Walking Events: Setting Bigger Goals

You’ve been walking for a while now and maybe you’re feeling bored with your routine or you want to see what you can accomplish.  Now’s the time to start setting some bigger goals for yourself and you might want to consider taking part in some local walking events.

There are many different events or goals that you can set for yourself and you can do these either to help yourself, help others, or both.  Some of the most common events that you can become involved in include:

5k Walks:
A 5k walk is 3.11 miles and typically can be completed within an hour.  Whether your goal is to walk a certain speed, raise a certain amount of money for charity, win the walk, or just make it to the finish line, you can accomplish it by training before the event.

10k Walks:
A 10k walk is 6.21 miles and can be completed within two hours.  Training for a 10k is the same as training for a 5k except you may want to begin training earlier in order to guarantee success.

Hiking Events:
Many people, depending on their location, can take part in a hiking event.  When training for a hiking event it’s important to try to hike in a similar surrounding as to where the event will be held.  Some things to consider when entering an event like this are the type of terrain, the length of the hike, and the elevation.

Powerwalking Events:
Powerwalking is a special type of walk that utilizes the entire body for maximum workout potential.  This type of walk takes a lot of practice in order to master but once you’ve done so training for a powerwalking event is no different than training for a 5k or 10k walk.

Long Distance Events:
There are two different types of long distance events, the basic long distance, and the ultra long distance event.  The difference between the two is the amount of miles walked.  Anything at 50 miles or above is considered an ultra event.  Training for this is something that should be done for at least a year and you should only enter walks that have adequate support during the event.

As you can see there are events for every type of walker and it’s important to consider training and entering into one so that you can challenge yourself and grow. And as always, remember to check with your doctor before starting any training regime.