Walking a Marathon - Any Advice?
SizeTenByTeatime
Posts: 34 Member
Hello there,
I'm thinking of walking a marathon to up my walking game in the summer. Has anyone done this? And, if so, what did you do in the way of prep? I currently walk every day, ranging from 2 - 4 miles, although the longest I've walked in one go so far was yesterday at 5.88 miles.
I'm 42, 191 pounds, female and am hoping to eventually lose around 4 stone. I don't do any other exercise at the moment apart from the walking.
Thanks in advance!
I'm thinking of walking a marathon to up my walking game in the summer. Has anyone done this? And, if so, what did you do in the way of prep? I currently walk every day, ranging from 2 - 4 miles, although the longest I've walked in one go so far was yesterday at 5.88 miles.
I'm 42, 191 pounds, female and am hoping to eventually lose around 4 stone. I don't do any other exercise at the moment apart from the walking.
Thanks in advance!
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Look up marathon training plans; granted they are geared toward runners, but just modify with walking. You'll need to steadily increase your mileage to build stamina. Pay close attention to your shoes, make sure they are supportive enough for your particular footfall pattern. It can take several months for most runners to fully prepare for a marathon, so give yourself adequate time to train.0
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when you say walk a marathon, do you mean on your own or is your plan to sign up for a formal event? Reason I ask is I think a lot of events have time limits for completion. You would have to check the rules of any event that you enter. If just personal, I'd agree with Equus in setting reasonable training goals and building over time. You should probably also consider hydration and energy needs for that distance. If you are going it alone, take your phone and have someone on standby to come pick you up in the event anything unexpected (e.g., cramps, exhaustion, weather, etc, etc)0
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I haven't done it myself, but recently, as I was looking for running training plans, I notices that there are also half-marathon and marathon training plans for walkers.
Here is one I came across: http://www.jennyhadfield.com/training-plans/marathon/
(that site has different plans from "all walk" over "walk run" to "run", the first one is for walkers.)
Agree with the posts before, good shoes and taking time to increase the mileage gradually are probably as important for walkers as for runners.0 -
Start by walking a half marathon.
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Hi. You should look up the longest walk training plans. Ones I found tell you how often to walk how many miles paces and gradual increases. I'd do a walking marathon like the Avon39 or if you live in England I think they have long walks there but I don't know if it's called a marathon? Also interval walking will help where you have a slow start then you build up to a fast walk where you are in your target heart rate for 10 min slow for 5 fast for 10 etc. also I found p90x helped me with my walking the plyo part so maybe a free plyo vid on YouTube.
Also if you do avon39 they give you a training guide. I am going to do it this year I think if I'm brave!0 -
So you plan to walk 26 miles? At an average speed of about 3-3.5 miles you are looking at something around 8 hrs. You have gone up to and hour and a half?
Start a plan where you walk more. Maybe try a little jogging. I'd imagine that a plan for a comfortable finish would need to walk that distance in week. But then I remember doing walkathons as a kid (32 km ~ 20 miles) without any training. Kind of exhausting but not impossible.
Basically, just walk more.
The Avon 39 looks like a great idea.0 -
SizeTenByTeatime wrote: »Hello there,
I'm thinking of walking a marathon to up my walking game in the summer. Has anyone done this? And, if so, what did you do in the way of prep? I currently walk every day, ranging from 2 - 4 miles, although the longest I've walked in one go so far was yesterday at 5.88 miles.
I'm 42, 191 pounds, female and am hoping to eventually lose around 4 stone. I don't do any other exercise at the moment apart from the walking.
Thanks in advance!
I have not done it myself, but there used to be an annual marathon walking event where I live, and I have friends who have participated. You are looking at pretty much an all day event, they used to start in the morning and get to the finish line in late afternoon. I knew this lady who used to participate every year, and she was really overweight . She never trained, but she did a lot of walking daily. She walked everywhere instead of using a car or bus, so just getting to and from work meant a couple of hours walking daily.0 -
Steve_ApexNC wrote: »when you say walk a marathon, do you mean on your own or is your plan to sign up for a formal event? Reason I ask is I think a lot of events have time limits for completion. You would have to check the rules of any event that you enter. If just personal, I'd agree with Equus in setting reasonable training goals and building over time. You should probably also consider hydration and energy needs for that distance. If you are going it alone, take your phone and have someone on standby to come pick you up in the event anything unexpected (e.g., cramps, exhaustion, weather, etc, etc)
Yes, it's an official event with lots of people. Will definitely take a lot of water too.0 -
_nikkiwolf_ wrote: »I haven't done it myself, but recently, as I was looking for running training plans, I notices that there are also half-marathon and marathon training plans for walkers.
