Guys, be a walker and be proud of it. Walking is a different sport form running, being a walker doesn't mean you are less of an athlete than a runner.
We have some newer people who are on our forum so I want to say this again.
I was not a walker for 2 years, I was a crippled runner, trying to walk/run in the right ratio to heal as a runner and went from one injury to another. One day after a perticularly horrid race I made the decision that I was done being an injured runner and was ready to be an athlete again.
I would do a 5k and limp baddly for days after and when I was finally able to start again I would get to about 9 miles a week and then have to lay off and walk again for a while.
Once I made the decision that I was done running hurt and would be a walker, I was able to start training and improved quickly. All the running rules apply to walking. They are a similar sport in that you train the same and must follow the same cautions.
A good training walk starts slow for a mile or so till you are warm and sweating. Then you increase your speed and get in a grove, or cruising speed and do the majority of your walk at that pace which is comfortably brisk. Then toward the end you pick up the pace just a bit and finish strong. This is what a tempo walk is. It should be the main part of your training.
An LSD day is like a tempo except that you don't go quite as fast as a tempo but further. Adding miles each week in small doses like adding one mile every week. Every third week drop back about 30%. This is a once or twice a week walk. Followed by an easy day.
A speed training day can be done in several ways. You can warm up good and then do as fast as possible laps of the track, with a slow recovery lap in between. You can do a short tempo with a faster than normal pace. You can do a tempo with telephone pole to telephone sprints followed by slower recovery walking.
With this kind of training you can improve as a walker and be well within the cutoff times for the half and full marathons. You need not fear the sweeper.
Wendy does half and full marathons all over the country and finishes the races within the cutoff times, as a walker.
If you are carrying a litle extra fluff, then walking can be a much better sport for you than running. If you haven't exercised for a long time, be a walker first, then after you get a good fitness base if you want to try running go for it. You don't hear from the thousands of people who decide to get in shape and do a race but get hurt soon after they start and drop out. Those same people might have suceeded if they had chose walking instead of running to start.
There is nothing wrong with running. I wish I still had the option to do both. My point is that both walkers and runners are athletes and should respect each other's accomplishments. And a walker shouldn't feel like less of an athlete.
Ok off my soap box, sorry about being long winded there.
Dave
