Just wondering who here has actually walked 30 miles (fairly) continuously recently?
I don't hike as often as I'd like but my bf and I walked about 14-15 miles along the Chicago lakefront last September (flat, but on concrete), and then did a 14-15 mile hike just before New Years in California (not sure what the elevation change was, but it was 6 miles steeply uphill to start), and both times definitely started to hurt at the end. Now, we aren't in the best shape we could be, but I do go to the gym a couple times a week typically, to run, swim, rock climb, and/or work with a personal trainer. I'm nowhere near an athlete and I have some extra pounds, but I'm not a blob.
In high school, when I wasn't an athlete either, but I did hike more regularly (typically in the 5-10 mile range), I did the Purdue Outing Club Adventure Race with my mom and two of her friends. One of whom was in excellent shape. The race course is ~48 miles as the crow flies. You probably cover more like 50-60 over 48 hours with minimal sleep. By the end of that ALL of our quadriceps were shot and we were literally hobbling. I was fine 2 maybe 3 days later; fit friend was probably fine the next day.
I think, and I'm not an expert on anatomy by any stretch, that after a few hours of exercise, unless you exercise that long on a regular basis, you hit a wall on your muscular endurance. Just because you can run for 1-1.5 hr or bike for 4 doesn't mean you can walk for 8-10 without repercussions...am I wrong?