Walking 100000 Steps In A Day
- craigbarden123
- Feb 11, 2024
- 14 min read
Once, I tried walking 100,000 steps in a day. Why, and how did I find the experience? I’ll explain in this article.
The idea to walk 100000 steps in a day
Like so many of us in the past three years, COVID-19 changed my perspective massively. The enforced lockdowns, spending lots of time at home, not getting out as much, impacted me.
I realised that I’d been taking simple everyday things for granted. Things which are seemingly insignificant yet give me so much pleasure and joy. One of those things, was just going for a walk.
I’ve always loved walking. That motion which, we as human beings with our bipedal build, are literally designed for. It gives me space, allows me to clear my head, enables me to explore, and of course there are tonnes of physical health benefits.
With so much focus being on staying at home, I stopped walking (and running) as much and I realised something was missing.
At the end of March 2021, the stay at home order was lifted by the UK government from the latest imposed national lockdown. I felt a massive sigh of relief, as I’d no longer feel guilty or like I wasn’t doing my enforced national duty by not staying inside the walls of my house.
I realised that I wanted to mark the occasion by doing something significant with walking involved. After many weeks and months of the minimum daily walking and limited exercise, I decided to do something crazy.
I found online, that some had attempted and successfully completed walking 100,000 steps in a day. That idea seemed ludicrous to me. At the time, the most I’d ever walked in a day was roughly 50,000 steps whilst on holiday in Prague, Czech Republic. I wasn’t even sure if walking 100,000 steps in a day could be done safely.
The complexities of walking 100,000 steps in a day versus running 100,000 steps in a day
Whilst I’ve now completed over 100,000 steps in a day numerous times, thanks to having run over five 100km ultramarathons and one 100 miler, walking 100,000 steps is a different beast.
Unlike in running, where your feet have minimal contact with the ground, walking requires prolonged impact with the floor at each step. This amplifies the effects of rubbing on your feet, and can make blisters a harsh reality. As I’d find out.
Also, walking 100,000 steps will inevitably take longer than running them. This means that your experience (and possibly pain) will be dragged out compared to a run which will be over quicker.
Walking 100,000 steps in a day, step by step
In April 2021, I woke up early and set off out the front door at 7am to embark on my 100,000 steps in a day challenge. How hard could it be? I was about to find out.
Some key things I used during the walking 100000 steps in a day challenge
Sunscreen (Though it was cloudy all day, the suns rays can penetrate through clouds easily)
0 – 23,500 steps: My random choice of route and getting started
In terms of my plan for the route, I had none. I just set off, walking, in whatever direction I fancied, and let my feet do their thing.
I did the challenge in my hometown of Maidstone, in Kent. Except for the North Downs Way, situated in the north, the town is very flat. Whilst I climbed some hills early on, I didn’t surpass 3,349 feet of elevation gained during the entire challenge. As I’d find out later, when things got tough, keeping things flat would be a massive strategic advantage for finishing.
I walked through Maidstone Town centre as the shops and traders were opening for business, and people were waking up getting ready for the day. Along Ashford Road, and through Mote Park for a lap of the lake, before heading further along to the village of Bearsted.
As was to be expected, the first walking stint felt fine and I experienced no problems whatsoever. I walked at a consistent pace, had a strong rhythm, and I was feeling good.
I had some energy gels and bars with me, in addition to some bananas, which I snacked on at 12,000 steps in. These, combined with some water, got my nutrition off to a good start.
I joined back onto Ashford road and made my way through the Bearsted Woodland Trust. A pleasant woodland area covering 26 acres of woodlands and meadows.
At 8:41am, I’d amassed 12,000 steps and I did a video check in (1:44 in the vlog). In my video check in, I remarked how it felt like I’d been walking for ages already but I was in good spirits. I drew inspiration from the late Captain Tom, a British Army officer, who famously raised money for charity during the pandemic in the run up to his 100th birthday. A fantastic example to draw some encouragement from.
From here, I headed around and through Bearsted village. This was a nice, quick drop into a traditional village with a charming green, and pubs and local businesses by the pavements.
Up Thurnham lane, I made along Pilgrim’s way and headed up to the North Downs way. An interesting choice, especially so early on in the challenge.
At 23,500 steps, I recorded a video check in (3:28 in the vlog) and shared my thoughts. It seemed that, for the past 2 miles, all I’d seen were rolling countryside hills adjourned with sheep in all directions. A nice break from the hustle and bustle business of Maidstone, which is considered the county town of Kent.
