3 April 2008
Walk Like a (Wo)Man
Posted by Shelly under: Shelly Batterbee .
Ok, so I’m modifying song titles a bit now—but I’m a woman, so walking like a man just didn’t fit. That’s ok—you still have some tunes going through your head for some nifty background music, don’t you?
Today I actually stuck to my training schedule and went for a walk. I’ve been careful to keep my workouts going strong—but via the bike workouts and not running this week, just to play it safe with my heel. But the sunshine beckoned me—seriously called out my name, I think—and lured me outside. I biked first inside, thinking I’d just do a short walk and wanting to make sure I got a little more workout in. I guess I was anticipating pain in the heel from the start. But I taped up my foot, grabbed my sunglasses, threw my hair up pirate-style in my Buff, and off I went.
I know how difficult a walk can be once you’ve turned into The Runner. “I’d be done so much faster if I’d just run…” or “It’s just easier to run than to walk fast…” or “I’ll burn more calories if I run…” I’ve said them all to myself before. But every now and then, try to challenge yourself with a mere walk.
Challenged by a walk? Yeah. It’s harder than you think—forcing yourself to stay at a walk the whole time.
Ok, I’m probably a much more talented (if there can be talent in walking) walker than runner. Well, no probably about it—my run pace at 11:00ish/mile on long runs really isn’t running to many people. I warmed up today with a nice 15:13/first mile. And then off I went. Arms pumping, legs moving. Walking.
My second mile clocked in at 13:19. So you know, when I first began my training this winter for the Riverbank, I think often I was RUNNING a 13:30 mile. Ok—mixing walking and running. During my second mile, I initially thought maybe I’d break into a run once I was done with mile two. But after I was done with mile two and saw a decent time, I decided I should stick to my initial plan, respect my body, enjoy the weather, and keep it at a walk.
By then I knew I had to go up The Hill. Sometimes I call it The Hill from He##. THAT hill. The one I should probably sometimes consider going down instead of up. But I welcome a challenge. Mile three clocked in with a 13:40 mile. Even with The Hill. I was pretty happy with that. As I made it to the top, I passed another walker—heading downhill. We exchanged hellos, and I do admit, I briefly thought she was the smart one for going downhill—but about thirty seconds later—I was glad I took the challenging way.
My fourth mile, one with another uphill climb back to my house—clocked at 13:32. After that, I went ahead and cooled down with another 15 min/mile pace for ½ mile. Total walk distance: 4.5 miles.
I realize these aren’t Olympic times, but they were still challenging to maintain—especially to maintain without breaking into at least a jog. More calories burned, workout done a bit faster than if I’d merely strolled. Working more muscles. Keeping my heart rate up. Same great benefits as a run, but less heel pain for me today.
And guess what? If you can walk that fast and maintain it (about 13:30/mile) for 15.5 miles—you can do this Riverbank and get a finisher’s medal. Don’t discount the power of a power walk! Today’s walk actually gave me more confidence about May 10’s run.
Anyone who scoffs at the idea of walking over running—well, maybe you need to just commit to trying a walk sometime. I’ll race ya.
3 Comments so far...
Julie Hurley Says:
4 April 2008 at 2:18 pm.
Ha! I, too, used to find walking a waste of time. But, on my 12-miler last Saturday Coach Terry said that miles walked during a run do COUNT. It also allows your heart rate to get into the fat-burning mode, so whoo hoo!
Deborah Pieri Says:
4 April 2008 at 9:54 pm.
Walking is good . . . I have a friend who walks so fast that we are nearly running. She is amazing! You’re doing great Shelly. Sorry I won’t see you tomorrow.
Bob Says:
6 April 2008 at 7:23 am.
Shelly, it was great seeing and talking to you at the running clinic this past Saturday. When I was drinking water or leaving the aid stations, i would work back into my running stride by starting a fast paced walk. It is beneficial to remember that we all started walking before running! Hope your foot feels better soon!