how to convince my marathon runner brother that hiking is diferrent?

[zammy]

My stubborn marathon running brother wants to hike the trail , no need for training- he says.How do I convince him using technical info that it's not the same? not the same muscles, tendons, pressure, feet, toes? it must be almost professional advice, he's stubborn ...

[Egads]

My stubborn marathon running brother wants to hike the trail , no need for training- he says.How do I convince him using technical info that it's not the same? not the same muscles, tendons, pressure, feet, toes? it must be almost professional advice, he's stubborn ...

Let him figure it out for himself. Lessons are learned better this way.

[Lone Wolf]

My stubborn marathon running brother wants to hike the trail , no need for training- he says.How do I convince him using technical info that it's not the same? not the same muscles, tendons, pressure, feet, toes? it must be almost professional advice, he's stubborn ...

there is no need to "train" to walk the trail. he's already fit so he's ahead of the game

[skinewmexico]

Take him up and down some big hills. But take a blister kit.

[dreamsoftrails]

My stubborn marathon running brother wants to hike the trail , no need for training- he says.How do I convince him using technical info that it's not the same? not the same muscles, tendons, pressure, feet, toes? it must be almost professional advice, he's stubborn ...

there's no need for training period, unless an arbitrary goal of mileage per day has been decided up front.

i just hiked half the trail this spring and i have been training for a half marthon in november. i think there is a lot of similarity in the aches and pains encountered.

his feet will just be sore in a different manner than running as from hiking. hiking will be closer to 'strength training' whereas marathon is an endurance thing, but its not quite that black and white. i think he will be fine, but he's not going to be all that 'better' than anyone else out there.

[Jester2000]

I would probably start by asking him a few questions:

How many days in a row has he run marathons?
How many marathons has he run carrying a backpack?
How many marathons has he run where he only consumed 2,000 calories the day before, because that's all the weight he could afford to carry?
How many marathons has he run where something like Albert Mountain was in his path?
What is the average elevation gain and loss for his marathons?

It might be valuable to ask him these questions not because different training is absolutely necessary, but because he should at least be aware that just because he is a marathon runner it doesn't mean that he will necessarily complete a thru-hike, or that it will be easy to do so.

You are right in that it's not the same physically. But he's may be right regarding no need for special training -- I've known far too many people who did no training whatsoever who weren't marathoners who still managed to complete a thru-hike.

I've also known people who I thought were the most physically fit people I'd ever seen quit after a month. So training-wise, maybe he's fine. But that doesn't mean it'll be easy.

[double d]

Zammy, it might be interesting to see how your brother reacts to carrying a 30-40 pack around all day while hiking the AT. Certainly he's in shape, but there is something said for being in "hiking shape" and I've heard this said from long distance runners. Good luck.

[Just a Hiker]

Your brother will be fine......he is fit enough to push through the hard climbs until his legs catch up with his cardiovascular fitness. There's a hiker on the trail right now (her trailname is Evergreen) who is a marathon runner and she is doing great. I ran into her atleast once a day between Springer and Fontana Dam and she always looked as though she wasn't even working hard.

[JJJ]

I'm a marathoner who is breaking into backpacking.
Backpacking is tougher than I expected, but still generally within the exertion levels I'll bet he's used too.
His mileage per day may be humbling at first, but if he likes the outdoors he'll probably make the adjustments easily enough.
Jester made some very good points for him to consider.
jjj

[jesse]

I say keep your nose out of your brother' business. Let him HHOH. If he wants your advice he'll ask for it.

[The Weasel]

My stubborn marathon running brother wants to hike the trail , no need for training- he says.How do I convince him using technical info that it's not the same? not the same muscles, tendons, pressure, feet, toes? it must be almost professional advice, he's stubborn ...

It's the same. The same muscles, tendons, pressure, feet (usually 2), toes (often 10). Marathon runners do 26 (and change) miles, after they 'train' for months and months of usually 30-100 miles or more a week of running. Why do you think he's wrong?

TW

[Deadeye]

sounds to me like you're being every bit as stubborn as your brother. sure, hiking and running a marathon are completely different, but it's still more in the head than in the feet.

