The 2 Most Important Items To Have When Walking a Marathon

When I first made this crazy decision, I wanted to know what was essential to get me started.  I signed up to do the Akron marathon on Sept. 27th, and lined up the 20 week training schedule to the event.  If I started training on Monday, May 5, I would finish up the week before the race.   I read through tons of message boards on marathon training sites.  Every seasoned competitor agreed on 2 essential items.  

1.  A good pair of running shoes, or in our case, a good pair of walking shoes.  After trying on several pairs and talking to a podiatrist where I do clinicals, I decided on a pair of Asics.  I found this particular pair on Amazon at a great price.  The first day I walked 3 miles in an older pair of tennis shoes.  I made it through okay but my feet felt very tired.  My news Asics arrived in time to wear them for Tuesdays walk, and OH MY GOODNESS what a difference a good pair of shoes made.  From reading the customer reviews I decided to buy a pair 1/2 size larger than I typically wore.  Here is the ad if you're interested in a really good pair of walking shoes.

http://www.amazon.com/ASICS-Womens-GEL-Tech-Walker-Walking/dp/B003OYJAYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399648341&sr=8-1&keywords=asics+walking+shoes+for+women

2.  Anti-Chafing Supplies.  Basically the advice was to protect your groin area, armpits, breasts (for women) and any other place that may rub together.  When you're planning to walk in excess of 10 miles per week, it's important to practice scrupulous skin care.  The biggest winners in this category were; aquaphor, bag balm, corn starch, and gold bond.  There were others but I cannot remember right now.  

Along with these,  I also chose the following items to help me in my journey:

1.  A planner to keep track of my training plan.  I already carry a planner to keep my crazy schedule in order, so I just simply wrote my training plan into my existing planner and as. I complete each day, I just check off what mileage I did and how long it took me to complete it.  

2.  A Fitbit One fitness tracker to keep track of my steps and help keep me motivated.

3.  MyNetDiary Pro fitness app.  I have used many fitness apps over the years...fat secret, my fitness pal, weight watchers, and a couple others.  I REALLY like MyNetDiary best because of everything it does and ease of use.  I can track everything from meals, water, supplements, to measurements, labs, blood pressure, blood sugar, really about anything you can think of to track, it can track it!  It is not free, but it was a $3.99 well spent!  

So as of this post, Joanna and I are 5 days in.  On today's agenda is a 40 minute cross training workout.  I plan to do upper body and abs, allowing my legs to rest up for the 6 mile walk tomorrow.