Tips For Training

'Listen' to your body
Train weekly and gradually increase the walking distance. Listen to your body and slow your pace if necessary. If you have any doubts at all about your health and/or physical condition, consult a doctor!

Start slowly
When you set out on a walking event, start slowly so that your muscles can warm up gradually. Increase your pace once your muscles have warmed up.

Eat and drink sufficiently
If you are going to walk more intensively, you must make sure to eat enough. People, especially women, often eat too little. It is important to have enough "energy" to be able to enjoy the walk. Eating a high energy snack during the walk will boost your energy levels for a while. Next to that, it is also important to drink sufficiently. The amount depends on the weather (temperature and moisture), but you cannot walk a couple of hours on just two cups of coffee. Take water with you and drink regularly. In extreme heat, one liter per hour is quite normal.

Walk at different speeds and try to find an inner rhythm
If you go for regular walks and you want to improve your fitness, try to regularly walk at a faster speed before resuming your "normal" pace. If you do this more often, you'll see your "normal" pace go up. If you feel tired, don't stop but simply slow your speed. You'll notice that you will start to feel better after a while. When you are walking alone, allow your thoughts to wander freely. You might also take some music (walkman or mp3-player) with you. Singing or thinking about music can set up a good walking rhythm as well.

Find a walking partner, but ignore pressure from other walkers
It can be very pleasant to walk with a friend (provided he or she enjoys the same walking pace). This will help you to walk in a more relaxed way. Walking in a group is highly convivial, but everyone has his or her own pace. If the group is walking too fast for you, don't feel pressurised to adopt this pace. After all, if you are walking too fast, you will start to suffer after a few kilometres.

Look for attractive and varied routes, choose a winding road
Select a different route each time. For instance, try walking in another province. You can also alternate between surfaced and unsurfaced roads, or between flat and undulating terrain. The big advantage of a winding road is that you won't have to stare down a long straight track that seems to go on forever, which is very discouraging.

Take your time
Take your time for the walk. Wearing a watch can make you feel pressurized to complete the walk within a certain time span. This can have a negative influence on your walking pace. In any case, consciously take your time to walk and if possible walk without a watch.

Make a schedule
Jot down in your diary when and where you intend to walk, who with, at what speed and over what distance. In this manner, you can look back at the distances you have walked and see your improvement. Also, it will help you judge whether the amount of training kilometres you have walked already will suffice.

Walk with a backpack and little ball or stick
Wear a backpack, this improves your posture when walking. You may prevent the swelling of your fingers during the walk by walking with a little ball or stick in your hands.

Rest in due time
When you start walking, it is wise to take rests in due time. However, don't sit down on the cold ground. Your muscles will cool down too quickly, causing stiffness. If your legs are feeling heavy, take time to stretch all your leg muscles. This will rest your muscles and once they have been stretched, your legs will feel better.

Last but not least
Make sure you get enough mileage into your training. If you want to vary your training and increase your distances try participating in other organised walks. Other national walking associations also have organized walks and routes on their websites. You may also inquire with the local walking association in your neighbourhood.

Training scheme
Walking a marathon achievement event like the Four Days Marches requires thorough preparation. It makes good sense to build this up systematically to allow your body to get used to the exertion.This will help avoid injuries and disappointment and makes walking much more enjoyable.

Below you can find a suggested training schedule to help you to build up gradually for the four days of the event. A recommended distance is suggested for every second week. However, you are advised to train every week. You can keep to the schedule below in terms of distance in the weeks that are mentioned. For the weeks in between you can decide for yourself how far to walk.

Choose a distance that you feel comfortable with. For instance: if you found the last walk hard going and the final kilometres painful, you would better choose a shorter distance the next time. This will help to prevent injuries. If, on the other hand, you found the last walk easy, then you can walk the same distance again or perhaps even add an extra five kilometres.

Listen carefully to your body. If you think your body is asking you to go slower, then do so. Wait until your body has recovered before continuing the schedule. Remember, walking should be fun!!

Food & drinks

Food and drinks before and during a long march
- Take a good substantial breakfast around 1.5 hours before the march.
- Adopt a set eating pattern with enough added salt and suger. Drink regularly (clean water, tea or sport drinks) before you are thirsty.
- We strongly advise against the use of alcohol, stimulants and/or tranquilisers.

What to take with you?
- Food and beverages.
- Material to treat blisters.
- Vaseline, sunburn lotion and toilet paper

Injuries?

