What's /fit/'s opinion on and experience with hiking?
There's a 50 mile 24 hour annual orienteering event that happens near me in December and I'd love to do it this year. However, I'm not sure I'm physically fit enough to do it. What's the best way to train for this kind of thing? I have all of the gear, and it's gonna be wet due to it being in the UK.
One thing that's on my bucket list is to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, but that's a long way off.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=styiDn7YKhE
>>36923560
>What's /fit/'s opinion on and experience with hiking?
The best cardio for mind and body imho.
As far as training for it goes, just start with a comfortable weekly distance and up it over time. Like try and walk and/or hike 10km a week, if that was easy enough bump it up to 12 or 15 and so on and so forth.
>>36923560
Doing this? http://www.tourdetrigs.org.uk/
Lots of walking like >>36923751 says. Here's the training plan from the 52 mile I did last year (ignore the fucked up page order).
https://sncommunityweek.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/training-guide35588_28888_v1_pf.pdf
>>36924071
Nice thanks! Where abouts did you do it last year?
That's the one, I actually attempted it last year with some mates but we had to drop out after 25 miles due to one of them being a fucking idiot and not training or bringing a fucking drink; he had to be checked out by paramedics. Needless to say we're not bringing him this year.
I'll recommend this guide to my mates as well. Also, do you recommend doing things like running 5ks alongside it during the week or would doing both be a little too much for your body?
>>36924265
On top of that, I don't think we trained nearly as hard as we could have last year. I'm definitely gonna use that guide.
>>36923560
Do you guys hike alone?
I always feel like a freak when I go hiking on my own, always seems like you see at least a pair on the Fells.
>>36924265
>running 5ks
running really has little to no effect on hiking performance and in my own experience, just gave my issues like knee pain and shin splints. I felt healthier when I completely dropped running. If you want anaerobic work hop on a rower or bike
>>36925026
I find that running really does help my hiking performance, especially hill training as it works the muscles that are used hiking as well as increasing your cardiovascular endurance.
If you're getting knee pain and shin splints you need to reduce your volume/ distance.
Not trying to cause an argument, but just pointing out that other people's mileage may vary...
>>36924997
I usually train alone due to partners living further away, but competitions are done in groups. It's more fun and more safe.
My dad (55 at the time) was training to hike Philmont once. He did it by walking up and down stadium steps and ramps with his hiking backpack on, working his way up to a 50-lb pack. After 6 months of that, he was strong enough to keep up with the 15-18 year old Boy Scouts in our troop. His calves also grew to the point that he can't fit his socks over them.
>>36924997
I always hike alone. Part of the reason I do it is to be by myself in the quiet for a while
>>36923560
Hiking is more a case of 'just fucking get it done' in my experience, rather than fitness.
Used to do a lot of it in college. Here in Ireland, there aren't any paths on most of the mountains, so you need to navigate like a motherfucker (due to freak blanket fog, storms, etc. than can get you lost really easily), so you're basically just climbing the fucking thing step by step.
Thing is, even the fattest fuck can climb a mountain if he wants to- typically the sort of people who turned back were:
1.) Girls who chickened out
2.) Burger erasmus students who didn't know what they were getting themselves into and wore jeans/converse or something because you can get away with it on an american mountain (no dice here, you'll be soaked and miserable before you even start the ascent)
3.) Chinese people. They were universally terrible at it (mountains in china all have steps cut into them, no fucking clue why). They just have no hardiness, it's hard to explain (not that our mountains are gruelling or anything, you just need to be cool with bad weather and tricky terrain)
Basically, do some cardio if you want, and focus on your legs in the gym, but you'll be fine, just enjoy it, hiking is amazing fun.
Protiips:
1.) Bring spare clothes for after. If you have to carry them with you, just make sure you have spare socks. DONT FORGET THIS.
2.) Avoid cotton clothes, wear synthetic ones if possible. When cotten gets wet, it soaks it in, and you get cold, synthetic clothes kind of push it out in my experience
3.) Boots, not shoes. Waterproof the fuckers with dubbin. Get gaitors if it's damp underfoot, and rain pants for if it's actually raining. Hiking in the British isles requires rain gear no matter what, so bring it.
4.) After the hike, you'll need a pint (or a hot whiskey, depending on how cold you are), and a big, hefty meal. You'll be hungry enough to eat the planet afterwards, your body just cries out for calories. Get some good pub food to sort you out.
i did ten tors 55 with no training, it was easy. just gotta push through more than anything else.
>>36925303
Oh, and no jeans.
Let me repeat that:
NO JEANS
Trust me, that's about as rookie a mistake as you can get. If you want to find out why, throw on a pair a of jeans and jump in a cold shower while wearing them. Feel like you'd be happy walking vigorously in them for another 3-5 hours? Because that's literally what happens.
Pic related is the Comeragh mountains in Waterford, my favourite hiking spot. Must take a trip there soon now that the weather is getting nice again
>>36925359
Huh, forgot pic
>>36925359
what kind of pants would you reccomend/
>>36925412
Synthetic tracksuit pants are a good call in my experience, they're comfy and won't soak in water too much.
Some guys I hiked with had more specialist pants that were also waterproof. I went with a more ghetto option and got some waterproofs from an army surplus place near me- weird fit, but they do the job, and are basically indestructable, did thev same for gaitors.
Also no fatman pants (or whatever you call them, the soft grey pants). We used to kek at people who wore them, as they inevitably go under your boots/shoes, and start slowly soaking the damp up your leg.
Tracksuit pants are your friends
