Now that summer is upon us, we gotta talk about what you're wearing. Not about whether it's fashionable (who cares?), but about whether it's weather-appropriate. I have found that the vast majority of exercise-attire errors are made when people wear too damn much clothing.
Keep in mind: you are exercising. Hopefully at a moderate- or high-intensity, at least most of the time. Exercising = burning calories = heat generation. During an intense workout, you can wear clothes for about 30 degrees warmer than the current temperature. Meaning, if it is 40 degrees outside and you are doing a race, you can wear something you would wear to be comfortable if it was 70 degrees outside and you were just hanging out in a lawn chair. Many runners do not grasp this concept, and walkers are even worse because the thought "I'm just walking" makes them hesitant to dress lightly.
The number one thing to remember is, you should not dress for "hanging out in the start corral." You should dress for mile 10 (or in a 5K, dress for mile 2.5). It is actually very difficult to "under-dress" for a race, unless the temperatures are well below freezing. Even if you show up in a tank top and shorts on a 30-degree day, you will likely eventually warm up enough to be comfortable.
Here are two examples of races I have done and whether or not I was appropriately dressed.
A) I did a half marathon in suburban Illinois in late November. It was about 10 degrees and windy, and I was hoping to PR, so dressing light was important. I wore long tights, a support tank top, and a light jacket, as well as a hat and gloves. I was dressed WAY too light for the weather, for the only time in my walking career. It took me until mile 12 to stop shivering. As a result, my time was about 3-4 minutes slower than it should have been, because the cold caused me to tighten up.
B) I did the Chicago Marathon in October. It was in the high 30s at the start (supposed to warm up to about 50), and I was hoping for a HUGE PR, so again, I wanted to dress light. I put on capri tights, a support tank top (the same one as race A), armwarmers I made out of youth soccer socks, throwaway gloves, and a headband. I was dressed perfectly. Everyone else in the way-back corral was dressed heavier than me, most of them way heavier (we're talking two layers on bottom, three on top). I guarantee most of them had to throw away at least one layer, or tie a layer around their waist and Sherpa it back to the finish. The only thing I ditched: my throwaway gloves, and even then it wasn't until about mile 18.
So as we can see, it is very important to dress properly in fall and winter races in particular. And when the weather heats up, do not be that person who continues wearing long sleeves and long pants when the thermometer is north of 60 degrees. Being slightly cold for the first mile is well worth the dividends of being able to generate more heat and work harder in later miles. Very rarely will a person regret dressing light for a race. Practice before race day and remember, you are dressing for the last 1/3 of a race, not the first.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Show Your Medal [sic]
The best thing about completing half marathons or farther? Medals. Medals are the greatest things on Earth. They are something you can wear around your neck that says, "hey, my hamstrings are sore right now." I have accumulated a lot of medals in my day, but even I am not as proud of my medals as my mom is of hers. That's right, I talked my mother (58 years old at the time) into walking a half marathon with me some years ago. She got through 10 miles just fine, then started Midwestern Whining. That's where someone says with a thick Wisconsin accent, "Clare, this isn't fun anymore," and "I'm just not having a good time." She did finish, though, and although back problems will prevent her from doing any more races, she has her finisher medal proudly displayed in her kitchen!
If you have only one or two finisher medals, you can just stick them wherever without thinking much about it. If you have amassed what can be called a "collection," you might want to consider other options for displaying them. Here are a few that I have either done, considered, or seen.
1) Shadow-box. I actually have one medal in a shadow-box, along with my bib. That is my 2012 Chicago Marathon medal, which was my PR marathon. I have it stationed right in front of my treadmill and I stare at the finish time that I wrote in there as I push myself to go faster. My husband has an identical shadow-box for his PR Ironman.
Besides our shadow-box medals, we have made fine use of...
2) Curtain rods. Yep. We have four curtain rods (two on top, and two on bottom) mounted on our wall in our Fitness Room - slash - den, above the couch. My husband's medals are on the top two rods, and mine are on the bottom. They are hung in chronological order and it is very easy to add more as they come along. They also make a satisfying tinkling sound if you run your hands through them. If you have a LOT of medals, this is the best way I have figured out to display them.
Another possibility is...
3) Peg board. You often see these boards with pegs hanging by people's doors for coats to be placed upon. They can also be used for medals. If you get a board with, say, four pegs, you can put several medals on each peg. This is a nice, tidy way to display your medals.
If you are feeling particularly sassy, you can do...
4) Letterman's jacket. This is more of a high schooler thing, but you can take medals off their ribbons and safety-pin them to a letter jacket. I knew a track star in high school whose jacket probably weighed as much as he did, and he could NOT sneak up on ANYONE.
These are all fabulous options for displaying your medals, and I'm sure you guys can think of more. Why display your medals? You earned them, so why not? And it is motivating to see a collection of medals grow and grow, or to remind yourself of your accomplishments.