Here is one I came across: http://www.jennyhadfield.com/training-plans/marathon/
(that site has different plans from "all walk" over "walk run" to "run", the first one is for walkers.)
Agree with the posts before, good shoes and taking time to increase the mileage gradually are probably as important for walkers as for runners.
Thanks! I'll check that out, it looks good. I walk in trainers at the moment which are really comfy.0 -
SizeTenByTeatime wrote: »Hello there,
I'm thinking of walking a marathon to up my walking game in the summer. Has anyone done this? And, if so, what did you do in the way of prep? I currently walk every day, ranging from 2 - 4 miles, although the longest I've walked in one go so far was yesterday at 5.88 miles.
I'm 42, 191 pounds, female and am hoping to eventually lose around 4 stone. I don't do any other exercise at the moment apart from the walking.
Thanks in advance!
I have not done it myself, but there used to be an annual marathon walking event where I live, and I have friends who have participated. You are looking at pretty much an all day event, they used to start in the morning and get to the finish line in late afternoon. I knew this lady who used to participate every year, and she was really overweight . She never trained, but she did a lot of walking daily. She walked everywhere instead of using a car or bus, so just getting to and from work meant a couple of hours walking daily.
Thanks! Yes, I think that this may take a long time. About 9 hours at 3 miles per hour!0 -
EvgeniZyntx wrote: »So you plan to walk 26 miles? At an average speed of about 3-3.5 miles you are looking at something around 8 hrs. You have gone up to and hour and a half?
Start a plan where you walk more. Maybe try a little jogging. I'd imagine that a plan for a comfortable finish would need to walk that distance in week. But then I remember doing walkathons as a kid (32 km ~ 20 miles) without any training. Kind of exhausting but not impossible.
Basically, just walk more.
The Avon 39 looks like a great idea.
The longest walk I have done in one sitting is 2 hours 10 minutes.0 -
I would suggest starting with a 10k and then a 1/2 marathon (13.1)
You can do it!! Just train and make sure you can do at least 75% of the total distance before the race.
There are lots of training suggestions online. Google it.
Good luck!!0 -
karierogers wrote: »I would suggest starting with a 10k and then a 1/2 marathon (13.1)
You can do it!! Just train and make sure you can do at least 75% of the total distance before the race.
There are lots of training suggestions online. Google it.
Good luck!!
You are giving running advice to walking. It is actually a lot easier to walk longer distances than run. No need to walk 75% to reach her goal. (Nor is it realistic to build up slowly to 75% - no one has time for 6hr+ training days.)
Probably a few sessions up to 4 hrs of walking will make the 8-9 accessible.
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"The longest walk I have done in one sitting is 2 hours 10 minutes."
;-) I love an oxymoron.0 -
I've walked 26+ miles in a day before. Over mountains, all above 6000', with 40 lbs on my back. Took a long time, but I also stopped to eat lunch, and filter water on the way. Besides running enough for 5k training, I didn't do any thing else.0
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I've only run 1 marathon but the cutoff time was 6 hours and I'm willing to bet that is a fairly common cutoff time across the board.SizeTenByTeatime wrote: »SizeTenByTeatime wrote: »Hello there,
I'm thinking of walking a marathon to up my walking game in the summer. Has anyone done this? And, if so, what did you do in the way of prep? I currently walk every day, ranging from 2 - 4 miles, although the longest I've walked in one go so far was yesterday at 5.88 miles.
I'm 42, 191 pounds, female and am hoping to eventually lose around 4 stone. I don't do any other exercise at the moment apart from the walking.
Thanks in advance!
I have not done it myself, but there used to be an annual marathon walking event where I live, and I have friends who have participated. You are looking at pretty much an all day event, they used to start in the morning and get to the finish line in late afternoon. I knew this lady who used to participate every year, and she was really overweight . She never trained, but she did a lot of walking daily. She walked everywhere instead of using a car or bus, so just getting to and from work meant a couple of hours walking daily.
