This is a weekly post for the Runners of LoseIt. (I was busy with work last week, but I'm back again.)
All levels of runners are welcome -- from brand new first timers to experienced marathoners. Please feel free to come in and share, ask questions, whine, post NSVs (non-scale victories), etc. There are a lot of great runners on this sub and lots of experience and help to share. Plus, it is also more fun to share regularly how you are doing with others going through the same challenges and experiences.
This post is mostly for sharing details of running this week, your first run, running related NSVs, questions, PRs, etc.
In addition I will ramble on about some topic that is helpful to runners, usually new runners, to help people along. This week -- what walking can do for new runners.
Can Walking Help you Run?
I will begin here by saying, I am not any accredited or degree-wielding person. I am just someone who lost a lot of weight (130lbs) and walk and run a good bit. This is based on that experience.
Walking can assist you in running. It's not going to make you a runner, though. Running is tough and requires way more energy expenditure than even a brisk hustle. The only real training for running -- is to run. Period.
But, walking can help ease that transition, solve running problems, or just help you get through those initial running barriers. That's what I am going to talk about here.
The Endurance Building Power of Walking
Walking can mean lots of different things to lots of different people. An easy stroll at 2mph (3kph) or a brisk hustle at 4mph (6.5kph) can all be called "walking". When you walk with a purpose and put some effort in it and not stroll along, then there's definite endurance building here.
I will do 3.0 mph walks most days, largely held back by my dogs. I'll call these medium walks. Not a stroll, but not a brisk walk. Even these walks assist in keeping my cardio endurance up.
The length of my walks, 45-90 minutes maps to a level of easy running endurance by about half. If I go out most days and log a solid 75-90 4-5 days a week. A 35-40 minute easy jog is within my cardio capacity. And that was indeed the case.
I've played around with this recently. I've been running only 30-35 minute runs lately, letting my cardio capacity really settle (dwindle?). Those last 5 minutes are laborious. At the same time I am doing plenty of 60-70 minute medium walks. Seems like that 60-70 is right in line with the 30-35 minute jogs.
For the last 3 weeks or so I've upped by walks most days getting in closer to 90 minutes at least 4-5 times a week. Sure enough my cardio popped up, too. 45 minutes and I'm going a little faster. (Some smoke filled days stopped all activity here, though. But I'm back at it.)
Will you go from walking briskly 60 minutes to a 30 minute run? Nope. Will walking briskly 60 minutes help you ramp up your running to 30 minutes. It will.
Faster walking offers even more endurance building. When I first started off running, I was walking steep inclines on a treadmill for 45-60 minutes. My favorite was the 45 minute, 1000' 5K. It was where I'd walk fast enough to cover 3 miles and go up 1000 feet in 45 minutes or less. This required a speed around 4.2mph (9min/km) and an incline of ~7%. That incline walk (brutal power walk) easily prepared my cardio for easy running of the same time -- 45 minutes. When I started running, cardio wasn't my problem.
The Power of Being Upright and Moving (for a long time)
I have helped a few people who have asked me for advice about running. Mostly I tell them to slow down. Two in particular though needed a little more. They wanted to run a 10K or a half marathon as goals but they both had various issues with aches and discomfort that kept them from their goals. Just walking helped them both.
I'm an older runner (52 years old) as well as an obese runner (by BMI). Most folks doubt I run until they see me going out there or I run a race with someone and we talk about it. In each case the help started from them realizing big ole' me ran, why can't they. "You really do run? I'd do that... but..."
My 10K co-worker was dubious about the prospect of a 6 mile run. While they had run years ago, they hadn't been able to restart their running. The "but..." though was a common thing I hear on the boards. They had lower back aches after running the first few weeks of C25K. I asked them if they would try a 65-70 minute walk once a week. This was their target 10K time and I wondered if they just got used to being upright and moving for that much time they wouldn't resolve these issues. "You'll be running for that long, surely walking would be a great first step."
Sure enough, they ran into the same aches and discomfort as the runs. But, walking allowed them to work through it. They added in walks 3-4 a week for a 5K (my idea to give them a nice goal) and they found they were ache free. Replacing the walking with running lead them to blast through C25K and on to Bridge to 10K. (FYI -- I also told them to forget about some sorta goal pace all their running pals had told them to aim for, "sub 60, or if you really wanna sweat, 50!". First time out, just finish.)
My half-marathon acquaintance tried training for a half... "but..." they couldn't make beyond 45 minutes. Seemed like it was a real barrier. They could not imagine running for 2 hours if 45-50 minutes was a wall. (I hated to tell them it would likely be over 2 hours the first time out.) It seemed like something felt off or started to hurt at that 45 minute mark plus cardio fell apart and they would have to stop. So, I asked them to add in one 2 hour walk a week. "Two hours, why would I waste that time?" they asked. "Well, you are aiming to run for 2 hours, that's your half-marathon. Maybe getting used to logging that time upright and moving would assist. Plus, any half-marathon training plan will have you run 5-6 hours a week. Get used to the time -- it is a big part of running." They tried it once and just as the 10Ker found, they experienced some of the same issues and discomfort on those walks.
They worked through it -- and found that two hours was mentally harder than physically. So they started to distract themselves during the 2 hour walks. And, a month or so later they burst past 45 minutes one weekend and ran for 75 minutes. "I think it was mental more than anything. I stopped because I was mentally done. I got used to getting through that walk and the run was way easier."
Distraction and the Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
More than anything else, walking will teach you to deal with your mind and it's needs for long periods. Going for regular long walks will keep you mentally capable of getting through a long run. If you look forward to a podcast, music, audiobook, nature, fresh air, or sharing time with others -- it really makes a run so much easier. Taking the time to figure out what will keep you mentally occupied for 1, 2, or many hours while walking -- will flow right into running.
Distraction is a big part of long runs. Keeping your mind occupied, not focused on your body wearing down and your cardio running out -- it's how you grow as an early runner. (In truth, you are mentally enduring every run from the first to your latest.)
Walking out the Kinks
You want to figure out if you have the right shoes, socks, clothes -- go for a long walk. Likely, if you are absolutely comfy in your running shoes, shorts/tights, shirt, hat, say, for 60 minutes of brisk walking, you are good to go for a nice 30-45 minute run.
But if that sock bunches up, or that shoe feels tight, your tights chafe, or anything ends up uncomfortable -- well it's gonna be worse running. Fix it. Check yourself for blisters, hot spots of your feet. Anything a walk brings up will be amplified on a run. Long runs will amplify those problems x10.
Have a great week, and get out there and run (or walk) and I'll be back next week.
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/j1ojck/running_with_loseit_9282020_walking_and_how_it/
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