If you have only one or two finisher medals, you can just stick them wherever without thinking much about it. If you have amassed what can be called a "collection," you might want to consider other options for displaying them. Here are a few that I have either done, considered, or seen.
1) Shadow-box. I actually have one medal in a shadow-box, along with my bib. That is my 2012 Chicago Marathon medal, which was my PR marathon. I have it stationed right in front of my treadmill and I stare at the finish time that I wrote in there as I push myself to go faster. My husband has an identical shadow-box for his PR Ironman.
Besides our shadow-box medals, we have made fine use of...
2) Curtain rods. Yep. We have four curtain rods (two on top, and two on bottom) mounted on our wall in our Fitness Room - slash - den, above the couch. My husband's medals are on the top two rods, and mine are on the bottom. They are hung in chronological order and it is very easy to add more as they come along. They also make a satisfying tinkling sound if you run your hands through them. If you have a LOT of medals, this is the best way I have figured out to display them.
Another possibility is...
3) Peg board. You often see these boards with pegs hanging by people's doors for coats to be placed upon. They can also be used for medals. If you get a board with, say, four pegs, you can put several medals on each peg. This is a nice, tidy way to display your medals.
If you are feeling particularly sassy, you can do...
4) Letterman's jacket. This is more of a high schooler thing, but you can take medals off their ribbons and safety-pin them to a letter jacket. I knew a track star in high school whose jacket probably weighed as much as he did, and he could NOT sneak up on ANYONE.
These are all fabulous options for displaying your medals, and I'm sure you guys can think of more. Why display your medals? You earned them, so why not? And it is motivating to see a collection of medals grow and grow, or to remind yourself of your accomplishments.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Walking in the Streets
I realized I had left off an important facet of etiquette: walking in the street. Like, where cars go. And not during a race, where there are street closures and such things are A-okay. In my town (and maybe I just live in a really dumb town), a LOT of people walk in the street, and they seem incapable of doing it properly. Let's just really quickly go down the (un)common-sense rules of walking where cars are driving.
1) For the love of baby Jesus in the manger, DO NOT WALK IN THE STREET WHEN THERE IS A SIDEWALK AVAILABLE. The only exception to this is if there has been a recent blizzard and the sidewalks are covered in deep snow, but the roads are plowed. Even then, think about taking your workout indoors, because that shit is unsafe. I constantly see people walking in the middle of the street when there are perfectly good sidewalks on both sides. On that note,
2) DO NOT WALK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. I mean, really, folks. This is not a challenging one. Stay as far to the side as you possibly can. Which side? Let's see...
3) ALWAYS WALK AGAINST TRAFFIC. You should just assume that motorists are trying to hit you. Hell, most of them are texting anyway, so they might as well be trying to hit you. It's up to you to stay alive through your workout. If you are looking at the cars coming toward you, you can adjust course or jump out of the way as needed. Don't rely on being able to hear cars coming up behind you. Also, for land's sake,
4) DO NOT WEAR HEADPHONES WHEN YOU WALK IN THE STREET. This is just using a self-preservation instinct. You need every sense you've got when you are talking about two-ton vehicles coming within mere feet of you at high speed. With drivers who are posting on Facebook or Snapchat.
Again, if you can avoid walking in the street, do so. If this requires you to take a parallel street that has sidewalks, or go a bit out of your way to reach a recreational trail, do it. But if you must walk in the street, follow the above safety tips so you make it home. Or you could be like this one lady I saw, who was jogging WITH headphones, WITH traffic, WITH a baby in a stroller, IN the middle of the street, and she did not move out of the way when I approached. Although I didn't hit her that day, she may or may not be dead now. Who knows? This is why we have rules!
1) For the love of baby Jesus in the manger, DO NOT WALK IN THE STREET WHEN THERE IS A SIDEWALK AVAILABLE. The only exception to this is if there has been a recent blizzard and the sidewalks are covered in deep snow, but the roads are plowed. Even then, think about taking your workout indoors, because that shit is unsafe. I constantly see people walking in the middle of the street when there are perfectly good sidewalks on both sides. On that note,
2) DO NOT WALK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. I mean, really, folks. This is not a challenging one. Stay as far to the side as you possibly can. Which side? Let's see...
3) ALWAYS WALK AGAINST TRAFFIC. You should just assume that motorists are trying to hit you. Hell, most of them are texting anyway, so they might as well be trying to hit you. It's up to you to stay alive through your workout. If you are looking at the cars coming toward you, you can adjust course or jump out of the way as needed. Don't rely on being able to hear cars coming up behind you. Also, for land's sake,
4) DO NOT WEAR HEADPHONES WHEN YOU WALK IN THE STREET. This is just using a self-preservation instinct. You need every sense you've got when you are talking about two-ton vehicles coming within mere feet of you at high speed. With drivers who are posting on Facebook or Snapchat.
