h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I thought I ought to start a journal where I can record my progress as I train for the Playtex Moonwalk 2010 which takes place on 15th May. For those who haven't heard of it, it is a marathon that takes place around London. It starts at midnight (presumably they couldn't get permission to make enough of the route safe in the daytime!) and as it is a power walking event (you get kicked out for running) it finishes at around 6-7am. Often the people (including the men) who take part wear nothing but a bra on their top half which can be decorated outlandishly - the point is to raise awareness and raise money in support of breast cancer.

I am doing the full moon (ie the full 26 miles) and have gradually been trying to increase the amount of walking I do normally. Now that J is in forn parts during the week I can't leave the house except with the boys so I have got myself a treadmill to train on. I did a gait analysis which revealed that my core is shot to pieces (no shit sherlock, after two kids and one caesarian) and that means my legs aren't as controlled as they need to be while I walk - so am addressing that with a personal trainer and bum legs and tums classes.

I'm going to try to post my training sessions in here, or just updates as to how I'm getting on - whichever I remember to do!

Oh, we'll make sure to remind you - you go, Kelli!

First treadmill training session 18/01: 38 mins at 3.9mph. Felt ok but am pretty sure I wouldn't be able to do that for 26 miles yet!

Second session 19/01: 45 mins, first two miles at 4.0 mph, remainder of time at 4.2 mph.

According to the website I need to be aiming for 14 minute miles which is around 4.3mph so I am already able to do the right speed, I just need to build up my stamina.

I'd welcome advice from anyone who can suggest ways to build up my stamina in training sessions that won't normally be much longer than an hour. If I want to not die at around mile 17, am I going to have to be walking close to the distance very frequently before hand?

The only advice I have right now (never run any longer than 10 km) is to have at least two resting days each week for recuperation.

Thanks - I should have said that I will eventually be sent a training schedule but it hasn't arrived yet. I'm planning to do my core strengthening sessions on days when I don't do any cardio, and I probably won't be able to do much dedicated training on the weekend until a bit closer to the time (the treadmill noise will drive J mad - although if I can push him out for a few hours with the boys I could actually go for a *real* walk).

I also forgot to mention the fact that the gait analysis recommended certain trainers which I now have but they are rubbing a little on my heel. They should be broken in soon if I keep using them but I need to get some good socks!

Not true, I remember reading some stuff about getting in shape for funning 10 kms.

Start with intervals. Like run 5 minutes, walk 5, run 5, walk 5.

Then increase the running time while still walking inbetween, like run 10 minutes, walk 5, run 10 minutes, walk 5.

Then increase the running time while sticking to the same walking time.

'Not true' was a comment to my posting 'the only advice I have right now' and nothing else.

It is a power walking marathon so I am not going to be doing any running but I think that intervals of slightly-faster-than-is-comfortable power walking with fast-but-comfortable walking will probably help.

Is Nordic Walking permitted?

If that involves sticks then no. I don't really know what Nordic Walking is!

Sticks yes, it was first used by Finnish skiers to train during the summer.

No problem. Try this: when you're running, you have your hands/arms pulled up, right? With a roughly 90 degree angle at elbow?

Try pulling your arms up that way while walking, you might find it increases your walking speed.

If you keep your hands low, your arms will usually swing all the way forwards and backwards, but if you pull your hands up, you'll shorten the way your arms move and possibly adding even more energetic forwardness. Try it.

Basically, you'd be imitating the way your arms would move if you *had* sticks. I hope that helps.

If you have an iphone or ipod touch, I highly recommend RunKeeper to track your progress.

Kelli, was to go! Great effort for a great cause. If a few pounds should go away in the process, so much the better!

I was wondering, is the iTouch/iPhone the only line of smart devices that have apps? If you have a Blackberry, would they have a Runner app?

WAY to go. And I did preview...

SC, I don't know about the blackberry - I think it might not have anything other than internet and email and stuff like that.

Having used a blackberry for work and now having an iphone of my own, there is NO comparison. The apps are just the icing on the cake.


Currently, I'm using a recipe app to suggest dinners, I'm using a diet app to track calories and weight lost, a running app to track my exercise, ipod app when I'm working out and running, reading books or the internet when I'm bored, playing games when I'm bored, using a flashlight app when the other half snores and I'm sneaking off to the other room so don't want to turn the light one. And so on.

From a business persons perspective - it does everything all your little gadgets did but only takes one charger instead of several (phone, camera, pictures of family, address book, your email, your music. Even skype for ringing home when you're away.) There are also calculators, spreadsheet apps and word processor apps and so on. Many of them are free, too.

We will now resume normal service and stop gushing about a gadget.

I'm very impressed with Kelli, as usual. I looked at the walk and discovered there are no places and people do it in their underwear (sort of) which would have scared me off anyway. But that would have been a very cool Meet.

Maybe we should organise a Run for Life or something, where each Researcher does their own local one in their own time but as a unit Hootoo would have tons of people doing it...

You probably know this, but a treadmill won't train all your muscles like walking outside will (unless it simulates kerbs, potholes, drop kerbs, black bags, urine streams and pools of sick that might need avoiding) so don't expect to be able to do the same 'mileage' outside to start with.

One more thing - I don't walk anywhere near 26 miles on my dog walking job, but I feel confident that I could if I needed to (although very probably not at that speed, dog walking has become very much an amble these days), so I wouldn't think you'd need to start doing 26 miles a day every day in training.

I use the Daily Burn app on my iPhone. I'll save you the gushing about my gadget as that's already been covered. What I like about Daily Burn is that all the data is backed up to their website and I track diet, exercise and weight. It also has a huge food database and, if you get the Food Scanner app, you can scan the bar codes on food packages and it will plug in the calories based on portion size. It doesn't calculate WW points, yet, but they plan on supporting that. No dedicated Blackberry app at this time, but they suggest using their mobile format at http://dailyburn.com/iphone .

There are apps available for Blackberrys, but I don't know anything about them.