Walking a marathon

You want the physical and mental challenge of a marathon, but you aren't a runner... what do you do? You walk. Though marathons are traditionally a runner's race, organizers are seeing more and more walkers enter the race. And why not? Walking, after all, is great exercise, and experts say that training to walk a marathon can take up to five months of progressive workouts.

Not being a runner myself, I'm not sure how hard-core racers feel about this trend, but I think it's terrific. Walking is the ultimate in accessible workouts. There's no equipment necessary, and walkers can hit the pavement at nearly any fitness level. An important part of any fitness routine is having short and long-term goals, and preparing to walk a marathon would be a great motivator.

As this article points out, walkers need to prepare differently for a marathon than runners. They're out on the course much longer, and their nutritional and hydration needs will be affected by that. So if you decide to walk a marathon, don't hit up your runner friends for advice, find someone who's done it before or hit the web for advice on how to tackle this challenge safely.