Find the right shoes: A Centurion would not have been possible in my old name brand shoes. My feet were covered in calluses. I got blisters every race. My feet were my weak link. I made a transition to Zero drop shoes with a wide toe box. My calluses went away. All my foot problems went away. Find the right shoes to become a Centurion.

Consistent training: Train six days per week. Every week. Never skip training. If a conflict comes up. Use your scheduled day off to train and skip the conflicting day. Get up extra early and train before the conflict. Stay up later and train after. Plan training into your vacation. Be Consistent with your training.

Strength Training: A 24 hour walk uses more than just your legs. Prepare your body with strength training. I use Planks, Push-ups and Pull-ups. You must embrace the Planks Exercise for your core. Planks will make everything you do easier. It makes Walking easier. It makes push-ups easier. It makes pull-ups easier. Learn to love the planks exercise.

Never skip or cut a workout short: This is about a Mindset you will need for a Centurion. You will want to train your mind. The job is not done till it is done. No quick out. No easy path. If you are having a tough 28 mile long walk day. Finish it. The last five minute set of planks is tough. You will not stop. Finish it. The reward comes when the job is finished. It is a mind set. Never skip or cut a workout short. It is the tough workouts that build centurions. Become mentally Tough.

Speed: You will need to walk sub 5 hour Marathons during training. Even better is a sub 5 hour marathon while racing a 50K. The end of a 50K race is very close to how you will feel during a Centurion. I know a Centurion is not a speed contest. A walked sub 5 hour Marathon is tough. It requires a consistent hard pressed drive with your legs. You will need this consistent hard pressed drive to do a Centurion. It won’t be as fast. It will be just as tough and much longer. Work on speed. Do all your training walks at a sub 12:30 minute per mile pace. Sub 12:00 minute per mile pace is even better. Train your legs to drive. When sub 5 hour marathons become easy. You are well on your way to a Centurion. Work on Speed.

Control your pace: Just like in a Marathon you must control your pace. Don’t go out too fast. Your Centurion will become a death march. A VERY long death march. Set a pace and stick to it for the first 15 hours. After that let your mind and legs decide if holding your pace or speeding up is an option. Be sure and set a pace fast enough to allow for a slow down late in the race. If you get behind the clock catching up will not be an option late in the race. It is much better to bank some time early on. Learn to Control your pace to become a Centurion.

Eat and Drink: You can not walk 100 miles without food and drink. I like to drink a cup of water at the top and bottom of each hour. I eat a handful of food at the quarter and three quarter hour marks. I like to start out eating a handful of candy each time. Peanut M&M’s, cookies. Every six hours I want some real food. PB&J sandwich, pizza, burger. Later in the race I eat what ever looks good. Do not eat to much and do not stop eating. I eat and drink while I walk. I do not take food breaks. Experiment with foods before your race. Find what agrees with your stomach. A coke late in the race can help get you to the finish.

Never Quit: No matter what happens. Never ever even consider the thought of quitting. You are going to feel lots of different pains in 24 hours. If it does not change your gait walk through it. I promise something else will hurt later. You will forget what hurt before. Your Mind will fight to shut everything down. Thoughts of sleep will take over. You must overcome these feelings. You will have to over rule your own mind. The heavens might open up. There might be water to wade through. A rock might fall into your shoe. Do not Quit.

Becoming a Centurion is not a super human feat. It does however require a Large heart and a load of guts. Train hard. Become the person that can Walk 100 miles in 24 Hours. A CENTURION!