Would you get off the sofa and try to run a marathon without any training? No?!

With a good base level of fitness, endurance and cardiovascular training, the challenge will still be hard, but the enjoyment levels will be higher and you’ll minimise the risk of injury.

The payoff for getting fitter and training will be:

• Enjoyment levels increase.
• Increased satisfaction of completing your challenge.
• The overriding feeling of smugness as you walk across the finish.
• Maintaining a huge smile on your face throughout the challenge.

You don’t have to be a professional triathlete to complete a long-distance challenge, but you have to be sensible and prepared to put in a bit of work.

With our good friends at www.LakelandMountainGuides.co.uk, we’ve put together some simple helpful tips, and maybe inspire you to do more in the future.

1. Start Now

If you can start now, then get going. Do not put it off until tomorrow, or next week. Start gaining now and stack the odds in your favour.

2. Start Steady

Create a solid foundation to build upon. That foundation will happen with consistent, easy efforts.

3. Make training part of your life.

Once you’re in the swing of it, training is just exercise, and exercise is something you feel you WANT to do daily because it makes you feel good.

4. Take the stairs.

Climbing the stairs instead of taking the lift or escalator are great for building base level fitness.

5. Train on different terrain.

Preparing your legs, ankles and feet for varying terrain. Help your body to cope with the range of surfaces and undulations during your event. 

Also, ride your bike on a variety of undulations.

6. Get out there, in every type of weather!

UK Mountain weather is unreliable, so get mentally tough by training in the rain, the wind, and the heat! Getting out in all weathers, also means you can test your cold and wet weather gear out.

7. Nourish yourself

The body needs a healthy and protein rich diet to repair and recover. Don’t limit your calories but do think about what you’re eating. Strict diets and heavy fitness training plans do not go hand in hand.

8. Make yourself accountable

Put the session in your diary, or plan to meet up with someone to complete your session. Do this and you’re far less likely to brush it aside.

9. Rest & recover

Training every single day isn’t sustainable and is likely to lead to ‘Overtraining’. Have at least one complete rest day a week. Use these days to eat well, stretch, and prepare for the next training session.

10. Trust the process

Build consistency, eat well, sleep well, and stay focused, and you will get fitter! All this, and you’ll smash that challenge.