FAQ’s

Our friend Mike Norbury can answer this. How to get fitter and stronger for the 10in10 by Mike Norbury

It doesn't necessarily matter how many times you go to the gym, the swimming baths or go for a jog around the park, there is no real substitute in training for the hills, other than getting out in the hills. If access to the hills or rugged coastal areas are too far from home, then visiting a gym, going swimming, cycling and running, are all good activities for improving a person's all round fitness and strength.

However, more specific training can be accomplished without doing any of the activities mentioned. Hill Walking should be an enjoyable experience, never over stretching yourself, being able to hold a conversation with the people around you and at the end of the walk you should still have some energy left in the tank!

To achieve this you need to be able to pace yourself over long distances, start off walking slow, using small steps and let your shoulders move at the same time as your feet to create extra momentum when you are walking. This will help promote a more efficient walking style and increase the security and stability of foot placements because you now have most of your body weight over your feet.

For this you will need to build up confidence and stronger leg muscles. This can be achieved on long flights of stairs. Carrying your Back Pack and wearing your walking boots will make the situation more real. Light weight running shoes are great and have advantages but they are not as beneficial on long hill walks over mixed terrain. Using Running shoes promotes a different body position when walking, which is not the same body position when wearing walking boots. Walking boots are heavier therefore you build stronger muscles and therefore train harder.

Remember to start off slowly and climb up one step at a time and gradually get into your rhythm. Once you start to feel your legs burning and your breathing becomes more intense, slow down but try to keep going and keep that same rhythm. Remember that walking down the stairs is just as valuable exercise because around half the steps you make on the hills will involve walking down hill.

Once you have completed this routine, try the same exercise but this time missing every other step and notice how the movement from your upper body becomes more exaggerated. If you can imagine that on an average length walk over a distance of 10 Kilometres, a person will take at least 14,000 steps.

If you find yourself sitting during the day, try to do most things standing up and spend as many hours as you can on your feet. Wear your walking boots as often as you can, look after your feet and keep your toenails short. Hope this help! Enjoy your training!

Mike - keswickmountainadventures.co.uk

10in10 has grown rapidly and we realised that we were able to really make a difference, raising as much as possible for research into MS. This, however, meant a lot more time would need to be committed. It was decided, from 2014, that the registration fee would be used to pay Yvonne for event preparation and management. Yvonne holds a professional fundraiser agreement with the MS Society and receives full support from the Charity, who value our relationship.

www.keswick.org/where-to-stay/search-accommodation

We have based our event at the Swinside Inn, Newlands Valley, Keswick CA12 5UE, swinsideinn.co.uk, for the majority of the years we have run the event. There is always a warm welcome and they ensure that there is plentiful food and drink for our tired hikers, on their return.