[pct-l] Foot ready, are you?

Fri Feb 7 19:04:59 CST 2014

Hey Josh,

Well, I started this early this morning near Tahoe, but it's snowing  in
the Sierra!!!  and I just had to go out and ski.  The weather is finally
looking a bit normal for this time of year.  It has been snowing hard all
day and we've got a full weekend of wet stuff ahead and then more storms
lined up to hit this poor, very dry state next week.  Now it's time to
finish this reply.

Sounds like some serious training you've got in mind.  Don't over think it
however.  Just walk, often, as much as you can fit into your schedule and
add some distance when you can.  As Scott Bryce already said, train, train,
train!  Learn to love walking all day and your feet will come right along
with your desires.  I wouldn't do anything differently than you'll do on
trail however.  No ankle weights, sandpaper or heated socks.  You'll get
all the heat and friction you need just with shoes over distance.  Wearing
light weight shoes will let in so much grit that you'll be getting the
sandpaper effect for free.  And it would be much preferable to strain your
back while training than to strain it on trail.  Hike with a light pack
from the start and slowly over the months add weights to it, not your ankle
or your hip.  Put the weight where it's gonna be.  Just as many new hikers
call it quits because they aren't comfortable with a pack on their backs as
do for foot issues.   Levity is right, train as you will hike.

I'm always hiking, but in prep for a long trail, I begin to add some really
long days to the mix.  At the end of last summer I put out an invitation to
thrus and would be thrus on this forum, the CDTL, PCT fb and CDT fb for
people living in my area to train over the winter with me and damn if a
whole load of wonderful trail folks didn't sign up.  So this fall and
winter I've had 10 to 20 really strong hikers with me for each of the tough
hikes to keep me pushing.  And it's tons of fun having like minded folks to
train with.  Some have hooked up with each other to start the PCT together
this season.  I added some really killer hikes to the mix, usually just one
killer per week, but we've done up to 24 miles and up to 6,500 vertical
feet on our local mountain and seen some wonderful parts of the Bay Area
all the while getting in a great workout and having fun.

Even after all the miles I find myself feeling the distance on those long
hikes as it begins to toughen parts of my foot that don't get touched at 10
to 15 miles.  And talk about sandpaper, the dirt and grit that filters in
with light trail shoes is sandpaper enough.   But the camaraderie has been
wonderful and frankly feels very much like hiking a long trail where groups
of friends hiking at the same pace create trail families.

You're right about moderating your pace right off.  When I start a long
trail I try to back off from the training mileage to a max of  10 to 12
miles per day for the first week, 15 to 17 or so the second and then don't
break 20 till the 3rd week.  It's hard to keep it to that because you're
feeling so good after all the training, but hiking everyday with a pack is
way different on your body than hiking several times a week.  Many folks
start out too fast and end up spending some time off trail healing overuse
injuries before returning to the trail.

Walk all that you can, but do it as you will be doing it on trail.  Have
fun with it and learn to enjoy the experience.  I can't imagine liking
hiking with ankle weights and sandpaper in my shoes.  Hiking a long trail
is a profoundly joyous experience and maybe that takes a bit of training
too.  Don't worry about the goal, be it Canada or being perfectly fit and
trained for the trail, just have fun walking and do it lots and lots.  If
you're loving the day to day life on trail, and that's mostly walking,
Canada is inevitable.  And if you're up to it, try and meet some folks in
your area who might want to train with you.  It does add a whole new
dimension to the training experience.

Good luck out there and have a wonderful hike.

Shroomer

On Fri, Feb 7, 2014 at 8:12 AM, Minda Fraser <frasermusic at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Josh I just really think the only way to get used to the activity is to do
> the activity! Start off slower and don't ignore hot spots! My experience
> with this comes from hiking the great glen way in Scotland in shoes that
> were half a size too small to start with. As well as doing half marathons
> and other races. I'm very particular about chafing and rub spots. things
> like compression leg sleeves body glide  coconut oil vitamin e oil jojoba
> Shea butter pedicures Bonnie's balm BIOFREEZE and tiger balm have all been
> my friends on the painful road to badass feet and legs. Now if only I had a
> flat tummy strategy. Lololol. Good luck. Let me know how it goes! Minda aka
> Levity
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Feb 7, 2014, at 10:19 AM, Joshua Walsh <jpwalk38z at aol.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Wow, as a newbie I can see how foot problems stop soooo many hikers.
> >
> > After I read many PCT desert trail journals, there appears to be
> difficulty with foot problems past the first 200 to 400 miles.
> >
> > Any Solutions or advice?
> >
> > To begin with, I was thinking of only hiking max of 15 miles/day the
> first 100.
> >
> > Secondly, pre-training months before the start date as follows:
> >
> > In consideration of these factors: Heat, Friction/Pressure, and Weighted
> Pounding..
> >
> > 1. Battery Heated socks with sand paper inserts covered by.. (Waterproof
> Socks)
> >
> > 2. Waterproof thick socks, wrapped with.. (Ankle Weights)
> >
> > 3. Ankle weights, slowly increasing the amount of ankle weight and
> mileage over time in an attempt to partially mimic backpack weight without
> straining the back. Adding a weighted hip belt might also prove helpful.
> >
> > Sounds a little crazy?
> >
> > Tentative Plan:  start with milder everyday use (not at work) and slowly
> increasing the time and intensity. Build up over a few weeks to a month
> until I can jog up and downhill with the above preparation on a daily
> basis. Full training time may vary depending on my personal progress and
> adaptation.
> >
> > My personal belief is that some of us require more time for our skin
> layers, muscles, tendons and foot bone structures to adapt and grow
> stronger overtime. Hopefully I can avoid the micro-foot fractures and
> shin-splints with this progressive approach.
> >
> > Please respond with comments for or against. Any constructive advice is
> welcome!
> >
> > JP
> > _______________________________________________
> > Pct-L mailing list
> > Pct-L at backcountry.net
> > To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >
> > List Archives:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> > All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> > Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
>