Training
The rest of this page is divided into the following sections
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Probably the most important principle of training is that you are an experiment of one. You
have to find out what training works for you - the training routine of another may be
totally unsuitable for you and lead to injury or you giving up ultrawalking.
Long-term goals
Another important principle is to think long-term. It is well recognised in long distance
running such as marathoning that it takes a novice, even with optimal training, at least
five and possibly ten years to reach their peak, no matter their age. The same principle
applies to centurion walking. We are not saying you will walk just as fast or as far when
you are 60 as when you were 30, but you can expect to improve for five to ten years
provided you train suitably.
This principle has several possible implications, particularly if you have done little
walking or physical activity before you start training. One implication is that you should take
several years to build up to a 100 mile event. For example, in your first year you might aim
to complete a 30 km event, followed by events of 50 km, 100 km and 100 miles in your second,
third and fourth years. Another implication is that you have time to let your body slowly
adapt to the increase demands you are placing on. In your first year of training, you do not
have to build up to 100 kilometres of walking each week and you can have a rest day, possibly
several, each week.
KISS
A third principle, one that applies to almost all human endeavour is the KISS principle - "Keep
it simple stupid!" Applied to centurion walking, this principle says that if your training is
complicated, you are unlikely to train in an optimal way. Complications can come in many forms.
You may live 3 kilometres from a very interesting place to training such as a park in a
picturesque setting. To take full advantage of this setting you could drive from home to the
park and start your walk at the park. However, this may require you to drive in heavy traffic
and mean your car is unavailable to other members of your household. In this case, it would
be far simpler to walk from home, using the 3 kilometres to the park to warm up and the
3 kilometres back to cool down.
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Long walks
The idea here is pretty simple - go for a long walk. For someone starting out, a long
walk may be one hour, for an elite centurion, it may be 70 kilometres. The long walk is
such an important part of your training that we have a separate page on it, see "Long walk"
in the menu on the main page.
Marathon pace
As the name implies, this is the pace you would walk a marathon. When you have a session
of marathon pace in your training, you do no more than about 25 kilometres at this pace.
Hill training
This involves doing repetitions up a hill. You can vary the degree of steepness together
with the length and number of repetitions.
Lactate threshold training
If you are interested in just completing a distance, you will not need any threshold training.
If you have done a distance once and would like to go faster on your next attempt,
lactate threshold (LT) training could be of benefit. It should be used sparingly and only after you have
built a good base of fitness. The shorter the distance, the more beneficial threshold training
is likely to be.
LT training involves walking at a speed at or just below your lactate threshold -
the speed at which lactic acid is produced in your muscles at the same rate your body can break
it down. At this speed you will find it difficult to say more than three or four words without
gasping for breath. The speed can also be characterised as that which you can maintain for
about one hour.
LT training has two versions: tempo and cruise intervals. In the tempo version, you walk at
a constant LT pace for 15 to 20 minutes. In the cruise interval version, you do segments
of walking at LT pace with one to three minutes of easy walking between segments. You have
some choice in how many segments you do and how long each one is but it is important you
do not do too many or make them too long. A useful starting point might be three segments
each about six minutes long.
Speedwork
This is possibly the most under-utilised part of a walker's training. We have a separate page
on speedwork, see "Speedwork" in the menu on the main page.
Economy and technique
The aim of this type of training is to eliminate any inefficiencies in your technique and
to ensure your technique is legal. Some people think this aim can be achieved using speedwork,
others think you need to be walking a little slower so you can concentrate on your technique.
Active rest (easy)
A walk of a short distance at an easy pace.
Passive rest
Do nothing.
Dynamic flexibility drills
These drills increase you flexibility and improve you coordination.
Stretching
Stretching increases your flexibility. The simplest type of stretching is (static) passive. With these stretches
you hold the muscle in slightly stretched state for 20 to 30 seconds.
There are many articles on the internet about stretching and we have given links to a few below. When reading
articles on the internet about stretching, it is important to remember a) some articles were written by people who have a product
or service to sell and b) there is disagreement about how effective stretching is and how it should be done.
Strengthwork
By strengthwork, we mean weight bearing exercises designed to strengthen specific muscle groups so
they are capable of doing many repetitions without tiring.
The main reasons for doing strengthwork are
An apparently obvious way to do strengthwork is to lift weights. We say "apparently" because it
is all too easy to do the wrong type of training for ultrawalking. When lifting
weights as part of their training, people naturally want to lift heavier and heavier weights as the
weeks roll by. Unfortunately, this type of improvement is rarely of benefit for ultrawalking except
possibly when muscles are very weak such as after a break from training. What is required for ultrawalking
is many repetitions with light weights. Improvement should be measured by the number of extra
repetitions done with a fixed weight and not by the extra weight lifted for a fixed number of repetitions.
Strengthwork can be done in other ways than by lifting weights. For example, you can
Cross-training
Cross-training is any physical training that does not involve walking on a solid surface,
excluding stretching and strengthwork. Some view stretching and strengthwork as cross-training,
we believe they are sufficiently important that they deserve their own section.
One hour of cross-training is unlikely to benefit your walking as much as one hour of the
types of training already described. But cross-training is very useful. It adds variety to
your training, it gives you a chance to continue training when you are injured, and when walking
is impossible.
In most types of cross-training you'll be using
different muscles from that used in walking. These muscles could well be weak and it is
important to ease into cross-training to avoid injury.
Ways to cross-train include
It is important to distinguish between mental and emotional training. Mental training is intended to give
you better control over your thoughts and emotional training better
control over your emotions.
The main aim of mental training is to improve your concentration. Mental training also
aims to improve organisational and problem-solving skills.
The main aim of emotional training is to improve your confidence.
As we said above, there is a plethora of techniques. The main techniques include
Ways to do technical training include
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Last modified: October 28, 2007.
Principles of training
Experiment of one
Types of training
Most training for centurion events is physical, mental and emotional, technical or life-style. There is
little need for tactical training because most events for centurion walking are conducted
in friendly atmosphere with competitors helping one another throughout an event.
Physical
There are many types of physical training.
Mental and emotional training
Over the last two decades, much has been written about mental and emotional training and there
is now a plethora of techniques and books on the subject. Here we will be content with a
brief summary.
Technical
By technical training, we mean training that improves your
Life-style
Your life-style can have a significant effect on how well you do in an ultrawalk. Aspects to
consider are
Other articles on the internet