We’re very lucky in the Kent countryside to have access to lots of green spaces and land. Kent is often referred to as ‘The Garden of England’, and my views at this stage lived up to that title.
23,500 – 37,000 steps: Enjoying myself, visiting a castle, and a light soaking of rain
Finally on the North Downs Way trail, I headed along the fairly well maintained path. Clumsily, the section I’d chosen to walk contained the infamous Detling steps. These are a set of about 5 flights of long wooden stairs which constantly go up and down, seesawing you along, to make any progress.
In hindsight I probably should have not done this section, especially so early on, but I was feeling good and didn’t see a need to limit myself to roads and pavements just yet.
I continued along the trail, which became very narrow and tight, before walking across a field full of bulls.
In a video check in, I shared my thoughts on how important it is for me to get out in and appreciate nature from time to time. Sometimes, it’s easy to get stuck in our urban environments. Whilst convenient and designed for comfort, living in a town or city can feel too man-made, manufactured, and not real. It’s really nice to get out into nature from time to time, and enjoy some more natural surroundings.
I walked past the bulls, who paid me no notice as they tucked into their grass, and continued. Up a steep slope, I arrived at Thurnham Castle. Or should I say, what remains of Thurnham Castle (not much).
In Kent, like in many places in England, there are many old castles. Thurnham Castle was built in the 12th Century during the reign of Henry II. Now, approximately 800 years on, not much remains of it and its practically ruins.
I carried on my journey. Through White Horse Wood Country park at the top of Detling Hill. I took a moment at the top of the hill, looking out at the expanse in the distance. Though not a massive peak, it’s the highest one for miles around in my home town. It felt pretty cool to be there on a Saturday morning, enjoying myself, getting the miles and walking (lots of walking in).
I wanted to keep the scenery fairly interesting during this challenge. Whilst nicer scenery, like on trails, tends to come with the complication of hills and elevation gain, it was a trade off I was willing to make. I wasn’t prepared, mentally, to trundle my way for hours along lacklustre town road pavements.
I headed along the North Downs Way, passed Detling Village Hall and up onto Jade’s crossing, when I encountered my brother, Jack (5:57 in the video). 33,000 steps in the bag.
I asked Jack for any tips, given that he knows a thing or two about long distance endurance challenges. In 2019, he successfully completed the London 2 Brighton 100km ultramarathon despite having only run a maximum of eight miles in his training block. Looking like a zombie at the finish line, I was inspired to take it on myself. My first ever 100km. But that’s a story for another post…
My legs started hurting a bit by this point and stopping to have a chat made me take notice of the slight pain. Jack strongly advised I get off the hills and do continual loops around a flat park other wise I’d suffer. Whilst the part about suffering was true, I wasn’t keen on just doing the same loop over and over again. I wanted variety to keep myself motivated. I told myself I’d finish this stint on the hilly trails and spend the remainder of the challenge on the flats.
Passing Boxley Woods, still on the North Downs Way trail, I spotted a hill and decided to run down it before climbing it again and getting back on the path. No particular reason, I just felt like having some fun!
Past a small farm, along a woodland trail, I eventually made it onto the road and at the bottom of bluebell hill. 37,000 steps in.
This is when the rain started to come down. It luckily didn’t last, but it was enough to give me a good soaking.
37,000 – 52,000 steps: My feet start to hurt and I reach the halfway point
By now, my feet were really starting to feel the effects of the constant steppage. For some intelligent reason, I decided to wear thick and heavy hiking boots. Perhaps the biggest mistake I made during this entire challenge.
Feeling some discomfort, I plodded on. I made my way into Aylesford and took a gentle stroll through Cobtree Manor Park. A charming 50 acre parkland with a diverse collection of trees and shrubs, located on the site of an old zoo.
I made my way around, uneventfully, and get clocking the steps up. I got to a train crossing just as a freight train was making a crossing.
At the 51,200, I did a video check in and spoke about how I’d eaten most (if not all) of my calories that day whilst walking. It was probably for the best. There’s a saying in the ultrarunning world beware of the chair. If you sit down for too long, it starts to feel really comfy and you’re less likely to want to get up.
I made my way down a long road, and I came across a long stretch of the River Medway starting at Alington Lock.