Again, if you can avoid walking in the street, do so. If this requires you to take a parallel street that has sidewalks, or go a bit out of your way to reach a recreational trail, do it. But if you must walk in the street, follow the above safety tips so you make it home. Or you could be like this one lady I saw, who was jogging WITH headphones, WITH traffic, WITH a baby in a stroller, IN the middle of the street, and she did not move out of the way when I approached. Although I didn't hit her that day, she may or may not be dead now. Who knows? This is why we have rules!
Sunday, May 22, 2016
10 Rules of Etiquette
Listen up, fellow walkers. You know a lot of runners don't like us. The bad apples are ruining the bunch. Race and trail etiquette are critical for everyone, but especially for walkers like us. Proper etiquette can be the difference between getting mad respect and just getting people mad. Maybe you just don't know proper race and trail etiquette. Memorize this list. Everyone will thank you. Possibly literally!
1) Keep right. This is rule #1. Here in America, we drive on the right side of the road. Trails are no different. During a race, you are welcome to take the tangents, but in general you keep right, and as far right as you can. After passing someone, you guessed it, move your ass back over to the right. I have personally seen cyclists almost slam into each other because one of them didn't stay on the right side of the trail even while going around a blind corner. While we're at it...
2) Hold your line. No weaving around. There are few things more frustrating than trying to pass a person who is walking in the middle of the trail and weaving around like a drunk.
3) No sudden stops. If you must stop or slow down (say, you're running/walking an interval), glance behind you and move right before you slow down or stop. Please make sure you are not about to totally block someone.
4) WALK NO MORE THAN TWO ABREAST. This is so important I wrote it in all caps. Whether you are running or walking, stick to two abreast, and stick close together. If I had a dollar for every time I came upon a wall of bitches walking and talking like they're on the show "Sex and the City," I'd have enough money to buy my own track and ban them from entering. If there are three or four of you and you simply MUST walk together, go 2 and 1 or 2 and 2. It is easier to talk if you are clumped up than if you are in a wide line.
(Anecdote: the last race I did was a local 4-miler, and I had to do it with a jogging stroller. At the halfway point, a group of three girls insisted on run/walking three abreast on a very narrow trail. They would run to pass me, then stop and walk much slower than I was walking, so I had to pass them, but they would NOT LET ME. If you have never had road rage while pushing a stroller, I don't recommend it.)
5) If you come upon people on the trail, announce that you are passing. Simply saying "on your left" makes a difference between being courteous and being sort of a dick. Conversely, unlike the women in my anecdote, if you hear someone say "on your left," move your ass to the right.
6) Do not litter. Seriously. If you have garbage with you (like you brought a pack of fruit snacks and just finished them), hold onto it until you find a garbage can.
7) In a race, start with your pace. Lining up before the start, you can tell where you belong, usually. If you are walking, generally you will start near the back, or at the back. If you look around and see nothing but 120-lb men wearing very tiny shorts, you are in the wrong place, buddy. Line up where you see folks who look like you. If in doubt, ask the folks around you how they plan to finish, and that may give you a rough idea of their pace compared to yours. Ideally, every race would have pace signs in the start corrals, but that is very rare.
8) At water stops, don't come to a dead stop. Keep your pace or slow down only a little. Learn how to grab beverages at full pace, and learn how to drink at full pace without covering yourself in Powerade. And remember to thank the volunteers!
9) Whether on the trail or in a race, if you must listen to headphones, keep the volume low. You want to hear what is going on around you. I actually am very opposed to wearing headphones during races and on the trails, because it can be dangerous to lose your sense of hearing. In particular, women have been assaulted on trails because wearing headphones makes them vulnerable to being sneaked up on. Save the headphones for the treadmill, or at least keep the volume low enough that you can hear anything around you, especially people saying "on your left." As Captain Holt says on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, "music is a crutch," so think about why you *need* it.
10) In general, beyond what I've already said, try to have as much spatial awareness as possible. Swing your arms front and back, not sideways. Take tangents on the trails only when you know it is safe. In a race, throw your empty cups to the side of the road, don't just drop them or throw them in someone else's path. Always remember that you are not the only one doing a race, or the only one on the trail. Not only that, you are representing walkers out there. Do it well!
1) Keep right. This is rule #1. Here in America, we drive on the right side of the road. Trails are no different. During a race, you are welcome to take the tangents, but in general you keep right, and as far right as you can. After passing someone, you guessed it, move your ass back over to the right. I have personally seen cyclists almost slam into each other because one of them didn't stay on the right side of the trail even while going around a blind corner. While we're at it...
2) Hold your line. No weaving around. There are few things more frustrating than trying to pass a person who is walking in the middle of the trail and weaving around like a drunk.
3) No sudden stops. If you must stop or slow down (say, you're running/walking an interval), glance behind you and move right before you slow down or stop. Please make sure you are not about to totally block someone.
4) WALK NO MORE THAN TWO ABREAST. This is so important I wrote it in all caps. Whether you are running or walking, stick to two abreast, and stick close together. If I had a dollar for every time I came upon a wall of bitches walking and talking like they're on the show "Sex and the City," I'd have enough money to buy my own track and ban them from entering. If there are three or four of you and you simply MUST walk together, go 2 and 1 or 2 and 2. It is easier to talk if you are clumped up than if you are in a wide line.