Thanks! Yes, I think that this may take a long time. About 9 hours at 3 miles per hour!0 -
I've only run 1 marathon but the cutoff time was 6 hours and I'm willing to bet that is a fairly common cutoff time across the board.SizeTenByTeatime wrote: »SizeTenByTeatime wrote: »Hello there,
I'm thinking of walking a marathon to up my walking game in the summer. Has anyone done this? And, if so, what did you do in the way of prep? I currently walk every day, ranging from 2 - 4 miles, although the longest I've walked in one go so far was yesterday at 5.88 miles.
I'm 42, 191 pounds, female and am hoping to eventually lose around 4 stone. I don't do any other exercise at the moment apart from the walking.
Thanks in advance!
I have not done it myself, but there used to be an annual marathon walking event where I live, and I have friends who have participated. You are looking at pretty much an all day event, they used to start in the morning and get to the finish line in late afternoon. I knew this lady who used to participate every year, and she was really overweight . She never trained, but she did a lot of walking daily. She walked everywhere instead of using a car or bus, so just getting to and from work meant a couple of hours walking daily.
Thanks! Yes, I think that this may take a long time. About 9 hours at 3 miles per hour!
MOST marathons have a 6-7 hour time limit, but there are some that are walker friendly, so OP should google those. I found this interesting:
http://www.marathonguide.com/news/exclusives/WalkerFriendlyMarathons.cfm
I'm surprised it says the Marine Corps Marathon has a high number of walkers, since I'm pretty sure that has a 7ish hour cut-off.
Anyway, my recommendation would be to do it with a friend if possible! 9 hours of walking by yourself seems like it might get very boring.0 -
angelexperiment wrote: »Hi. You should look up the longest walk training plans. Ones I found tell you how often to walk how many miles paces and gradual increases. I'd do a walking marathon like the Avon39 or if you live in England I think they have long walks there but I don't know if it's called a marathon? Also interval walking will help where you have a slow start then you build up to a fast walk where you are in your target heart rate for 10 min slow for 5 fast for 10 etc. also I found p90x helped me with my walking the plyo part so maybe a free plyo vid on YouTube.
Also if you do avon39 they give you a training guide. I am going to do it this year I think if I'm brave!
If you are a registered participant for the Avon39 events, you have access to various training plans to get ready for the event.
However, not everyone is able to fundraise the required minimum of 1800$ so if you think you'll have difficulties fundraising, I'd think long and hard before doing it. Since any difference in the balance, comes out of your pocket 90 days post-walk. This is typical for large events like thing, Komen, Pan Mass etc.
I've completed 4 Avon Walks and my 5th is coming up.
2hr 10 min is 6.1ish miles up to just over 8ish miles.
If you want to walk a marathon, you're going to have to sped a lot more time on your feet.
Because if you don't, your feet will hurt, your knees will hurt, your hips will hurt.
I did my last Avon 39 without spending more than 2.5 hours on my feet, even though I was walking daily.
I had shin splints for days.
And you'll want a camelpak for water and snacks.
You'll need to replenish that water and snacks on the training walks.
Plus Gatorade or Powerade (diluted is fine)
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I know walking is "easy" but please do follow some sort of program that increases mileage slowly. Hiking is my favorite form of exercise, and I can tell you from experience that you are just as likely to encounter an injury hiking too far too fast as you would if you were running. (Hello, stress fractures!)
Muscle fatigue on long walks is normal, but pain is not. If you start to have any pain, especially in your feet, ankles or knees, you should start heading back even if the pain seems mild enough to walk through.
I would keep your daily walks where they are and do a long walk once a week. Increase the mileage on your long walks slowly (think 10-20% increases, so if your last walk was 5.88 miles make your next one 6.5-7 miles). Periodically take a rest week where your long walk is shorter so you don't get burned out and to give your body a chance to catch up.
Also, when hiking, terrain is important. If you're hiking something with lots of hills when you're used to flat ground, expect to not be able to go as far as fast. Similarly, if you're hiking on a trail it will be more difficult than on pavement. So you will need to learn how to adjust your goal mileage based on the terrain you'll encounter. There are a number of hiking websites that will describe the trails in your area and rate their level of difficulty so you can plan ahead.
Also, you cannot use a treadmill to train for hiking the same way you can use it to train for running so be prepared to face all kinds of weather on your journey.
That is such an awesome goal and I am excited for you! Good luck 0 -
deluxmary2000 wrote: »
I've only run 1 marathon but the cutoff time was 6 hours and I'm willing to bet that is a fairly common cutoff time across the board.SizeTenByTeatime wrote: »SizeTenByTeatime wrote: »Hello there,
I'm thinking of walking a marathon to up my walking game in the summer. Has anyone done this? And, if so, what did you do in the way of prep? I currently walk every day, ranging from 2 - 4 miles, although the longest I've walked in one go so far was yesterday at 5.88 miles.