At this point (9:25 in the video), I remarked how I’d made it to 52,000 steps which was a key milestone. Though my feet were really hurting by this point, I’d made it to halfway. In my head, getting to the halfway point of an endurance challenge is a big moment. You’ve already done half of the challenge, and proved to yourself you can do it. You just need to duplicate it once more.
52,000 – 69,000 steps: A quick pitstop and some needed relief after changing shoes
With a newfound sense of optimism about being able to get the 100,000 steps done, I started on a long straight down Medway river.
I made my way past a range of residential boats, moored by the river. I thought about how cool it would be to live on a boat one day. Maybe that’ll be a future project…
A light drizzle trickled down as I entered into Milenium Park, went by the Maidstone United Football Club stadium, and headed home for a quick pitstop.
By this point, my feet had started to cause my real grief. I could feel the tender skin, rubbing against the rugged heavy duty boots I’d foolishly worn. At my place, I grabbed some foot cream and applied a layer before changing socks and slipping into my comfortable road running shoes. A pair of Mizuno Waveriders.
Within seconds of leaving and heading back out, I instantly knew this was the right choice. The foam midsole gave the palms of my feet needed cushioning and the rubber, softer outsole made gentler contact with the ground. Why I thought it was a good idea to wear hiking boots to start the challenge off, I’ll never know.
It was 3.37pm. I’d been walking since 7am. A quick detour around the outskirts of Maidstone Town Centre, and I found myself back on the river Medway.
What I noticed throughout the entire challenge was that there weren’t many people about walking. I’m not sure if it was the cold April weather, the forecast of some light rain, or if it just wasn’t a day for walking. It felt peaceful and quiet out there, but at the same time meant limited opportunities for some small talk with fellow walkers to get myself out of my head and not focusing solely on the walking. Whilst the new shoes were making a difference, a lot of damage had already been done and it started feeling like a slog.
At 62,000 steps, I made my way down to a wooden fishing pier purchased on the riverside. I had a sandwich, some drinks, and took a moment to enjoy the calm water surface before me.
I’d come a long way, but there was still so far to go. Without a moment to lose, I got back onto the river path and headed back on my way. Onto the road to 100,000 steps.
I crossed the stone East Farleigh bridge, and made my way up a steep hill and onto a main road to Aylesford. In my video check in, I had passed 69,000 steps and I spoke about the importance of staying motivated.
A tool I used a lot during this 100,000 steps walking challenge was listening to music. In particular, French music. Being a learner of the French language, as a native English speaker, it was fun to listen to music which kept me positive and upbeat whilst combing it with the learning opportunity. Two birds with one stone.
Despite being pretty cheerful and optimistic in my video check ins, there were many tough moments during this challenge. Having something, like music, to focus on instead of the relentless stepping motion, one foot in front of the other, was a godsend.
69,000 – 84,000 steps: I reach the point of no return and my feet start hurting. Hurting a lot.
I passed a drive thru McDonalds which was packed with guests, enjoying their Big Macs and fries, and I noticed how I didn’t feel hungry. At all. This was a good sign to me, and I had confidence that my nutrition strategy had paid off.
Eat and drink a little, every so often, right from the start. I try to follow mantra that prevention is better than a fix with my nutrition strategy in endurance races and challenges. If you find that you’re extremely peckish, or fiendishly thirsty, at any point, then you’ve probably left it too late to get the calories and liquids in. It’s much harder fixing a nutrition problem than it is to prevent one from happening in the first place.
I made my way back down to Alington Lock for my third stint of the day walking along the river Medway.
I noticed my eyelids started to feel heavy, and physical exhaustion started to settle in. Though not too severe at this point, it was enough to make every step feel a little harder than it had before.
In my video check in (13:46 in the vlog), I reached the 76,000 steps mark. I referred to this as ‘the point of no return.’ I was within touching distance of the 100,000 steps finish line, and I was determined to get there. Kicking or screaming if needed. It was 6.
The pain in my feet was a new sensation for me, at that point. I can’t recall a time where they’d hurt so much. The constant striking of the ground, carrying the weight of my body continually throughout the day for miles on end, had started taking its toll. Not long to go, I kept telling myself.
Along muddy river path I went. The temperature dropped slightly, but it didn’t affect me. The constant walking, putting one feet in front of the other, kept a small fire burning for my body temperature
.