(Anecdote: the last race I did was a local 4-miler, and I had to do it with a jogging stroller. At the halfway point, a group of three girls insisted on run/walking three abreast on a very narrow trail. They would run to pass me, then stop and walk much slower than I was walking, so I had to pass them, but they would NOT LET ME. If you have never had road rage while pushing a stroller, I don't recommend it.)
5) If you come upon people on the trail, announce that you are passing. Simply saying "on your left" makes a difference between being courteous and being sort of a dick. Conversely, unlike the women in my anecdote, if you hear someone say "on your left," move your ass to the right.
6) Do not litter. Seriously. If you have garbage with you (like you brought a pack of fruit snacks and just finished them), hold onto it until you find a garbage can.
7) In a race, start with your pace. Lining up before the start, you can tell where you belong, usually. If you are walking, generally you will start near the back, or at the back. If you look around and see nothing but 120-lb men wearing very tiny shorts, you are in the wrong place, buddy. Line up where you see folks who look like you. If in doubt, ask the folks around you how they plan to finish, and that may give you a rough idea of their pace compared to yours. Ideally, every race would have pace signs in the start corrals, but that is very rare.
8) At water stops, don't come to a dead stop. Keep your pace or slow down only a little. Learn how to grab beverages at full pace, and learn how to drink at full pace without covering yourself in Powerade. And remember to thank the volunteers!
9) Whether on the trail or in a race, if you must listen to headphones, keep the volume low. You want to hear what is going on around you. I actually am very opposed to wearing headphones during races and on the trails, because it can be dangerous to lose your sense of hearing. In particular, women have been assaulted on trails because wearing headphones makes them vulnerable to being sneaked up on. Save the headphones for the treadmill, or at least keep the volume low enough that you can hear anything around you, especially people saying "on your left." As Captain Holt says on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, "music is a crutch," so think about why you *need* it.
10) In general, beyond what I've already said, try to have as much spatial awareness as possible. Swing your arms front and back, not sideways. Take tangents on the trails only when you know it is safe. In a race, throw your empty cups to the side of the road, don't just drop them or throw them in someone else's path. Always remember that you are not the only one doing a race, or the only one on the trail. Not only that, you are representing walkers out there. Do it well!
Thursday, May 19, 2016
The Importance of Strong Arms
I've had a lot of things "not going for me" physically in my life. One of those things was always weak biceps. Even when I could lift fairly heavy weights, I had very little isometric strength in my upper body.
What does this have to do with walking fast? A LOT. If you have some free time, try a little experiment. Walk one mile as fast as you can, keeping your arms down the whole time. The next day, try it again, but with your elbows bent at 90 degrees the whole time. I have found that simply keeping my arms up results in about a minute per mile faster pace. That is a big damn difference. You are able to pump the arms effectively and use that momentum to help your legs and hips. It also just gets the arms out of the way so you can get proper hip rotation.
Usually when I have trained up my walking distance, the arms are the last things to get strong. It could take me months to get my biceps strong enough to hold my arms up for an entire one-hour workout. Not this time! Why? I had a baby! Carrying a baby around for hours a day, one that grows and therefore increases your resistance gradually over time, is the best way I have found to develop isometric biceps strength that will increase your walking pace.
Obviously, this idea is not practical for everyone. If you do not have access to a newborn baby, you might need to do this differently. Carry things around. If you are standing in line at the store, hold your purse (or a grocery item) in front of you with elbows bent at 90 degrees. Take opportunities to build the strength in your biceps and back so that you can keep your elbows bent for an entire workout, no matter how long. My ridiculous baby-carrying biceps didn't require any training this year, and as a result I am walking as fast as I did when I was 15-20 pounds lighter than I am now. That is the importance of isometric biceps strength - keep those arms up, and train those biceps so they can hold the weight of your forearms for hours. You'll be glad you did!
What does this have to do with walking fast? A LOT. If you have some free time, try a little experiment. Walk one mile as fast as you can, keeping your arms down the whole time. The next day, try it again, but with your elbows bent at 90 degrees the whole time. I have found that simply keeping my arms up results in about a minute per mile faster pace. That is a big damn difference. You are able to pump the arms effectively and use that momentum to help your legs and hips. It also just gets the arms out of the way so you can get proper hip rotation.
Usually when I have trained up my walking distance, the arms are the last things to get strong. It could take me months to get my biceps strong enough to hold my arms up for an entire one-hour workout. Not this time! Why? I had a baby! Carrying a baby around for hours a day, one that grows and therefore increases your resistance gradually over time, is the best way I have found to develop isometric biceps strength that will increase your walking pace.
