As encouraged by Irishprincess I am giving this its own post rather than hiding it in a pompom thread.
On Saturday I completed a 26.4-mile Macmillan Mighty Hike, from Kentwell Hall to Flatford Mill, along the Stour Valley and the Suffolk/Essex border. Earlier this year I did a short Nordic walking course, and after some thought and experimentation I decided to walk with my poles. At the very least they stopped me getting "sausage fingers" which was a worry for many of the hikers, and hopefully they also encouraged me to walk more upright and be less prone to backache which members of this forum had warned me might be a thing.
I finished the Mighty Hike in a fraction under 10 hours which surprisingly (to me) put me almost exactly halfway down the list of 600-odd finishers. It was very interesting to do the walk as a runner, albeit a very slow one, because I think it makes you take the prep more seriously. There were a lot of youngish participants who were clearly relying on youth and strength, and not enough training, to get them through, and judging by some of the comments on the Mighty Hike FB group, they have had a pretty tough time over the past couple of days.... toenails falling off is the least of it! The day got gradually hotter so hydration was important, and the last few miles were knackering and very dusty.
I bought a pair of light Saucony trail running shoes a few months ago specifically with this walk in mind. I think they were a really good choice: not too hot, not too heavy, firm enough under foot to cope with pebbly paths and tracks across fields, and reasonably comfortable. I also, after experimenting with various hydration options, bought a Harrier Curbar 5L race vest which was super light and comfortable, had plenty of room for my 2L water bladder (bought on Amazon) and had a pocket where I could carry my phone on my chest.
I was happy with the training I did too. Since Covid in April I haven't really been running more than 5k, but walking was much easier and my longest practice hike was 22 miles. Also I did study the briefing notes quite carefully, and read the comments on FB from previous participants, so I wasn't surprised when there were HILLS - not your kind of hills Cmoi but quite steep for Suffolk!
Annoyingly I've had a tummy ache on and off for a couple of weeks, no idea what's causing it. I thought it had gone, but it came back overnight immediately before the event. I couldn't have done a run with a funny tummy but walking seemed to be possible, although lunch was probably a mistake - I can see on my Garmin track how much I slowed down after eating, and I really didn't eat very much! So on balance I'd say that walking a marathon is easier than running a half.
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Chalkland Way Run Report
Running with my boys!
