I just found my save files: I finished the Walkthrough on the 9th month, 3rd week, and 1st day (I played as Red, in the Dungeon). So, you shouldn't be too worried about the game taking too long: after a while, you'll find ways to significantly speed up your movement across the overland map. And another thing to note about this map: topographically, it's simpler than other maps by Samatron; there's no particular difficulty in finding monoliths and tents, which, for me, is a plus, not a minus.
True, I played a slightly older version, before the latest changes.

Long Walkthroughs have never scared me ;) I've even played for 18-20 months. And, of course, I'll complete this map much faster on the second try... but I don't like playing a map a second time. Although, considering that I've completed everything there is to complete, and good new maps are becoming rarer, it might be worth replaying a good map. When I was playing "Beastly Grin" by the same author, I skipped turns for about 6 months just to see what would happen after 666 days :D In the end, I easily won, and it turned out that I had wasted my time clicking through the turns. And I usually find hidden tents and teleports quickly because I know all the possible ways they can be hidden. The only thing I can't stand is the lack of a town portal on XL maps. It's a real nightmare to catch the ants