Obviously, this idea is not practical for everyone. If you do not have access to a newborn baby, you might need to do this differently. Carry things around. If you are standing in line at the store, hold your purse (or a grocery item) in front of you with elbows bent at 90 degrees. Take opportunities to build the strength in your biceps and back so that you can keep your elbows bent for an entire workout, no matter how long. My ridiculous baby-carrying biceps didn't require any training this year, and as a result I am walking as fast as I did when I was 15-20 pounds lighter than I am now. That is the importance of isometric biceps strength - keep those arms up, and train those biceps so they can hold the weight of your forearms for hours. You'll be glad you did!
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Walker-Friendly Races
There are a lot of races out there. It's sometimes hard to tell which ones will be walker-friendly. How do I qualify a walker-friendly race? Long time limit, good course entertainment or crowds for all finish times, and a good number of slow folks participating.
First of all, I will list the two races I plan to do within the next year that actually have walking divisions: the Fox Cities Half Marathon in Menasha, WI; and the Cleveland Marathon. These races have awards for walkers. It's all based on the honor system, so don't run at all and don't be a cheater about it. But having age group awards for walkers is extremely rare. I'm going for overall awards, though. ;)
Now, here are a bunch of larger, longer races I have done (not an exhaustive list - I've actually done 24 half marathons and 5 full finishes - 1 DNF) and their degrees of walker friendliness, from least to most friendly.
Des Moines Marathon. They advertised this course as being open for 7 hours, but halfway through, on track to finish in 6:30, I found they were shutting down all the aid stations and opening traffic on the course. I became dehydrated (no water stations, and the course cyclists didn't have ANY LIQUIDS, WTF) and got heat-sick, forcing a dropout between miles 18 and 19. I complained, and they gave me free entry the following year. I did the half marathon instead and found it to be a great time. They may have fixed this problem, but I won't risk the full again.
Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. Very few slow folks, very few spectators. That said, they have a 7-hour time limit and great swag. GREAT swag. Seriously. And the best finisher medal I've gotten.
Green Bay Marathon. 7-hour time limit is strict for anyone who wants to finish in Lambeau Field. I really wanted to finish in Lambeau Field but I blew it and finished in 7:45. This one was my own fault for aid station closures, but the finish line crew was extremely nice. I expect nothing less in northern Wisconsin.
Chicago Marathon. I have walked this one twice. The first time I finished in 6:35 (6:30 time limit). The second time I finished in 5:44. Both times the race was crowded with participants, had great and frequent aid stations, and lots of spectator support. Chicago is a total party. I preferred when I went faster, though, because it is fun to be one of the only walkers at that pace on the road. You may get tangled up in a pace team, though. I found I was leapfrogging the 5:45 pace group constantly, because they were run/walking and were very annoying about it. Caveat emptor.
Fargo Half Marathon. As an upper-Midwest native, I figured Fargo would be a friendly place to do a race. That is an understatement. The people of Fargo are very proud of their city and are extremely pleasant. The race was an absolute blast. College students were all over the place offering beers and high-fives. Tons of on-course entertainment. Start and finish at the FargoDome, which is about as pleasantly climate-controlled as you can get for hanging out before and after a race. Lots of participants of all speeds and creeds. Every walker or runner should do this one. My running husband (around 3:30 finishes) did the full and loved it equally.
Walt Disney World Half/Full Marathon. I have done both of these, and they are the mecca of walkers. Beware that they have a STRICT 3:30/7 hour time limit, and will sweep you if you fall behind. But if you can keep pace, there are few races as walker-friendly as these. If you are a reasonably fast walker, you will likely finish in the top half of any race at Disney. The medals are awesome, the courses are awesome, and your family won't be bored waiting around for you to come by. The only downside is they start so early that you need to wake up by 3 AM to get to the start. But if you can drag yourself out of bed, you will be surrounded by fellow walkers.
Issues With Walker-Friendly Races
All this being said, there are sometimes problems doing a walker-friendly race that may make you want to stay away. The more walkers there are, the more "newbies" there are. These are people for whom race etiquette is a totally foreign concept. My general advice is to get and stay ahead of such newbies. If you are too slow to get/stay ahead of them, then just go with the flow and try to have fun.
Also beware the "walker-friendly" race. Note the quotes. I did a local half marathon in 2012 that was put on by a local race director. I will not name this guy, so as not to give him any business. Anyway, he claimed his race was walker-friendly and even had walking awards! It was my goal in life to place in this race. To make a long story short, I busted my ass and came less than a second from total victory, but I reassured myself that at least I came in second and I'd actually won an award for the first time ever. At the awards ceremony there were three awards for every division, even age groups that had only 2 finishers. But there was just one overall walker award. ONE. When I asked about it, the race director said I should be glad he even had a walking division. The lesson learned here: some races claim to be "walker-friendly" because they want your money, but they really have no respect for you. Make sure you do a bit of homework on whatever race you plan to do. It might save you an entry fee!
