Where are my fellow non-runners?

[anniemae]

Yup, walker here. Hate running, tried it, never understood it. I never achieved the much talked about "runners high." I was never graceful like many runners who look like they are almost floating, their body in sync. I would just sweat, gasp for breath and turn red. Now walking I like, and if something were chasing me, I would be walking at a swift clip.

 

[disney4us2002]

I am a walker but I really want to be a runner, or at least jogger. I'm so envious of those people running at the track and I'm huffing and puffing just walking fast. I don't feel pain or anything but I cannot breathe for the love of pete. I'm hoping once I lose 20 or 30 lbs maybe then I can jog. I've tried that couch to 5K and I couldn't keep up.

Any advice?

 

[Nayan]

I am not a runner. I can and do walk 5K's, but my joints/back/knees/pick-a-bodypart don't allow for running. Which is fine. In the case of a zombie apocalypse I'll sacrifice myself for the faster folks .

 

[pigletto]

It's funny, I would have told you my whole life that I was not a runner. But I've always been envious of those who were. I'm currently losing weight, and walk 4-5 miles a day. I average a 14 minute mile, and if I get it much lower I'll be at least jogging lol. I love the brisk walking because it is time to clear my head and think, and time with my dog. I don't know if I would enjoy running as much, but I'm doing a whole bunch of things to surprise myself lately, so you just never know .

 

[Jaya]

I can't seem to get into a "rhythm" in running. I run very jerkily. Walking, now.....I crank up my Ipod with the right music beat and I can walk forever. But if I try to run to music, it's a disaster. I think walking is just a good for you as running, with a lot less wear and tear on the body.

 

[ashley0139]

I do not run unless chased.

I've tried it. I hated it. I got to day 1 of couch to 5k. I was a gymnast for my entire childhood/teen years and we had to run. It was torture.

 

[John VN]

CHI WALKING by Danny Dreyer is the read for those who want very low impact and a faster walking pace. Even with bad knees, I was able to walk the Space Coast Half Marathon in 2:11:10, a 10 minute per mile pace and my first Marathon in under 5 hours, 2011 WDW Marathon. The technique addresses total body positioning to achieve the proper "chi" position for efficient usage of muscles for the maximum energy output.

Well, since I can barely walk at a brisk pace without rolling the ankle I can't feel anymore it's kind of a moot point lol. Though I DID try to go back to at least to walking/race walking after I healed after the first surgery. I didn't enjoy it and it didn't work well for me. Sadder still, I'm a professional horse trainer and riding instructor and the numb foot prevents me from riding properly anymore as well.

I'm sure you have been fitted for proper shoes so I am just curious as to why you still roll???? RACE Walking is a technique that is very difficult to master properly and can be injurious to legs/hips. I CAN NOT race walk because my knees would just blow-out and I would be on the ground crawling.

FOR ALL YOU WALKERS!!!!! PLEASE do not dismiss your abilities or achievements. Throughout yesterday's Marathon, I constantly heard the announcers energizing the "RUNNERS" as we passed by and always wondered why nothing was put out for the majority who were walking. Guess many would feel slighted being referred to as a "walker" instead of a "runner."

I would shout out to fellow walkers that we are the endurance athletes, NOT THOSE GIFTED INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN RUN A MARATHON IN 2:30+/- . We were the athletes out there for 5, 6 or 7 hours still pounding the pavement while the FAST ones ARE ENJOYING thr beer and food or what-ever.

 

[Disneylover99]

I used to run on my own and I always hated it. Now I coach cross country and sprints/relay. Sometimes I run with the kids to set a good example. But I still hate it.

 

[scrhsa]

The great thing is not everyone has to run! I swim, kayak, and hike, but if a tiger was chasing me I would just lay down and say my goodbyes.

Fight, flight or.....crumple? Yeah, that's me, I crumple. Or as my dd says " its less stressful just to get eaten"

I used to be a runner in school. Yeah, not so much now I do the walking thing too!

 

[Jennasis]

I'm sure you have been fitted for proper shoes so I am just curious as to why you still roll???? r.

