John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

by Marian Rezel, Team Multiple Screwballs

Although she can "clock" up to 29 miles per hour,
Marian has found that 2.75 miles an hour, including
breaks, is her perfect pace.

I thought I would share some strategies that I use while training for Challenge Walk MS. One of the key things was to figure out what was a reasonable pace for me to keep over many miles of walking. I didn’t want to go too fast and burn out and I didn’t want to go too slow. I found for me, that 2.75 miles an hour, including breaks, was a perfect pace .

I usually listen to music when I’m out walking with my dogs, but when I’m with my daughter training for the Challenge Walk we usually just talk. If I sense that my pace has slowed down – talk talk talk equals less walk walk walk for me – I just hum the tune of John Jacob Jingleheimer Scmidt and we get our pace straightened out.

How far to walk and how often, you ask? Check out the training guide on the Challenge Walk website. I stuck to that the first year I walked and felt great. If you can’t commit that much time to training, walk at least 2 to 3 miles at a crack, several times a week. Try to get a 5- or 6-mile walk in during the weekend.

Map out some routes. I know that if I walk to the gas station and back, it’s 2 miles; if I walk to Target, it’s 4 miles round trip. Find some hiking trails and walk them. Challenge Walk MS does include hilly terrain; make sure you get some up-hills and down-hills in your training.

Vary your stride. I take giant steps when walking up hills and tiny steps when descending the hill. Try walking sideways uphill or down. Walk backwards if you have someone with you that can prevent you from straying into traffic or off a trail. The variety of steps helps work out different muscle groups and reduces muscle exhaustion.

Too hot to walk on land? Water walk. I did this a lot last year. Walking for an hour in a waist deep pool is roughly equivalent to walking 2 hours on land, plus it’s nice on the joints.

And don’t forget to drink your water.