Problems with your feet

Problems with your feet can severely limit the fun while walking. If your feet hurt while walking, we advise you to see a specialist (pedicure). He or she can help you to prevent pain. Here are some tips:

- Take a cold bath for your feet every day. This will harden the skin of your feet
- Take good care of your feet before you start training. Remove calluses, corns and dry skin. Cut the nails straight.
- If you suffer from soft feet treat them regularly with glycerine or spirits of camphor and put them in cold water every day!
- If you suffer from sweaty feet, rub them with talcum or special feet powder before walking, bur do not use too much powder.
- On recurring foot problems see a pedicure.

Prevent injuries

- Do not start at a high pace, your muscles should warm up slowly.
- Cramps in the calfs can be cured easily by pulling the front of the foot with one hand towards the shin-bone and gently rubbing the calf with the other hand. At organised marches it is best to use the medical assistance available.
- Have regular rests but do not sit down on the cold ground. Your muscles will cool down too quickly, causing stiffness. If your legs are feeling heavy, take time to stretch all your leg muscles. This will rest your muscles and once they have been stretched, your legs will feel better.

Clothing and weather

Clothing

- Wear clothing that can be adapted to suit all weather conditions.
- If bad weather is expected (or possible) carry a spare pair of socks and other dry clothing with you.

Weather
Train in all weather conditions and take appropriate precautionary measures:

in extreme heat:

- Always cover your head and protect your neck from the sun.
- Drink a lot, between half a litre and a whole litre an hour if you can. Do not drink any alcohol.
- Take enough rest, preferably in the shade.

in the event of thunder or lightning:

- Seek shelter inside a (farm)house or other building.
- Do not stand under a tree or lamppost, as you will not be adequately protected.
- If you cannot find an overhead shelter, crouch down at the side of the road, preferably in a dry ditch or other low-lying area.
- Do not kneel or lie down at the side of the road, but sit down with your arms folded around your legs.
- When thunder and/or lightning comes closer, do not call with your mobile phone. A mobile phone may attract thunder and lightning.
- Remove iron items (such as large necklaces, bracelets or a backpack with an iron frame) from your body.

in the event of heavy rain:

- Do not walk with an umbrella. This may give cramps and is dangerous in the event of thunder and lightning.
- Wear cotton headgear in the event of heavy rain. This may somewhat prevent your body from cooling down.

Motivation

What is your motivation to walk the Four Days Marches? Think in advance about your true motivation to participate in the Four Days Marches. This is very important in difficult times. Every walker has moments in which thoughts to stop prevail. At these times, thinking back to the original motivation may help you get over it. Motivation can be of different sorts:

- Task-oriented.
You want to break new ground, you are independent and do not care about other people's opinions. Your motivation is founded in improving yourself.

- Ego-oriented.
You are very competitive. You don't want to be second in anything. You tell others that you have walked the Four Days Marches without any training (which hopefully isn't true). You are motivated by comparing your own performance with that of others.

- Group-oriented.
You are satisfied as long as you do things in your group or with your partner. Walking alone, your motivation decreases. Your motivation is founded in supporting the group and being supported by it and you talk or sing each other through difficult moments.

Preferences
One way of staying motivated is to define targets. Seeing the whole Four Days Marches as one long march will discourage many a walker. It is a difficult and long march for which a proper training is necessary. But you can separate the whole Four Days March into the four days, and start with finishing the day of Elst. One way of staying motivated is to define targets. Seeing the whole Four Days Marches as one long march will discourage many a walker. It is a difficult and long march for which a proper training is necessary. But you can separate the whole Four Days March into the four days, and start with finishing the day of Elst. One way of staying motivated is to define targets. Seeing the whole Four Days Marches as one long march will discourage many a walker. It is a difficult and long march for which a proper training is necessary. But you can separate the whole Four Days March into the four days, and start with finishing the day of Elst.
Many people tell each other after finishing the day of Wijchen that they have done half the Four Days Marches already. Not many people have to stop on the fourth day, because after finishing three days their motivation is so high that they gain a second wind.
It also helps to set yourself mini-goals during a training march, for instance places to take a rest or famous spots during the walk. This prevents you from constantly asking yourself how long the walk will take and how much kilometres you still have to walk which are thoughts that cause you to feel more tired and disheartened.

What is your motivation to walk the Four Days Marches?
Some people love to talk while walking. Other prefer to walk in silence or listing to music. This has to do with different preferences and with being an introvert of an extrovert personality. Take your preferences into account before you get irritated by others. Feelings of irritation can influence your motivation negatively. They can also lessen your resistance and you will feel more pain and tiredness.