Walking tips and advice

I could only find this thread about power walking, so if there’s actually a discussion going on regarding just regular, long-distance walking, maybe the moderator could merge them together.

So, look, I absolutely love long walks. The longest stretch I’ve managed to pull off so far was 12 miles. By the end, I’m usually pretty wiped out, but man, I feel so incredibly calm, satisfied, and honestly just really proud of myself 😍

My goal now is to really push my endurance and eventually be able to cover even more ground than I do currently.
I’m wondering, though—what’s actually the best way to go about this? Like, how should I dress, or what kind of footwear is best? Usually, I just stick to layering up with thin clothes so I can peel layers off as needed. I recently picked up some Nike sneakers, but I haven't really had the chance to test them out on a serious long-distance trek yet. I just need something comfortable that isn't going to give me blisters or kill my feet. These ones I'm looking at seem promising since they're designed for running.

Do you think walking for about an hour and a half a few times a week, plus one big long trek once a week, is enough to actually build up my stamina? And when I say walk, I don't mean just strolling aimlessly; I mean a steady, purposeful pace, roughly 3.1 miles per hour.

I definitely prefer walking solo, mostly because I can take breaks whenever I feel like it, I don't have to deal with small talk if I'm not in the mood, and I don't have to struggle trying to keep up with someone else's rhythm... I just head out and keep going until I feel like I can't take another step, and then I probably push myself just a little bit further!

Is anyone else out there doing this?

Oops, my bad—this was actually meant for the Recreation and Health subforum. I'll let the moderator know to move this over to the right spot!

Hey there,
Look, I’m a total newbie at this, but I’m getting serious about walking for fitness. I just picked up
Walking to Health
by prof. dr. Klausn Bös

Honestly? It’s perfect. You’ll find every single answer you need right in those pages.
I’ve gone on some long treks before, but right now, I’m starting from square one. My conditioning has been pretty terrible lately, and I have zero interest in dealing with injuries.

I’ve been on a diet since the first of the month, and for the last three weeks, I’ve been training 3 or 4 times a week. Currently, I’m on 3.1 miles with a focus on monitoring my heart rate. I’m keeping it strictly between 60% and 70% of my max, because that’s the sweet spot for burning fat.