Home.4 March 2004
FOR THE MORE THAN 25 MILERS
This hike is both a physical and a mental challenge. We want everybody to finish with the most fun and the least discomfort. During the hike, drink water or Gatorade regularly even if you are not thirsty! Dehydration will ruin an otherwise fun day. Toward the end of the hike you should have some rewards. Give yourself a Power Bar or GU/GEL flavor that you like every two miles or so for the last 10 or 15 miles of the hike. Stopping to rest on the final loops can be the end of your 50-mile quest. Hence, do not sit down and eat a meal. Keep moving even when getting drinks or food items. Sitting allows your body to tighten up and your mind to play games, both of which make it harder to keep going. During the last 10 to15 miles parental support is a wonderful thing. Encourage your parents to be there to walk with you and cheer you on. It will make all the difference!
FOOD AND WATER
During the week before the hike you should drink at least two quarts of water daily, spaced throughout the day! Dehydration is a serious matter. You need to drink a lot of water before and during the hike. If you wait until you are thirsty during the hike, it will likely be late to avoid some of the adverse affects of dehydration.
Do not eat dairy products the night before or during the hike. While there are a few people, such as Allen Webb, who can eat dairy products before a big endurance event, they are the exceptions. DON'T DO IT! This means NO PIZZA, NO CHEESE and NO MILK!
The heavy "carb loading," i.e., your big spaghetti dinner, should be eaten two nights before. In this case, that would be on Thursday night. I recommend the following foods, all of which you try on training hikes:
SHOES
Shoes are important. Find a comfortable pair of hiking or running shoes. I wear a size larger shoe during the hike to allow for swelling feet. Also, I find it useful to have a second pair of shoes to switch into at the halfway point or later. It gives you a mental boost to put on fresh shoes at the 30- or 35-mile point. Do not use new shoes on the 50/20 hike. You need to break in your shoes before you take them on the long hikes. For future reference, set forth below is a website that has some of the cheapest shoe prices anywhere.
The key to foot comfort is good cushioning. If you feel that you need additional cushioning, you can use Sorbothane or any other cushioning to replace the normal thin shoe padding. Remember to take original thin padding out of the shoe. Placing the Sorbothane insert over the shoes padding may bring your foot up in the shoe and cause you to have blisters or blackened toes.
Many long distance hikers experience "turf toe" (i.e., blackened toenails). This typically occurs when your feet slide too much in your boot or shoe causing the big toe to smash repeatedly into the front of the boot. To limit this, cut your nails back as much as possible and make sure that while you have ample room to wiggle your toes, your feet do not slide back and forth inside the boot.
SOCKS
You should also wear good socks and watch for hot spots on your feet. Use polypro liner socks to aid in wicking moisture away from your feet. A liner sock also reduces rubbing in the shoe, which reduces the chances of blisters. Another approach is high-quality wicking socks, such as "WrightSock" (see wrightsock.com) along with an outer layer of "SmartWool" or equivalent socks. In addition, being two or three sets of fresh clean socks that you can change into as you go. This helps revitalize the feet and reduces the incidence of blisters. Apply moleskin to hotspots as soon as you get them.
SLEEP
Sleep is extremely important. The most important night for sleep is two nights before the event. This means get a very good night’s sleep on Thursday night. For those who do the whole 50 miles, you will confront fatigue late in the hike. Lessen the burden by getting plenty of sleep in the days leading up to the hike.
CHAFING, BLISTERS OR SORENESS
If you experience chafing, you should use Body Lube or Vaseline. Blisters can also be a problem. There are socks that claim they help prevent blisters. If you are concerned with blisters, use a blister preventer. Troop 111 will have Blistex or some similar remedy for blisters. For soreness, several years ago a physician who had run 10 marathons suggested that I use Arthritis Hot or some similar analgesic. Her recommendation is to put the Arthritis Hot on your lower back, hamstrings, quads and calves. From my own experience, it helps prevent soreness and aids in recovery.
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