GETTING STARTED

Training should begin as soon as you register for Challenge Walk MS. Make sure to assess your fitness and choose a program before charging off toward the horizon.

Form a habit quickly by walking five times per week. Your body will need to build up endurance to keep it going for 15-20 miles a day. Of course, your initial walks can be very short — this is a fitness program, not boot camp!

Start a walking journal. Keeping track of your weekly walking efforts will help you maintain your schedule. Use a calendar format and simply record the duration of each walk, the distance covered, and a few words about how you felt. Feel free to record any cross-training workouts you perform as well.

FIND A TRAINING PARTNER 

Sharing your time on the road with someone you care about is a great way to make the miles go by quickly. Recruit one or more friends and family members to join you on your Challenge Walk MS journey.

TRAINING FOR LONG-DISTANCE WALKING

Training for a long distance requires the practice of what is called progressive overload. The idea of progressive overload is to make your body do just a little more work (that is, a little more walking) than it is used to over a period of many weeks, so that your body is able to gradually and steadily gain fitness. The goal of the first week or two is to give your body an opportunity to adjust to consistent walking workouts. With each successive week (except for a couple of “recovery weeks”), do a little more walking than you did the previous week until your body is fully prepared to meet the challenge of a two-day, 30 mile walk.