Thanks @Eddrayne !
Since this thread was about how to prepare, here is what I did in more detail. Note at the end where I emphasize I'm not a fitness buff, I just got the bug and decided I wanted to try. It does take planning.
My walk was all outdoors walking. I’m not comfortable walking in the dark as parks are clearly closed dusk to dawn and even on local streets in the early morning I’m not sure if early commuters are paying that much attention. I knew from extrapolation the walk was going to take on the order of 16 hours, so this limited the timeframe to 3-ish weeks either side of the summer solstice here in Colorado.
My normal walk is about 11K steps which I have been doing 4-5 days a week for many years. For the weeks ahead of the “big walks” I upped it to 7 days a week. My general plan was a loop mostly around a local state park that was one third the target. On practice days I’d walk the loop once then then up it to twice for a 70K “big day”, then three times for the 100K “big day”. I fine-tuned a 35K-step loop I did twice a few days apart followed by the 75K step day. I had intended to extend that to 100K a few days later by doing that loop three times but blisters required some recuperation time. After recuperating I upped the loop to about 50K steps and did it twice a few days apart before embarking on the 100K step day.
For the big day I needed to be up and out just before dawn, about 5am. With two 50K loops I got a 30 minute break mid-day which was more for charging electronics and replenishing food and water, not resting.
From the earlier walks I measured battery usage for my cellphone and the Fitbit (and earbuds too). Only my cellphone had the capacity for both loops. In fairness to the Fitbit (a Sense 2), I wanted GPS on, so that is pretty draining. The 30-minute break was more than enough for all the electronics. I also had a battery “power brick” with me just in case. I finished the walk a few minutes before 9pm, just after sunset but still light enough to see and be seen fine. A week later would have been in the dark.
On the bigger practice walks (35K and 50K) I also weighed myself and the backpack full of liquids before and after the walk. From that it was clear I needed a LOT of liquids to stay hydrated. Very little came out in the restroom!
For the walk, a Camelback was essential! Temperatures for the 75K and 100K days were in the lower to upper 90s and the walking path had little shade. Alas the only place with shade was a wetland area which had mosquitos instead! For each of the loops I filled up the bladder with just under a gallon of ice water and drained it each time. For each loop I also had two 20oz bottles of Gator-aid and at least two Cliffbars plus other snacks for energy. Even with drinking all that liquid I still lost about 5 lbs (I assume all water) each of the big days.
For some extra safety, my wife knew the path I was walking and I did check in every 10K steps sending my location.
One thing that didn’t go well was I still got blisters. After the 75K day I got two. I attributed it to not good socks and not being careful where I walked as worn dirt paths in the part were rarely level side-side. I spent a few weeks recuperating before trying again. Alas those weren’t the only reason even with good socks and being careful where on the path I walked, I got another blister on one of my 50K step practice days. For the 100K step day I just decided to power through it and deal with it later. That’s what I’m doing now, nursing 7 blisters! Not very smart, but I made the goal! My revised guess is that while I wear those sneakers all the time outside the house I normally wear slippers inside, so wondering if that may have contributed.
One other mistake to avoid! After the big walk, don’t stop walking completely! I did that after the 75K day. With the blisters I stopped walking completely and my leg muscles froze up for almost a week. After the 100K step day I’m starting to feel that again, so will do some other kind of leg exercise that won’t bother the blisters.
My summary is that if your regular regimen is close to 10K steps a day, a 100K day is possible! I’m 60, not a fitness nut, and outside this challenge that is all I do, an 11K walk 3-5 days a week and the rest of my time in front of a computer. Planning is essential which is why I instrumented not just me but my electronics as well on the walks leading up the big days. I knew how much water to bring and made sure I drank it all. Outside decent sneakers and a sun hat, the only special thing I needed was the Camelback backpack.
will
Diamond Fitbit Product Experts share support knowledge on the forums and advocate for the betterment of Fitbit products and services. Learn more
Best Answer
