Spring has sprung, which means the flowers are blooming, the trees are budding and another season of MS Challenge Walk training is about to begin.This month’s theme is training and recruitment. In terms of training, the last two years we have followed the 18-week program, with some minor tweaks. For example, we stuck to the 3 to 4 mile walks prescribed during the week, but we never walked more than 13 miles on the long weekend walks. This was mostly because babysitters are expensive! In addition, we found that the most important thing is consistency—no long gaps in training—vs. pounding out 15 or 20 mile training sessions.
The MS Society provides a 12 and 18 week program on their website. This year we have decided to follow a program that is between the 12 and 18 week program, with other exercise mixed in.
One great way to recruit new members is to bribe them with cash. If that does not work or is simply prohibitive from a budgetary standpoint, you can always tell them your plan to walk and invite them to join you to train for as much or as little as they would like. It is a great way to stay in shape, socialize and simply get some fresh air. Who knows, they may discover it is not as hard as they thought and may decide to sign on for this year or next year.
Another “soft sell” idea is to talk to walkers already committed to the shorter MS Walks throughout the year. Many of these participants may be eager for a new challenge but not aware that they can chose to walk the full 50 miles or a shorter 30 mile route. You might be surprised who accepts the challenge!
- the Egans
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