In January, I like to challenge myself to complete 100,000 steps in 24 hours. Yesterday I completed the challenge for 2023, coming in with a little over 100k steps / 50 miles from a mix of walking and running. This year was my fourth year completing the challenge, but my first with Garmin. In previous years, I used a FitBit. I'm bummed to find out Garmin doesn't have a 100k step badge! I'll keep doing the challenge nonetheless :-)

Proof 1 (Watch pic after a short jog to finish the official 100k. I got a couple thousand more throughout the evening)

Proof 2 (Garmin screenshot of the final total as I crawled into bed)

As always, I learned more about shaping a better experience of this challenge through this last round and I wanted to share with you all. I’ve received messages from people all over the world asking for advice on how to take on this challenge over the years, so I figured I’d keep sharing advice in hopes that it helps at least a few people.

In last year’s post (shared in the FitBit sub), I shared tips on footwear, nutrition and hydration, accessories (anti-blister socks are a must), anti-chafing products, entertainment, sleep, scheduling, and after-care. I think it’s worth a read-through if you are interested in doing the challenge.

This year, I don’t have a ton to add to last year’s tips, but I do have a few things:

Safety – Especially if you are starting and/or finishing this in the dark, please bring a headlamp, reflective gear, pepper spray and a cell phone. Let at least one trusted person know where you will be walking and keep them updated throughout the day. There are numerous safety concerns, such as cars, creepy people, or even getting injured. This is not something I took seriously enough in previous years.

Catch the sunrise and/or sunset if you can – taking in the beauty of the world as you do this is the best part. I got this freaking amazing sunrise picture around 40k steps in and I will treasure it forever.

Walk with others – If you can convince friends or family to join you for parts of this, it can make a world of a difference. If no one can physically join you, you could try a phone call. This year, I roped in my partner, dad, brother and a few friends. I did the early hours solo, and by the time I was about halfway through, it was nice to have various people join me to keep me distracted and motivated.

Mental talk matters – It is hard, but don’t think about how much you have left, instead think about how far you’ve come. I like mantras like “I’ll feel so awesome after”, “Embrace the process and celebrate the progress”, “It’s ok to feel uncomfortable”, and “One day I’ll take my last step. It’s so cool I can take this many now”.

Change out your shoes partway through if you can – I shared some advice on picking the right shoe in my previous post, but this year I learned that changing shoes throughout the day makes a big difference too. If you have multiple pairs, or can get multiple pairs, I highly recommend it. The foam on shoes compresses as you use them (they’re not dead for good, just until the foam has time to decompress in 24-48 hours) and it’s helpful to switch them out to stay on fresh, supportive foam. I switched between the Saucony Triumph 19, Glideride 3 (for the running portion) and Nike Invincible 2.

Rest beforehand – Resting at least the day or two prior to doing this challenge will make a huge difference in how you feel the day after. In the seven days leading up to this challenge, I ran 55 miles including a half marathon trail race. This was a dumb decision and today I feel sorer than any previous times I have done this challenge.

Eat a little extra beforehand, and the day after too – I talked about nutrition/hydration in last year's post, but wanted to hit on it a bit more here. I think it’s important to eat a little bit extra in the day or two before doing this challenge, and equally important to eat a little extra the next day. Your muscles and other systems are recovering and need more calories than you’d usually eat to do so. You’ll likely feel hungrier in the days following this challenge and you should honor that hunger.

I think that’s it for this year!

If this is something you want to do, you should do it! Take a little time to plan out your adventure and have a blast. It’s hard but also fun and rewarding.

I am always happy to help, so feel free to reach out with any questions or even just to tell me you’re doing it too! I’d love to support you.