Does walking get easier?

[josekreif]

I was doing the workweek challenge with some friends a couple weeks ago, and in order to come in first place, I ended Friday with about 33,000+ steps. That is pretty impressive for a guy with a cubicle job.

Thing is, by the time night came, about 9pm, I was extremely exhausted, and my feet were in extreme discomfort. My exhaustion felt worse as the night went on. I got so worried that I ran to the fridge and stuffed down 2 servings of cottage cheese, then climbed in bed. The next day, and the following for the next week, every joint in my feet, and even my calves were extremely sore. Had to skip leg day at the gym, and had to stop doing fasted cardio until I was able to start walking without the discomfort.

I am looking at the badges, and I see one that says I can get my next badge at 35,000. This is disheartening, because I was about 2,000 away from getting it, and now the only way to get it is to put myself through hell again.

Will reaching 30,000 ever get easier? I spent so many hours walking, I don't know if I could do it again, even if I could escape the impending pain.

[Ronlaub]

I can't speak for everyone, but it has certainly gotten easier for me. It is just a matter of getting the muscles, joints and whatever else used to the activity.

Don't expect miracles overnight and don't try to push it too fast, especially if you're experiencing discomfort. But it can happen if you stick with it. I'm 61 years old and can walk much further with less pain than at any other point in my life.

Keep us posted on your progress. You can do this.

[WendyB]

I agree its sounds like you are pushing it to hard. You need to build up slow so you are not in pain.

And you dont have to do 30K steps if you dont want to. Challenges should be fun. But everyone has their limits. Maybe you need to find people with lower step counts.

[Dominique]

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@WendyB wrote:

You need to build up slow so you are not in pain.

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Yes, just ask anyone who’s run a marathon: if you’ve never run seriously before, you don’t register for a marathon two weeks from now and just go there. It can take months of training to build up the stamina that will let you complete your race. The same applies to any other sport or physical activity: just take it easy and give it enough time.

[Bill_k]

Yes i think walking doesn't get the respect it deserves. People think ' it's just walking'. But you still should prepare yourself if you're going to walk 18 miles in a day.

[Heather-S]

Walking over 30K steps in a day is no joke! I rarely hit 20k because I also have a desk job. If I’m doing more than 15K, I really have to work for it and make time for the walking and steps. 

I love getting new badges though! My next badge is 50K and that sounds like a long day, I’ll have to wait for cooler weather.