Hey! So I’ve signed up for road marching (the introduction to it is soon) and I was wondering how physically fit you have to be for the road marching. I hate exercising. Kinda out of shape. I was just wondering if being out of shape will disadvantage me? Thank you in advance!
Its certinley tough and not my cup of tea but its a long walk at a brisk pace so you need to build.up to the full distance so you need to practice
Fitness is important, but endurance is more so. You will need to cope with miles and miles of walking on tarmac, just getting blisters. Mental attitude is crucial!
Go for a trek in the mountains instead, the views are far better!!! 
Sort your footwear out before you go. If you’re prone to blisters, try 1000 mile socks. They’re expensive but definitely worth it. Alternatively, people wear 2 pairs of socks or tape their feet which can also work.
If you sort this, it’s just a long walk (Just keep reminding yourself of that ;))
Do a series of 5 mile walks circular or A-B using footpaths with a mate on say a Saturday even if it’s not sunny, this should take 2-3 hours and see how it goes. If it goes OK and if the aim is Nijmegan build up the mileage these up.
I’ve suggested this to cadets on the squadron who have expressed an interest and it soon wanes, as the realisation dawns that this will be their lives for several months.
As said it’s not necessarily the physical fitness that is important it’s the psychological and mental ability to keep going, even when it hurts or seems thankless to continue. You could be the most perfect physically fit individual on the planet, but if it’s not your thing, it ain’t gonna happen. Just because you’re in the ATC doesn’t mean you suddenly become something you’re not. Think about why Mo Farrah runs long distances and Usain Bolt sprints. Pound to a penny as kids they tried other things, but found they preferred or were best suited to the things they do.
Yeah, mental attitude is very important. I think I’ve got it but I’ll have to wait and see I guess once the day comes around 
I wish I had mountains around me to trek through but I live in the East Midlands so it’s a bit of a problem 
there isn’t really anywhere nice to go waling around me without having to drive a distance 
There isn’t really anywhere to have a good long walk around where I live without having to drive a distance… I’ll have to build up the motivation to start walking and exercising. After I go to the introduction, I’ll see if I think I’m up to it. I thought I’d sign up for road marching to take advantage of the experience of walking long distances, building endurance, meeting new people, losing some weight, etc. It’s just a shame that I’m the only one from my squadron going 
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Thanks for the advice! I’ll check out those socks. I borrowed my assault boots from the squadron, they’re maybe 1 size too large but they make do and they’re comfortable-ish. They have a really weird, rough insole that kinda hurts if you run. I’ll have to invest into some more comfortable boots. I’ll see if I’m up for road marching after the taster day.
Thank you! 
You don’t need to go anywhere special to just walk.
Don’t you have anyone outside the squadron you could ask to do it with you or just do it alone.
I could walk alone but my town is a bit sketchy. I only know one girl who would definitely be willing to go walking with me, but she talks too much and I can’t stand being around her for more than 30 mins… you know… now that I come to think of it, there is a nice village to walk through nearby me.
Well that’s a start, to try it before spending money on things.
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Would you recommend any good quality but affordable boot brands?
Don’t know much about boots, sorry. I’m sure someone will though…
The only absolute rule with boots is that if they don’t fit you, they are no use to you.
The boots I’d look at are from Meindl, Lowa, Alt-berg, Haix, and Aku - unfortunately the uniform requirements for Nijmegen mean that the more trainer-like civilian boots from people like Salomon and Merrel are out…
My advice would be to find d the lightest boot you can get away with, but you need to bare in mind that a boot that’s great for road marching in the summer might be very poor for hill-walking with a rucksack - unless you can afford having different boots for different purposes, you may have to use a heavier boot than you would like.
If you can get yourself to Rutland water for the day that would give you a good location - but remember safety, walking on roads is dangerous, make sure you’re wearing hi-viz gear.
You realistically need to be able to walk 40km in 11 hours on your own carrying a daysack. Walking with others is easier, you’ll go quicker.
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RM is quite often about what goes on between your ears more than what is going on with your body.
Invest in boots with enough space across the toe area to allow for your feet to swell a little as when you’re doing the bigger distances, that will happen. On the other hand, you can’t have them
Moving around on your foot.
Good socks (I use bridgedale liners and their lighter range of hiker socks, personal choice) are a must and a good place to spend money.
It’s a bit of trial and error.
Start with a few short walks then build up to doing 2 walks in 2 days (more than 7 miles each) and just keep building. You have to teach your body that it can do multiple days of effort especially if Nijmegen is the goal.
You can always ask questions on the Royal Air Force Walking And Road Marching Facebook page. That is the organisation that runs the RAF Cosford 2 day March.
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