84,000 steps to 100,000 steps: I have a lovely chilli, but feel horrendous and just scrape to finish
At about 83,000 steps in, I headed to my Mum’s house for a chilli. Whilst this was a very lovely meal, and I was grateful my Mum had taken the time to make it for me, it wasn’t the best move. I sat down for about 30 minutes to eat it, chatting away.
I had seen a chair, sat down in it for too long, and my body had started to relax. My brain thought that my exercise was done for the day. My body thought it would finally get a break from the trials and tribulations I was putting it through. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case and when I stood up it felt like I’d been dragged through a hedge backwards.
The mental exhaustion, paired with the extreme physical fatigue, made me feel absolutely horrendous. It was as if I was sleep deprived, hungover, and had run an ultramarathon the day before, all being experienced at once.
With 83,000 steps in the bag, I was determined to see it through to the end. Though it wasn’t a fun moment, I stepped out of the house and back into the April evening.
Doing a death march along the busy Ashford road, cars had started to put their lights on. Day was quickly turning to night, and I’d amassed 84,000 steps.
My feet were pretty much gone at this point, and I could feel all the blisters which had developed rubbing against my socks and the sides of the road shoes. It was not very fun, simply put.
I made it to the 88,000 step mark and though it felt agonising with every step I could see the finish line practically starting me in the face.
It was 8.21pm, 13 hours of walking in. I put my head down, chucked some earphones in, and continued on my way. On the path to 100,000 steps.
I listened to lots of loud rock music to motivate me. I reasoned that if the drums and guitars were loud enough, I’d just focus on that rather than on the rapidly deteriorating skin on the bottoms of my feet. Oh, my knees were also starting to have shoot pains at every extension at the knee joint. It was all going swimmingly.
Eventually, I made it to 99,000 steps and I started doing laps around the block of my house. I wanted to make sure I was as close as possible for when the counter hit 100,000 and I could get in immediately to sit down.
Then, after 15 hours of solid walking, at 10pm, I did it. 100,000 steps clocked up on my watch and phone.
I dragged myself across the street, looking like a dodgy extra in the Walking Dead, opened my front door and sat down on my sofa. It felt amazing to finally be inside, in the warm, but most importantly with the weight taken off of my feet.
Summary and final thoughts
In total, I covered 48 miles of distance and had a total moving time of 14 hours and 9 minutes. I found it crazy how, since setting off at 7am in the morning I had moved practically for all of that with only a couple of stops and one big stop at my Mum’s for a chilli.
Link to the Strava performance here.
What I could have changed?
1. Footwear
Wearing rugged heavy duty hiking boots out of the starting gate was a catastrophic error. I never should have thought that’d be a sensible idea. By 30,000 steps in, my feet were already starting to hurt a lot and it wasn’t until over half way in that I managed to get back to my place and swap them for comfier road shoes. Whilst they helped, the damage was already done.
2. Chosen flatter, easier terrain
The views, sights, and sounds of the trails on the North Downs Way in the first third were nice. But they certainly took a decent toll on me. The technical terrain, the climbs, the descents, all added to the complexity and made it harder than it needed to be. In hindsight, I probably should have cut these out and just focused on smooth flats to make it easier for myself.
3. Packing less in my backpack
I didn’t mention this in the video, but I packed way too much. Whilst I used essential items like my Go Pro to film the YouTube video, the nutrition, and spare batteries and chargers for my tech, I didn’t actually use a lot of stuff. I had spare clothes, headtorches (which I didn’t use), a flask of hot coffee, amongst other items.
Any additional weight you carry during this challenge will make a massive difference, so I’d strongly recommend anyone taking this on or similar to only pack what is essential. If you’re worried you might forget something crucial, you can always buy something at a store mid challenge or return to your place or car to pick it up.
What I enjoyed
1. Seeing so much in one day.
After having spent weeks and months mostly in doors, thanks to COVID-19, I saw and experienced a lot. All in one day. It felt like I’d spent each moment living, working towards a goal.
2. A lesson in resilience
This was an extremely tough challenge. Mentally and physically. I had to give myself lots of positive self-talk to carry on and get it done. I learnt a few strategies for motivating me to continue during a rough patch like listening to music, having a bite to eat, or focusing on my surroundings.
There you have it. My account of walking 100,000 steps in a day. This was easily one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, and I can’t say I’ll rush to repeat it again (if ever!).
Thanks very much for reading.
Craig
Running Cafe
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