I finally tried that 'go slow to go fast' advice on a 40 mile stretch of the AT

Some guy at a shelter in Virginia kept telling me to drop my pace from 4 mph to 2 mph on steep terrain. I thought he was just slow and wanted company. But after twisting my ankle near Hawksbill Gap I finally slowed down and skipped the next 3 days of pain meds. Has anyone else seen real results from pacing yourself like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

west.henry2mo ago

Man, that's funny you mention that. I had a buddy last year on the Long Trail who swore by that same advice after wrecking his knee on the first day. He finally gave in and said it saved his whole trip (though he still complained about it the whole time).

casey161mo ago

Pro tip - try switching your grip up on the poles when you hit rock fields. Grab them lower down near the basket so your arms have more to fight with. Makes a world of difference and you don't feel like you're tripping over them.

victor_adams2mo ago

Huh, that's interesting. I mean, I get it if your knee is already wrecked, but idk, I kinda feel like if you're relying on trekking poles from day one you're just not building the leg strength you could be. Maybe it's just me but I've always found them more annoying than helpful on rocky terrain.