Do any of you do any specific fitness training for hiking, other than just doing lots of walks?
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I do.
I took up walking as my main leisure activity 4 years ago, although I'd long been a keen cyclist and occasional walker prior to that.
At first, my main motivation came from a GPS watch. It got me walking further and further because I could see exactly how far I'd gone. Later, I became interested in beating my best times over certain distances (something I still enjoy doing!).
However, probably the biggest jump in my fitness came this year during lockdown. We bought a treadmill (NordicTrack T8.5S) at the beginning of April.
At first, I simply replaced my outdoor walks with indoor simulated ones - I completed several national trails, walked the length of the Outer Hebrides, and so on. I also did virtual hikes up a few mountains.
I still do lots of virtual hikes, but the big difference for me was getting into running. I was on the treadmill hiking up Mount Baldy with the ultrarunner Sally McRae leading the way and giving me her expert advice. I was happy with the slog up the mountain, but nearing the summit there was a decline and she began to jog. Because the treadmill sped up, I tried jogging too and although it only lasted about a minute, I was very relieved to stop! It got me thinking about trying to get into trail-running though...
I've always disliked running and I was convinced I wasn't made for it. However, the treadmill uses a fitness system called iFit and there are dozens of running programmes with professional trainers. I began at the beginning with easy intervals (short periods of running between long periods of walking) and progressed to endurance, tempo, VO2 and hilly runs. I also started going out on 10k trail runs with my wife at weekends (she's a runner!) and have been steadily increasing the proportion of time spent running.
My point is this... I believe that being coached by iFit trainers about technique, breathing, posture, etc., as well as training to become a runner, has made a big difference to my fitness and strength. For example, yesterday I walked a half-marathon faster than I'd done the distance before (2hr 52m) and I was definitely conscious of 'doing it right'.