First of all, I will list the two races I plan to do within the next year that actually have walking divisions: the Fox Cities Half Marathon in Menasha, WI; and the Cleveland Marathon. These races have awards for walkers. It's all based on the honor system, so don't run at all and don't be a cheater about it. But having age group awards for walkers is extremely rare. I'm going for overall awards, though. ;)
Now, here are a bunch of larger, longer races I have done (not an exhaustive list - I've actually done 24 half marathons and 5 full finishes - 1 DNF) and their degrees of walker friendliness, from least to most friendly.
Des Moines Marathon. They advertised this course as being open for 7 hours, but halfway through, on track to finish in 6:30, I found they were shutting down all the aid stations and opening traffic on the course. I became dehydrated (no water stations, and the course cyclists didn't have ANY LIQUIDS, WTF) and got heat-sick, forcing a dropout between miles 18 and 19. I complained, and they gave me free entry the following year. I did the half marathon instead and found it to be a great time. They may have fixed this problem, but I won't risk the full again.
Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. Very few slow folks, very few spectators. That said, they have a 7-hour time limit and great swag. GREAT swag. Seriously. And the best finisher medal I've gotten.
Green Bay Marathon. 7-hour time limit is strict for anyone who wants to finish in Lambeau Field. I really wanted to finish in Lambeau Field but I blew it and finished in 7:45. This one was my own fault for aid station closures, but the finish line crew was extremely nice. I expect nothing less in northern Wisconsin.
Chicago Marathon. I have walked this one twice. The first time I finished in 6:35 (6:30 time limit). The second time I finished in 5:44. Both times the race was crowded with participants, had great and frequent aid stations, and lots of spectator support. Chicago is a total party. I preferred when I went faster, though, because it is fun to be one of the only walkers at that pace on the road. You may get tangled up in a pace team, though. I found I was leapfrogging the 5:45 pace group constantly, because they were run/walking and were very annoying about it. Caveat emptor.
Fargo Half Marathon. As an upper-Midwest native, I figured Fargo would be a friendly place to do a race. That is an understatement. The people of Fargo are very proud of their city and are extremely pleasant. The race was an absolute blast. College students were all over the place offering beers and high-fives. Tons of on-course entertainment. Start and finish at the FargoDome, which is about as pleasantly climate-controlled as you can get for hanging out before and after a race. Lots of participants of all speeds and creeds. Every walker or runner should do this one. My running husband (around 3:30 finishes) did the full and loved it equally.
Walt Disney World Half/Full Marathon. I have done both of these, and they are the mecca of walkers. Beware that they have a STRICT 3:30/7 hour time limit, and will sweep you if you fall behind. But if you can keep pace, there are few races as walker-friendly as these. If you are a reasonably fast walker, you will likely finish in the top half of any race at Disney. The medals are awesome, the courses are awesome, and your family won't be bored waiting around for you to come by. The only downside is they start so early that you need to wake up by 3 AM to get to the start. But if you can drag yourself out of bed, you will be surrounded by fellow walkers.
Issues With Walker-Friendly Races
All this being said, there are sometimes problems doing a walker-friendly race that may make you want to stay away. The more walkers there are, the more "newbies" there are. These are people for whom race etiquette is a totally foreign concept. My general advice is to get and stay ahead of such newbies. If you are too slow to get/stay ahead of them, then just go with the flow and try to have fun.
Also beware the "walker-friendly" race. Note the quotes. I did a local half marathon in 2012 that was put on by a local race director. I will not name this guy, so as not to give him any business. Anyway, he claimed his race was walker-friendly and even had walking awards! It was my goal in life to place in this race. To make a long story short, I busted my ass and came less than a second from total victory, but I reassured myself that at least I came in second and I'd actually won an award for the first time ever. At the awards ceremony there were three awards for every division, even age groups that had only 2 finishers. But there was just one overall walker award. ONE. When I asked about it, the race director said I should be glad he even had a walking division. The lesson learned here: some races claim to be "walker-friendly" because they want your money, but they really have no respect for you. Make sure you do a bit of homework on whatever race you plan to do. It might save you an entry fee!
Walking VS Run/Walk Intervals
I started out as a proud devotee of the Galloway method. Jeff Galloway advocates for run/walk intervals. In other words, if you can't run continually, you can start out maybe with run 1 minute, walk 3 minutes intervals, and work your way up to maybe running 5 minutes, walking 1 minute, and so on. Maybe eventually you would run the whole time, but walk breaks are valuable for keeping you injury-free and preventing the infamous "bonk." I even MET Jeff Galloway - he sat with me at the 2011 Des Moines Marathon pasta dinner. Life goal: achieved. (He was very pleasant!)
After I kept getting injured (see my first blog post), I made a gradual switch to exclusive walking. My last foray into running at all was the Fargo Half Marathon, where I only ran down hills. Ever since then, it has been all walking, all the time, and I haven't looked back. But is walking for you? Or are you better served by intervals? There are a few questions to ask yourself.
