The day I realized I was pacing all wrong on the AT

I did 300 miles on the Appalachian Trail last fall and thought my 2 mph pace was solid. Then a thru-hiker named Mike pointed out I was stopping every 20 minutes to catch my breath, which meant I was actually moving slower than the old guy carrying a cast iron skillet. Walked with him for a day and he showed me the slow-and-steady rhythm, and suddenly my daily miles went from 12 to 16 without extra effort. Was I just fooling myself with quick bursts, or do some of you actually prefer the stop-start method for enjoying the views?

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the_jason23d agoTop Commenter

Pacing it out takes about as long as it takes to learn, about 300 miles for me too.