A LONG WALK

A Long Walk

A Long Walk

Answer 1)

For the purposes of this discussion, the distance of a long run is considered to be 10 miles or longer as well as runs that last over 90 minutes. It should be run approximately one minute slower than the pace you plan to run during the marathon or stated another way, one to 1-1/2 minutes per mile slower than your present 10K race pace. If your training schedule calls for a long run of 16 miles, the distance must be run at one time rather than splitting the distance into an 8-mile morning session and an 8-mile evening run.

The long run is the most important component of marathon training because it teaches the body to both mentally and physically tackles the challenges presented in completing the 26.2-mile event. Physiologically, the body must learn to tap into and utilize energy reserves from fat storage sites after the glycogen (fuel stores in the muscles, converted over from carbohydrate food sources) have been depleted. Through long run training, the capacity to store more glycogen within the muscles increases. An increase in glycogen stores translates into the ability to maintain one's pace during the marathon and delay the onset of fatigue. Conversely, trouble is on the horizon when you run out of glycogen, as your pace will significantly decrease.

One must also be accustomed to running for very long periods of time, and the mental toughness that develops from completing long training runs pays off handsome dividends during the actual marathon (Venkatesh, 2004).

Keep a list. What do you use everyday? Can you live without it? We've eliminated soap, shampoo, razors, and deodorant. They're nice to have but not worth the weight to carry. We do carry toilet paper, feminine sanitary supplies, and multi-vitamins. Allocate what you'll need--no more. Remove excess packaging wherever feasible. For example, we reduce weight by removing the toilet paper cardboard core. To carry liquids, we use the small plastic hotel shampoo bottles.

Answer 2)

Once you've decided on what trail to hike and have some idea of the distance and terrain you'll cover, you need to access your physical conditioning. The best thing to do is to load a pack with 40 pounds of "anything" and hike up and down mountains for 8 hours a day for several weeks. This is usually out of the realm of possibility. So, do what you can. Attend aerobics and weight ...