Ok, this is my first post, but I've been reading on the board a lot in the last few weeks. I decided recently that I would complete the AT thru-hike in 2013. I've already put in for a leave of absense at my job, my wife is on board, I have all the money I need saved up, I own probably 60% of the gear I need, I'm in very decent shape...and most importantly, I'm stubborn as hell and need to get away for a while.
My brother asked me last week if I'd run the Chicago Marathon with him in 2013. It'd be his first and I'd really like to do it. The problem is that if I leave on 3/11 for my thru hike, the soonest I'll be done is likely mid-July and maybe even into late Aug/early Sept. The marathon is the first Sunday in October.
Most of marathon training is putting miles on your feet and getting your muscles and tendons ready for the beating that 26.2 miles will put on them. I'm wondering if completing a thru-hike will effectively do the same thing?
I doubt that I will be able to complete any real running training while hiking; that's extra energy expenditure I don't need.
Thoughts??
....and I'll be posting a bit later with a whole host of questions for you guys; but first I want to make sure I've searched for any answers that have alreayd been posted (I did search for this question, but couldn't find anything).
Thanks and I can't wait to be part of your community.