A Little Guidance Please

[jonas]

hey everyone i am after a little direction. i have never done the trek before but it has been something i have wanted to do for a very long time, ever since seeing the doco on discovery and reading the book about the war on the trail. i am a 26 year old male i consider myself reasonably fit, i do smoke a fair bit but am happy to give that up in the months prior to doing this trek. i was just wondering about a good training program and how long i should train for as i said iam pretty fit but my cardio is pretty crap is this a major issue?
thank you

jonas cummings

[Rocky]

Hi Jonas, exciting times ahead for you. Mate you can get right into the whole exercise regime – full blown programs and the like. That's not really my go, I was 34 when I did the trek and when I did it I found what worked for me was:

– I got into a little bit of jogging (40min type jogs in a lunch break a couple of times a week). It's pretty hilly where I work so it included stairs and hills.
– I mixed that up with longer walks in my walking boots to wear them in and get some hours under my belt. It depends on where you are, but try to get some km's in when it's hot as will be hot where you're going.

There are some bigger units and older guys that seem to get through the trek OK, but it is hard yakka (and there have been a few casualties over the years). The better prepared you are the better. Cardio is key IMO and if you get to a moderate jogger type fitness the trek will be a lot more enjoyable for you.

I don't smoke but it sounds like a good excuse to give them up to me!

[Boss Meri]

Hi Jonas, I do not know where you live or if there are any hills close by but a tip from a trekker who has walked several times with us is as follows:

Find the closest, steepest hill to where you live. Drive there regularly after or before work, park your car, put on your backpack and start walking up and down as many times as you can building up to several as you get fitter. Then add some weight inside your pack, whatever, telephone books, bags of rice to equal the weight you will be carrying and continue as boring as it may sound gradually adding to the number as your fitness level increases.

He says if he only trained by driving miles from where he lives he could only get the time to do it on a few occasions whereas the hill close to where he resides he could manage at least 5 times per week to train.

Another trekker who lives in Brisbane area, chose a certain street where there was a railway station. He walked up and down that street and up and down the steps of the railway station so many times he lost count but it got him across the track not once but twice over the age of 60.

So the message is, whatever training you choose to do, you must keep it up and do it often especially steps or hill training as you will be doing a lot of climbing up up up and then of course down down down, across rivers, then the same thing all over again for 96km. If you look at the photographs of trekkers you will find they are just your average Joe Blow and do not look like Dean Karzanes, so everyone can walk the track providing they take their training seriously and prepare.

Suggest you also check out the following as it has good tips with over 42,400 views. Dan Towler walked with us twice and decided to put what worked for him on to our website to help others like himself realise their dream of walking the Kokoda Track/Trail:

http://www.kokodatrail.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=581

Hope this helps.

[Waza]

Hi Jonas

Did you ever do the trek and how was the experience?

Waza

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