With so much to think about before a challenge walk - what to wear, when to eat and how to pace yourself for starters - it's no wonder your anxiety levels can soar during the build-up to event day.
Below are some helpful hints and suggestions.
 Endurance, marathon walking – Challenge walk tips by Liberté Fitness
Participating in endurance, marathon walking is not, as some may think, the easier option favoured over running the 26 miles. Both require the same dedication and commitment to training. Marathon walking is known to be both easier and harder than running a marathon as despite the amount of distance training per week and the intensity level being less for walking than running, the walker is on their feet and moving for a much longer time than the typical marathon runner. It is therefore imperative you train in advance and plan your nutrition to ensure you have the stamina and endurance to walk the 26 miles.
 Training Preparation for endurance walking
Your training program will depend on your current fitness level and the length of walk you are training for. You need to focus on three factors: endurance, rest and pace. To walk 26 miles, you will be on your feet between five and a half hours to over eight hours.
Successful training is about developing your body to be able to achieve your goal which in this instance is to get your body used to being on your feet in order to walk the 26, 15.5 or 6.2 mile challenge walks. You need to adapt your body to walk long distances by a gradual system of overload which is the principle of training that gradually applies greater stresses to the body allowing it to adapt in order to achieve your goal. Training needs to be followed by a rest period for the body to recover and make the changes in order to successfully adapt and develop.
 How to increase endurance
It sounds obvious but to realise the end goal of walking a marathon you need to train by walking long distances lasting a similar length of time to the day of the marathon in order for the body to adapt and strengthen. You should aim to walk at least 5 days out of 7 as you will be able to walk a faster and more comfortable marathon with this training under your belt. You cannot train for a marathon by only doing 8 mile walks. You should be walking long distances at least weekly and increasing your mileage by 1 mile a week or 2 miles every other week. Increasing miles increases endurance and as your distance increases, your pace should decrease for example, a 5% decrease in intensity doubles the distance you will be able to cover. Most marathon walkers have completed one to four 20 mile walks at a pace which is 1-2 minutes per mile slower than their marathon pace. For those walking the 15.5 and 6.2 mile walks, use the marathon guidelines but amend them for your distances. You may have planned to do the short walk but with training and preparation, may feel ready to challenge yourself to do the medium walk.
 How do I pace myself?
You should train at the walking pace you want to maintain for the 26 miles but there is no need to do every walk at marathon pace. It is recommended that walkers do pace walks for the last 6 to 10 weeks before the marathon. These should be two to six miles at their projected marathon pace. To project your marathon pace; warm up, walk an accurately measured mile and check your heart rate at the end. Most walkers completed their marathon 2 minutes per mile slower than the test. Those that trained 1-2 minutes per mile slower felt much better both on their long walks and during the marathon.
 How much rest should I have?
Recovery periods form a large part of increasing your endurance and adapting your body.
A good training schedule alternates hard & easy days & hard weeks with easy weeks allowing for recovery. You should vary shorter & longer days during the week & alternate 16 and 20 mile long walks.
 What should I wear?
You should train wearing the same kit that you will be wearing on the marathon day to ensure your body is prepared. This should eliminate having any unexpected problems on the day. Do not wear new clothing which may chaff or feel uncomfortable. To prevent blisters, do not wear new trainers on the day. If your toes are rubbing, lubricate the area of the trainer that is rubbing on your feet and always ensure walking shoes have a finger's width of length between the end of your toe and the end of your shoes.
You should wear synthetics clothing, not cotton and ensure its sweat wicking to remove the sweat from your body. Wear layers as you'll be chilly early in the morning but hot by midday and bring a cap. Remember sunglasses and cover yourself in sunblock to prevent sunburn. You may need a waterproof, breathable fabric jacket if it's likely to rain and pack a bum bag with a blister kit, anti chaffing stick and a water bottle which you can fill up at the water stations en route.
 Hydration
Two dangers long distance walkers face are Dehydration (loss of water) and Hyponatremia (loss of sodium or body salt). To avoid dehydrating, drink a pint or half a litre of water before you start walking. Continue to drink about a pint an hour (ie a water bottle full). It sounds obvious but drink when you're thirsty and drink only enough to replace lost fluids. Signs of dehydration include dry mouth, fatigue, headache, dizziness and stomach ache.
Saying this, you don't want to over drink and consume too much water at the risk of flushing out your body salts ie Hyponatremia. To counteract the loss of sodium or body salts that sweating removes, ensure you drink a bottle of sports drink for every 2 bottles of water when you walk for over an hour. Try to eat salty snacks before, during and after long walks. Signs of Hyponatremia to look out for include nausea, headache, cramps, bloating, swollen hands and slurred speech.
On the day, you could carry sachets of powdered sodium replacement sports drinks in your bum bag to mix with water to prevent loss of body salts.
 What should I eat?
One of the most important changes you need to make is for the body to be able to have enough fuel to cover the 26 miles. Walking a marathon uses around 2600 calories. Calories come from two major sources carbohydrates and fats. Your body can store about 2400-2500 calories of carbohydrates with the liver, blood and muscle storage sites. It can only utilize 40-60% of those, leaving an energy deficit if carbohydrates were the only source of fuel. Everyone has adequate fat stores to fuel for greater distances far beyond the marathon. The trick is for the body to be able to access those stores and to be able to continue to use them throughout the marathon. For fat to be burned for fuel there needs to be carbohydrates available as well. "Hitting the wall" happens when the body burns off its available carbohydrates and cannot use the fats with the consequence that pace slows dramatically as pain increases. The "wall" can be prevented by training the body to do two things: store more carbohydrates and utilize more fat. Both are both gained by long slow walking.
The body needs available carbohydrate to burn on your long distance walking days. High protein diets with a minimum of carbohydrates are not recommended for distance walkers. On your long days you may become dehydrated, which stresses the kidneys, and those on a high protein diet are already stressing their kidneys with the by products of breaking down protein for energy. Stick with the traditional balanced diet of 15-20% protein, 30% fat, and 50-55% carbohydrate.
Eat a variety of foods to ensure you get the micronutrients that can't be packaged in a pill. Try new vegetables and fruits. If you are restricting your calories, take a simple multivitamin each day to guard against deficiencies.
If you have any questions about endurance marathon walking or nutrition, please contact Papillon Luck at Liberté Fitness info@libertefitness.com.
The Liberté Fitness personal training team are passionate about helping you reach your fitness goals and are looking forward to encouraging you all at The Bury St Edmunds Challenge Walks on Sunday 1st May 2011.
Credits:
walking.about.com
www.thewalkingsite.com
www.runtheplanet.com
The information contained in this article is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice of or treatment that may be prescribed by your physician. Before adhering to any of the information or recommendations or undertaking any exercise program or diet regime, you should consult your physician. |
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