Yes, I have. You'll just have to accept I won't be recreationally running/walking anymore...I have LOL. I'm active in plenty of other ways and do plenty of walking daily necessitated in the course of my job (we run a horse farm) but I'm not willing to risk snapping an ankle to go for a recreational walk or run and with the tenuous hold I have on my spinal health and the lack of feeling in my leg/foot that plus worrying makes it NO FUN. I appreciate your interest in second guessing my choices, but I've made peace with it all.

 

[John VN]

Good luck and I did not mean to force the issue. Many of us have issues that minimize or eliminate choices we have for enjoyment and we simply accept and overcome. Our 8yo, yesterday, DGD with Spina Bifida just had a 90 minute experience with a horse at a rescue ranch that included grooming, tacking and then riding. Too bad for DD, DGD now wants her own horse.

 

[MIGrandma]

I'm not a runner. I do love walking though. When I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at the time I had a double pulmonary embolism (in 2003) I started walking. I couldn't walk, talk and breathe at the same time, so it was difficult at first but I kept plugging away and was up to walking anywhere from 2-5 miles a day, 6 days a week. I've kind of slacked off and don't walk as much as I should (in the winter I do the Walk Away The Pounds videos) but I do enjoy it when I get out and do it. I prefer walking in the park/cemetery rather than out here in the country. Not much to see out here but corn/soy bean fields and the occasional house. I generally like to park at the park and walk half way back (they have a nice walking trail around the perimeter of the park) then cross over the railroad tracks and walk in the cemetery. It's so peaceful in the cemetery, and lots of birds and squirrels, and no fear of a car running me over. And I can stop at my Dad's grave and visit with him too. Then after walking all the roads in the cemetery I'll cross back over to the park and finish the trail there.

We have property up north and DH has cut walking/riding trails in the woods and we love walking up there. We see deer, birds, porcupines, etc. And we love going to other nature trails up there, Montcalm Community College has a great trail that is open to the public so we enjoy that. And I love walking on the beach whenever we have that opportunity as well.

Sometimes I listen to upbeat "walking" music on my phone while I walk, and other times I just enjoy listening to all the nature sounds around me.

Maybe if I lost another 20 pounds or so I'd give jogging a try though. Don't think I'd ever be a runner, and can't see myself doing any type of marathon either. I've done the 10-mile CROP walk before and do enjoy that.

 

[Elleshoodat]

Another non-runner here. I ran for about a year between having my children, but I haven't enjoyed it since my youngest was born -- and he turns 2 in March.

I don't have anything against running, really, but I prefer strength training, Zumba, yoga and good ol' walking.

 

[Bec3b1g]

I work out in a gym regularly. I cannot use a treadmill. Something about it messes with my equilibrium. I can run on a track just fine.

 

[TAX GUY]

 

[Disney Ella]

I think running is torture too. It's not fun for me at all. I don't get any kind of high from it, but then I don't get a high from any kind of exercise. (I still exercise. I just don't get a euphoric feeling from it unfortunately. I wish I did so I would want to do it even more.)

 

[pryncess527]

I'm more of a fast walker with the occasional jog mixed in. i do aspire to more running though, i'm trying to get my 10k time down to an hour. long walks & the elliptical were my entry point. then one day I was curious how fast I could run a mile (as compared to how fast I do a mile on the elliptical), so i laced up my shoes and went outside. I quickly fell in love with being outside and have preferred running to the elliptical ever since (though on cold mornings like today, the elliptical still wins!)

 

[Micca]

Add me to the list of folks who never liked to run, even as a kid. Walking is fine as long as it's somewhere between 50 and 85 degrees.

 

[Pugsly]

I have asthma, have had it since I was an infant. I've always thought the reason I have such a hard time running is because I can't breathe. But I know a few friends who also have asthma, who love to run. Maybe I just don't like running.

I recently did a 400 meter time trial. The rest of my class ran it around 1:20. Me? Bringing up the rear at 1:50 - and that was a 15-second improvement over my last time trial! Also recently, given the choice to run a mile or row 2000 meters, I chose rowing - no question about it!

 

[camreesmom]

I would love to be a runner but I get horrible shin splints just walking fast. I always tell people the only time I run is if my life or my kids' lives are in danger OR I'm going to miss a flight......lol.