Speed

Question
I walked over 16 miles which took nearly 5 hours.   As I am training to walk 26 miles in a couple of months is 5 hours a good time to walk 16 miles or should it be less?

Answer
If you keep the same pace, it will take you about 8 hours to finish the marathon. You should check to make sure that the race you enter allows such a finish time. Many races have time limits of 6 hours or less and may not allow you to continue after that time.

There is nothing wrong with an 8 hour marathon, but if you want to do better, you will need train for more speed. The way to do this is to build up your endurance first so you can finish the distance. Then, add some faster walks 2-3 times per week over shorter distances.

Just be sure to build up your mileage slowly, and when you add the speed, do it gradually. Your body need time to adapt to both distance and speed stresses.