[dreamsoftrails]

Your brother will be fine......he is fit enough to push through the hard climbs until his legs catch up with his cardiovascular fitness. There's a hiker on the trail right now (her trailname is Evergreen) who is a marathon runner and she is doing great. I ran into her atleast once a day between Springer and Fontana Dam and she always looked as though she wasn't even working hard.

i saw her a couple of times on the trail this year, in the neighborhood of kincora. she was definitely making the miles then. i believe i heard she finished at the K sometime in july.

[flemdawg1]

there's no need for training period, unless an arbitrary goal of mileage per day has been decided up front.

i just hiked half the trail this spring and i have been training for a half marthon in november. i think there is a lot of similarity in the aches and pains encountered.

his feet will just be sore in a different manner than running as from hiking. hiking will be closer to 'strength training' whereas marathon is an endurance thing, but its not quite that black and white. i think he will be fine, but he's not going to be all that 'better' than anyone else out there.

As a 2-time marathoner and 6x HMer this has pretty much been my experience as well. Feet are sore more from the rocky surfaces, glutes and hammies sore as a day after hill repeats.
Unless your training is hiking big miles in mountains, he's probably going to be in better shape than you.

[modiyooch]

My stubborn marathon running brother wants to hike the trail , no need for training- he says.How do I convince him using technical info that it's not the same? not the same muscles, tendons, pressure, feet, toes? it must be almost professional advice, he's stubborn ...

I had the same mind set about running a marathon, no need for training. If I can backpack 26 miles in a day, I can run 26 miles..... I don't think that you can train for backpacking anyway and at least he is mentally and physically fit. He'll be fine.

[Bidwell]

Tell him to run trail marathons/ultramarathons. Slap a backpack on ya, and you're good to go

[Mags]

It's the same.

That is incorrect.

Having run marathons (and ultras..ALL SLOWLY!) and have done a fair amount of backpacking, I have to say it is a different beast all together. Others agree as well.

One is a short burst of energy (relatively) and one is a long, slow burn.

Just ask my tall, thin running buddy why he can't keep up with me in the mountains and see if it is the same. No aid stations/carrying a pack makes a difference as well..and then repeating it day after day.



Look up short twitch vs. long twitch nerve fibers if you want the scientific goodness.

As for training... You don't need to train per se, but any activity helps if you are not a fat ass and in good shape. Hiking included.

[John B]

In my opinion, if all he will be doing is 'normal' hiking (i.e. 15-20 miles per day, pack weight of 25-35 lbs) and if he is a marathon runner, then there is no need whatsoever for extra or specialized physical training. Aerobically, he is already in better shape than 99.9%; mentally, he's accustomed to pushing hard and working through pain; physically, I'd assume that he's not obese, has a low percentage of body fat, and good leg muscle development.

While hiking will involve using muscle groups that he wouldn't use while running, still he'll be just fine. From what I've seen, a high percentage of hikers all but get off the couch, strap on a pack, and go -- they're sore and tired and many are exhausted after a dozen miles, but they do just fine. Put differently, while 99% of all marathon runners would do fine on a 'normal' hike, there's not a snowball's chance in hell that a non-marathon hiker could run a marathon in maximum acceptable time (less than 4 hours) without undertaking weeks of serious training.

[Summit]

He'll do fine on the fitness part. It's the other aspects that may be quite a surprise to him: feet/blisters, unless using his running shoes - then less likely to be a problem. Soreness from using muscles differently - with weight.

It's doubtful he'll respect the rigors of backpacking until he's done it. Experience is the best teacher.

[modiyooch]

He'll do fine on the fitness part. It's the other aspects that may be quite a surprise to him: feet/blisters, unless using his running shoes - then less likely to be a problem. Soreness from using muscles differently - with weight.

It's doubtful he'll respect the rigors of backpacking until he's done it. Experience is the best teacher.

IMO, the physical can be mastered; the mental is the biggest hurdle. While section hiking this year, the comment was made that it was harder for section hikers because we have to "get our trail legs" each time we come out, which is true; but I know and wished that I had answered, that it's much easier from the mental aspect.