1) Do you get bored easily? As a personal trainer, I tend to recommend interval cardio to my clients who find exercise boring or otherwise tedious. Having a bit of difficult followed by a bit of easy makes it more motivating to get through the hard parts of cardio. If that is appealing to you, you may want to do a run/walk interval method. If on the other hand you prefer a consistent pace and/or want to either continually push yourself or continually "coast" (depending on the workout), walking alone might be for you. There are no right or wrong answers, it's just personal preference.
2) Do you have poor walking technique? If so, you can improve upon it. But if that is just not a fun option, and you are hopelessly slow at walking (many men are like this, because they don't have naturally good hip rotation), you will probably prefer to run/walk. Conversely, if you have poor running technique (*raises hand*), you will want to walk to avoid injury.
3) Who would you rather be - the tortoise, or the hare? If you are a good walker, but you just get bored with it and feel like running (tm Forrest Gump), and you are doing a shorter race, you may feel the need to get done as quickly as possible via run/walk. In a 5K, you will probably beat most walkers this way. I will tell you, though, that I have beaten MANY run/walkers in longer distances. Half and full marathons are the bread and butter of the endurance walker. There are few things more gratifying than passing that rabbit in the later miles and seeing them look totally miserable because they started out too fast. A good run/walk interval can eliminate that slowdown, though, so not every run/walker is the hare in this scenario. But it is something to think about.
4) How far are you going? To add on to what I said in point 3, running in half and full marathon training can add up and become difficult on the body. If you follow a proper training plan, that may be enough to avoid injury, but then again it depends on you and your physiology.
5) How important is the "I'm a runner" identity to you? For many, it is extremely important. Extremely. I remember the first time I had "good job, walker" yelled at me during a race, and I was offended. "Hey, I'm running too! Every 3 minutes!" I thought. Now I love representing the walking community, especially when people say I am walking fast, or better yet, "you look so relaxed for walking so fast!" But for people who worked hard to overcome difficulties and run, the identity is very important. My thoughts: if you run for more than 1 minute of every mile, you're a runner.
Not everyone is destined to fully embrace walking as their sole race strategy, but hopefully run/walkers will find a lot they can use on this blog. I have found in the past that working on walking faster is the easiest way to improve my race times as a run/walker. Running faster = injury city. Walking faster = new PR.
After I kept getting injured (see my first blog post), I made a gradual switch to exclusive walking. My last foray into running at all was the Fargo Half Marathon, where I only ran down hills. Ever since then, it has been all walking, all the time, and I haven't looked back. But is walking for you? Or are you better served by intervals? There are a few questions to ask yourself.
1) Do you get bored easily? As a personal trainer, I tend to recommend interval cardio to my clients who find exercise boring or otherwise tedious. Having a bit of difficult followed by a bit of easy makes it more motivating to get through the hard parts of cardio. If that is appealing to you, you may want to do a run/walk interval method. If on the other hand you prefer a consistent pace and/or want to either continually push yourself or continually "coast" (depending on the workout), walking alone might be for you. There are no right or wrong answers, it's just personal preference.
2) Do you have poor walking technique? If so, you can improve upon it. But if that is just not a fun option, and you are hopelessly slow at walking (many men are like this, because they don't have naturally good hip rotation), you will probably prefer to run/walk. Conversely, if you have poor running technique (*raises hand*), you will want to walk to avoid injury.
3) Who would you rather be - the tortoise, or the hare? If you are a good walker, but you just get bored with it and feel like running (tm Forrest Gump), and you are doing a shorter race, you may feel the need to get done as quickly as possible via run/walk. In a 5K, you will probably beat most walkers this way. I will tell you, though, that I have beaten MANY run/walkers in longer distances. Half and full marathons are the bread and butter of the endurance walker. There are few things more gratifying than passing that rabbit in the later miles and seeing them look totally miserable because they started out too fast. A good run/walk interval can eliminate that slowdown, though, so not every run/walker is the hare in this scenario. But it is something to think about.
4) How far are you going? To add on to what I said in point 3, running in half and full marathon training can add up and become difficult on the body. If you follow a proper training plan, that may be enough to avoid injury, but then again it depends on you and your physiology.
5) How important is the "I'm a runner" identity to you? For many, it is extremely important. Extremely. I remember the first time I had "good job, walker" yelled at me during a race, and I was offended. "Hey, I'm running too! Every 3 minutes!" I thought. Now I love representing the walking community, especially when people say I am walking fast, or better yet, "you look so relaxed for walking so fast!" But for people who worked hard to overcome difficulties and run, the identity is very important. My thoughts: if you run for more than 1 minute of every mile, you're a runner.