I'm 42, 191 pounds, female and am hoping to eventually lose around 4 stone. I don't do any other exercise at the moment apart from the walking.
Thanks in advance!
I have not done it myself, but there used to be an annual marathon walking event where I live, and I have friends who have participated. You are looking at pretty much an all day event, they used to start in the morning and get to the finish line in late afternoon. I knew this lady who used to participate every year, and she was really overweight . She never trained, but she did a lot of walking daily. She walked everywhere instead of using a car or bus, so just getting to and from work meant a couple of hours walking daily.
Thanks! Yes, I think that this may take a long time. About 9 hours at 3 miles per hour!
MOST marathons have a 6-7 hour time limit, but there are some that are walker friendly, so OP should google those. I found this interesting:
http://www.marathonguide.com/news/exclusives/WalkerFriendlyMarathons.cfm
I'm surprised it says the Marine Corps Marathon has a high number of walkers, since I'm pretty sure that has a 7ish hour cut-off.
Anyway, my recommendation would be to do it with a friend if possible! 9 hours of walking by yourself seems like it might get very boring.
You must maintain a 14-minute mile pace to reach the "Beat the Bridge" marker
http://www.marinemarathon.com/faq.htm
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Here is a list of "Walker" friendly marathons http://www.marathonguide.com/news/exclusives/WalkerFriendlyMarathons.cfm0
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This sounds like a fantastic goal for the year. Great advice above. I would recommend entering a 10k or half marathon before the marathon. It will give you a feel for walking in a timed event with other people. How to deal with toilet break and eating drinking en route. Enjoy the build up and the race:)0
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I walked a marathon in 2012 - the Moonwalk in London. I was 340lbs at the time and it was a struggle but I trained for 6 months and I completed it. I went from 25 minute miles and finally managed to get to 15-16 minute miles) There are special training programmes for walking marathons and you start of at around the level you are at now and gradually work your way up to around 20 miles - before levelling of (this is to give your body time to recover). I would definitely recommend it but make sure you train properly, you stretch properly and you wear some decent walking trainers/shoes to do it (I can also recommend 1000 mile socks to prevent blisters). Since completing the Moonwalk it spurred me onto losing some weight - to date I have lost 112lbs!0
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Look for a marathon with a 7 hour cutoff time as many cut off at 6 or fewer hours. Get fast. I saw a lady speed walking at two of my marathons last fall (same person at both of them) and she was FAST for a speed walker. She came in around 6:48 or estimated from when I last saw her.
As for training, no idea. I don't walk long distances like that.0 -
WhatMeRunning wrote: »Look for a marathon with a 7 hour cutoff time as many cut off at 6 or fewer hours. Get fast. I saw a lady speed walking at two of my marathons last fall (same person at both of them) and she was FAST for a speed walker. She came in around 6:48 or estimated from when I last saw her.
As for training, no idea. I don't walk long distances like that.
Speed walking and "getting fast" are admirable goals, but speed can only be built on a solid foundation of distance.
It is better to have a distance goal first and aim to finish than to try to complete any distance in a certain amount of time.
There are plenty of 26 mile opportunities that don't have a time limit.1 -
Look up marathon training plans; granted they are geared toward runners, but just modify with walking. You'll need to steadily increase your mileage to build stamina. Pay close attention to your shoes, make sure they are supportive enough for your particular footfall pattern. It can take several months for most runners to fully prepare for a marathon, so give yourself adequate time to train.
Here's one geared toward walking......http://www.pbs.org/americaswalking/health/health18week.html
I volunteered at a Biggest Loser 5K/Half Marathon/Marathon event least summer. These are events held all over the U.S. There should be some good information there too.0 -
Truth.holothuroidea wrote: »Speed walking and "getting fast" are admirable goals, but speed can only be built on a solid foundation of distance.
I've never seen a marathon with a limit over 7 hours, but I see others in this thread saying they exist. So those would be preferable for sure.0 -
My advice shoot for a 1/2 first. See how you feel when running they say never increase mileage over 10% per week, which would put you at a nice half pace by summer. 26 miles on the body was tough for me and was the start of body problems. If I had to do it over again I would have stuck to running 13.1 miles.0
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