Walking a Marathon - Any Advice?
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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
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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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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!
Its walking a marathon not running.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.
Sorry, should have made it clear - its an official walking marathon (I hope!) - not planning to just tag along to a running one and walk it.0 -
holothuroidea wrote: »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
Thanks! Good advice there.0 -
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!
I'm with you on the socks - and stocking up on compeeds. I am hoping to weigh a little less by then (it's in June) so may be able to walk a little quicker too - say 3.5 mile an hour?0 -
holothuroidea wrote: »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.
Thanks - its going around a lake in England, so I'm kind of assuming that there won't be a cut-off (ie, they won't be cutting off roads to the traffic, etc).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.
Ha ha - yes, walking, not running. But there is a potential 13 mile walk I can do through the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland (Water of Leith) which I am going to try to really see what I am made of. When the weather gets better of course!!0 -
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.
I like the look of that one - thanks!0 -
run_lift_ride207 wrote: »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)
I'm liking the idea of a camelpack (which is the same as a fanny pack?) - I didn't think of that one. Yes, I definitely need to up my game in the distance stakes. I've got a 13 miler planned when the weather gets better and I think I can up my regular walks to 2 hours a pop with some smaller walks in there so my bones and muscles don't completely give up. They're carrying around 191 pounds, you know! 0 -
SizeTenByTeatime wrote: »run_lift_ride207 wrote: »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)
I'm liking the idea of a camelpack (which is the same as a fanny pack?) - I didn't think of that one. Yes, I definitely need to up my game in the distance stakes. I've got a 13 miler planned when the weather gets better and I think I can up my regular walks to 2 hours a pop with some smaller walks in there so my bones and muscles don't completely give up. They're carrying around 191 pounds, you know!
Camelbak is a backpack with water. Google will showy out what they look like. Since you are walking you can just use a bottle in a regular backpack or other systems. Honestly camelbaks are great but also expensive.1
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