[pct-l] How do you train for the PCT

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

The best thing is to stay in decent shape by walking and hiking for  
enjoyment and fitness, even if it's just urban hiking and using  
overpasses to get your hills in. Some people say running also is good  
training. I ride my bike to work, walk, hike, and just try to stay in  
shape in general. 6 weeks before I set out on the trail I quit my job  
and hiked more days with my pack on during the week, getting it up to  
about 4 days a week.

When you do finally hit the trail, take it easy, do 15 mile maximum  
days to start out for a few weeks, then start ramping it up when you  
feel stronger.

On Sep 21, 2012, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> From: Chris Anderson <srhspaded at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [pct-l] How do you train for the PCT
>
> I'm interested in finding out how people plan their training  
> regiment for hiking the pct. ?I've read a lot about training for  
> long distance hiking, but I think it would be nice to hear from a  
> variety of people on their tried and true methods. ?I used to be in  
> a lot better of shape 10 years ago when I was playing ice hockey  
> competitively, so when I decided to start training for the pct, I  
> bit off more than I could chew, pushing myself through pain to do  
> 20 mile days until I developed a foot problem that took 2 months to  
> recover from. ?Since I have recovered, the last month and a half I  
> have been doing 6 miles tues, thurs with weight and 20-30 miles of  
> backpacking on the weekend and plan on either upping the mileage  
> and keeping my every other day strategy for recovery time, or  
> adding in extra days and upping the miles as I listen to how my  
> body reacts. ?I would love to hear how you guys did it,  
> constructive criticism of how I am doing it...just keep it
>  positive or constructive.
> Sincerely,
> Chris