Walking Advice?

[abejita]

When I walked the Breast Cancer 3Day, I followed this training schedule:

http://walking.about.com/cs/avon3day...l3daytrain.htm

It is too much and too long for your walk, but maybe you can modify it to fit your needs.

Good luck with your walk. Prepare for a very emotional day.

[ny biker]

I like taking long walks, although for me "long" is about an hour. I do notice the difference between muscles used for cyling and those used for walking, even with a walk of that distance. So you will need to do long walks for training.

Also, good shoes and socks will be important, and you might need to experiment a bit to determine what are most comfortable and how to deal with potential hotspots and blisters. A few years back I did a 38-mile inline skating race, and I wound up having to tape my feet with athletic tape to prevent blisters before every training session.

Like with cycling events, you'll want to make sure everything the day of the walk has been tested -- e.g., you don't want to wear new shoes or try new foods at the last minute.

Good luck!

[Biciclista]

start walking! and good luck. it took me about a month of 1 long walk a week to get to the point of not having blisters and serious soreness, and your walk is a lot longer than mine..so you probably have more training you need to do. good luck. you can do this!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I alternate between fitness walking and biking and dancing for exercise.
All 3 activities use my muscles in different ways. I recommend you do at least a couple of 10 mile walks before the big event or you may be sorry. It'll also give you a chance to test out your shoes and get over any blisters and figure out how to prevent them.
Good luck!

[indysteel]

I alternate between fitness walking and biking and dancing for exercise.
All 3 activities use my muscles in different ways. I recommend you do at least a couple of 10 mile walks before the big event or you may be sorry. It'll also give you a chance to test out your shoes and get over any blisters and figure out how to prevent them.
Good luck!

I've never done a walk of that length, but that sounds like good advice. Build up to that mileage somewhat gradually (or as gradually as you can with 4-5 weeks of training). Give some thought to nutrition and hydration, just as you would with cycling.

(((((()))) and good luck. I hope it helps you in your healing and grieving process. My parents each lost a parent to suicide, which is a very sad thing to have in common with your spouse. I lost a friend in February to it.

[SheFly]

Well, the event was this past weekend, and I SURVIVED! Thankfully, no blisters, so my shoe/sock selection must have been good.

Prior to the actual event, the longest walk I had done was 4 miles . With the riding and training, I just couldn't fit more than that in. And, I had only done that ONCE!

Needless to say, I was pretty crippled on Sunday. Riding 100 miles is fine, but walking 18 took me down.

I wrote about the experience here if anyone is interested. Thanks for the tips!

SheFly

[redrhodie]

Great job, Shefly! 18 miles! I consider myself a walker, and I've never walked 18 miles. You've done something to be proud of by walking those miles.

I also lost a love to suicide, and even though it was a few years after we broke up, I still feel guilty. It's an awful thing to go through.

[zoom-zoom]

Needless to say, I was pretty crippled on Sunday. Riding 100 miles is fine, but walking 18 took me down.

There is a quote by a famous runner--not recalling which one, right now--about it being harder to run a marathon slowly than it is to run the same race fast. I'm a slow running marathoner...but I think those who walk are really the hardcore ones. It's not easy to be on one's feet at any pace for so many hours.

I'm glad the walk was a good experience. I hope it was therapeutic for you.

[lph]

I wrote about the experience here if anyone is interested. Thanks for the tips!

SheFly

That was beautifully written, SheFly. I'm all choked up here. I hope the feeling of breaking a barrier and moving through lasts.