Since we see them everywhere we walk, we decided to interview a few distance runners and steal their best tips to share with you. Why? Because most distance runners are a funny lot and most have learned a thing or two the hard way. We want to save you the hard way of learning when you can just read their best tips here.

1. Set a goal.

Whether you set a daily, weekly or race goal, make it a goal. Having something to strive for makes us more likely to accomplish it, just be sure you set a reward with that goal as well.

2. Pace yourself.

In distance events, it’s easy for your nerves, cool weather, fellow walkers or just adrenaline can push you to walk faster than you’re ready to go. Set a per mile pace, wear a watch and try to keep to it. Maintaining an even pace ensures you’ll have the energy you need at the end.

3. Build up endurance over time.

You have to train in a safe smart way. Take the time to build a cardiovascular base during the week and work on endurance on the weekends. We’ve built a training plan for you based on safely building up endurance in the last 8 weeks, to see the plan click here.

4. Skip the cotton.

Cotton is fine as the fabric of our lives, but when you’re sweating and working out, cotton absorbs sweat and can weigh you down (or chafe you). Pick your undergarments, socks and top layers from modern technical fabrics designed to whisk away the sweat and keep you dry. You’ll be more comfortable from start to finish.

5. Wear your socks inside out.

This fun tip is meant to keep blisters from ruining that perfect pedicure you’re hiding in your walking shoe. By turning your socks inside out, you’ll put the seam on the outside. While we rarely notice seams in our everyday lives, when walking a distance event, that little amount of chafing can add up to a real pain-in-the-toe.

6. Spray antiperspirant on your feet.

This is a tip that runners actually got from our soldiers. To help your feet stay dry, spray them with antiperspirant before you put on those technical socks. Why? It helps to keep your feet from excessively sweating and prevents hot spots before they turn into blisters. Of course nothing will prevent blisters if you have poor fitting shoes, check out our shoe fit guide here.

7. Lube up.

The fun thing with people who walk or run endurance events is that you can talk lubrication and no one thinks you’re being naughty.  Lubrication, called lube for short, is meant to keep your skin from chafing. No matter how great the fit and fabrics you wear, at some point, the movement of fabric over your skin can cause chafing that can be quite painful. Runners will use a product called BodyGlide or plain old Vaseline. As you train, you’ll begin to notice places where you see chafing starting to happen. On women, the most common places for chafing are the bra line, underarm area, and inner thighs. To protect your skin, swipe on a bit of lube over any area prone to rubbing or chafing.

8. Stay hydrated.

In a distance event how hydrated you are plays almost a big a role as how well you trained. Stop at every B’Rest stop and drink fluids. To protect your stomach, it’s a good idea to alternate between Powerade at one stop and water at another. If you have to stop to be sure you drink, do so.

9. It’s the sleep 2 nights before an event that matters most.

Few people sleep well the night before a distance event – wake up time, your walking gear, starting, finishing can all cause anxiety that wrecks our ability to sleep well. So two night before the event (that’s Thursday for us), be sure to get a good night’s sleep. If you can, the whole week of the event try to get to bed early so your body doesn’t fight fatigue when trying to go the distance.

10. Never wear–or try–anything new on event day.

At every single distance event someone comes to the finish line with chaffing so bad it’s bleeding or blisters so big we think they might have their own zip codes. During every distance event we’ll see people with upset stomachs or bad sunburns. Why? Usually they decided to try something new to eat, or bought a new shirt, or saved their new shorts/shoes/cap/watch for the distance event. Here’s the main tip we heard from every runner – never, ever, ever – eat, drink, wear, or try anything new on event day. You’re going a long distance so make your body
comfortable by keeping it all familiar on event day.

Bonus Tip:
This tip sounded just odd to us, but we heard it from several runners. Write the date you bought your shoes in Sharpie on the side of the shoe. By writing the date on your shoe in permanent marker, you never have to guess how old your shoes are and you’ll know better when it’s time to get a new pair. And because you wrote it on the side, it won’t wear off.

Share with us – any tips you’ve heard from runners or other walkers that are helping you?