Training for long-distance walks

[Kestrel]

Hi there!

I'm new to this site but it looks really interesting and there seems to be lots of good advice.

I'm planning to walk the South Downs way this year and would love some advice on preparation. What length of time would it take to train for this sort of walk (I'm aiming to walk the 100 miles in about 7 days and I comfortably walk 3-4 miles a day anyway walking my dog) and what sort of distances should I be covering? Also how much weight should I be carrying while training? For the walk itself, what is a reasonable pack weight to carry (I am female, 5'7'' and weigh 57kg)?

Also I am planning on taking my dog with me so any advice on taking dogs long-distance walking would be appreciated. I have worked out a week's supply of dry food for him will weigh around 1.6kg (he will be switched onto a specialist high-energy performance food for the trip) so I'm wondering if he would be able to carry his food in a dog pack (I have seen places where they sell these dog backpacks!) as he is a fit strong 20kg collie, and I figure that weight-for-weight if I carried 10kg that would be the equivalent of him carrying 3.5kg.

Anyway, any advice or tips would be much appreciated! 

[tonyk]

 Training is based around the weight you will be carrying on the trail.Start off with a light pack and gradually increase the weight.Aim to do two back to back walks of 15 miles carrying the weight you will be carrying on the trail.If you can achieve this you should be comfortable covering the 100 miles over 7 days. To start with stick to your 3-4 mile daily walks with the dog and do a 10 mile walk with a light pack at the weekend.Gradually increase this to 18-20 miles so you will be doing a little more than you intend to do on the trail.

 Not too sure if its wise to  make the dog carry a pack.When dogs walk or trot the spine oscillates and a weight in the middle of the the spine will inhibit this natural movement.Dogs are good at pulling loads but nature hasn't designed them for carrying loads.It might be a better idea to send some of the dog food to post offices along the route.