min Steps 10min
	Thursday 7 September	Gym - Ride 20min Steps 10min
	Saturday 9 September	Run 3km
	Sunday 10 September	Hike 17km We were advised that the best preparation we could do is to spend as much time on our feet as possible. We went to Suikerbosrand where they have a 17km hike and did this walk a few times. It is not too rough a hike but we made a point of wearing our boots and carrying all we planned to carry on the mountain.
Week 5	Monday 11 September	Gym - Ride 10min Super Circuit
	Wednesday 13 September	Gym - Ride 20min Steps 12min
	Thursday 14 September	Gym - Ride 40min
	Saturday 16 September	Hike 17km Suikerbosrand again!
Week 6	Monday 18 September	Gym - Ride 20min Run 20min Ride 10min
	Weekend of 23-25 September	This was a 3-day weekend and we took the opportunity to go to the Drakensberg and do some walking. We walked up as many hills as we could, all the time wearing our boots and carrying what we planned to carry on the trip. Saturday and Sunday we hiked for 6 hours each day and Monday we hiked for 3 hours.
Week 7	Saturday 30 September	Hike 9km
	Sunday 1 October	Run 6km
Week 8	Monday 2 October	Gym - Ride 20min Run 20min Ride 20min
	Wednesday 4 October	Gym - Ride 20min Run 20min Ride 20min
	Thursday 5 October	Gym - Ride 20min Run 20min Ride 20min
	Saturday October	Run 6km
Week 9	Monday 9 October	Gym - Ride 20min
	Tuesday 10 October	Gym - Ride 20min We didn’t really do much at all that week and Friday 14 October we left for Tanzania.

We found this amount of preparation to be more than adequate for the trip. People who did less found the going tough and often ended up not making it. We have both done a lot of hiking so were mentally prepared as well.