Not everyone is destined to fully embrace walking as their sole race strategy, but hopefully run/walkers will find a lot they can use on this blog. I have found in the past that working on walking faster is the easiest way to improve my race times as a run/walker. Running faster = injury city. Walking faster = new PR.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Hips Don't Lie
Physically, the primary difference between running and walking is hip agility. The more agile you train your hips to be, the faster you will be able to walk. I've seen a lot of people walking quickly who look like they are stomping around Godzilla-style, using their quads to power their way in a CLOMP CLOMP fashion. This is not going to get you anywhere, semi-metaphorically speaking. Quick walking is more similar to what you see when you tell an 8-year-old to stop running around a swimming pool. "DON'T RUN!!!" *they scurry along at the fastest possible pace that can still be called "walking"*
So how do adults achieve that stride? Practice, practice, practice. The two keys to hip agility are: flexibility, and turnover. Let's look at each.
Flexibility is the ability of the hip joint to move. Now, the hip is a ball-and-socket joint, so it can move in a lot of directions. There are also a lot of muscles that connect around this area, but we'll just think about a few. The glutes (scientific name: badonkadonkus giganticus) are the hip extensors. They should be the primary pushers. Your body has to propel forward somehow, and it is easier to "push" it (big glute muscles) than to "pull" it (small hip flexors), particularly uphill. As I just stated, you have the hip flexors in the front. The outsides are the abductors, and the insides (inner thighs) are the adductors. These are used for rotation, which is key for turnover, which we'll get to in a bit. But gaining the flexibility to move the hip joint efficiently within a fuller range of motion (ROM) can only be done through diligent training, with each walking session followed by a lot of stretching.
My standard stretching routine hits all the major muscle groups of the body, and includes 5 different hip stretches: inner thighs, outer thighs, glutes/hamstrings, hip flexors, and upper abductors. There is some debate in sports medicine about static vs dynamic stretching, but empirically I am a big fan of static stretches. Holding these stretches for over 30 seconds each (until the muscle relaxes) will help improve your flexibility. If a muscle is really fighting you, you can go a bit more dynamic and "rock into" the stretch until it relaxes enough to hold static.
Turnover is the speed with which you can move your feet. "Ideal running turnover" is 180 strides per minute. This is considered absolute perfection for endurance running. Walking is something different, and it is probably only top Olympic racewalkers who could approach 180. Ideal walking cadence is probably more like 140. Generally I recommend a novice walker focus only on taking short, fast steps, without worrying about the count. Short and quick steps are the absolute key to walking fast. Most people who are told "walk quickly for a block" or so will overstride, taking huge steps. This is WRONG-O, y'all. Overstriding can lead to injury, which is exactly what we started walking to avoid. Short and fast, that's the way to do it. Whenever you walk, you should focus on a quick turnover. If you are working on flexibility after your workouts, your stride will lengthen naturally, without you even thinking about it. Again, don't think about your stride length, because you don't have to. Focus only on turnover during the workout, with "short," quick steps. Eventually you will find that your "short" steps are getting longer because your hip ROM is increasing with each workout.
The exciting thing about focusing on your hips is that you should see very steady gains for the first several months of a walking regimen. If you are a beginning walker with a good diet and you are going about 15-25 miles a week, you should see about a minute per mile pace increase every 2 months if you focus on turnover and post-workout flexibility.
So how do adults achieve that stride? Practice, practice, practice. The two keys to hip agility are: flexibility, and turnover. Let's look at each.
Flexibility is the ability of the hip joint to move. Now, the hip is a ball-and-socket joint, so it can move in a lot of directions. There are also a lot of muscles that connect around this area, but we'll just think about a few. The glutes (scientific name: badonkadonkus giganticus) are the hip extensors. They should be the primary pushers. Your body has to propel forward somehow, and it is easier to "push" it (big glute muscles) than to "pull" it (small hip flexors), particularly uphill. As I just stated, you have the hip flexors in the front. The outsides are the abductors, and the insides (inner thighs) are the adductors. These are used for rotation, which is key for turnover, which we'll get to in a bit. But gaining the flexibility to move the hip joint efficiently within a fuller range of motion (ROM) can only be done through diligent training, with each walking session followed by a lot of stretching.
My standard stretching routine hits all the major muscle groups of the body, and includes 5 different hip stretches: inner thighs, outer thighs, glutes/hamstrings, hip flexors, and upper abductors. There is some debate in sports medicine about static vs dynamic stretching, but empirically I am a big fan of static stretches. Holding these stretches for over 30 seconds each (until the muscle relaxes) will help improve your flexibility. If a muscle is really fighting you, you can go a bit more dynamic and "rock into" the stretch until it relaxes enough to hold static.
Turnover is the speed with which you can move your feet. "Ideal running turnover" is 180 strides per minute. This is considered absolute perfection for endurance running. Walking is something different, and it is probably only top Olympic racewalkers who could approach 180. Ideal walking cadence is probably more like 140. Generally I recommend a novice walker focus only on taking short, fast steps, without worrying about the count. Short and quick steps are the absolute key to walking fast. Most people who are told "walk quickly for a block" or so will overstride, taking huge steps. This is WRONG-O, y'all. Overstriding can lead to injury, which is exactly what we started walking to avoid. Short and fast, that's the way to do it. Whenever you walk, you should focus on a quick turnover. If you are working on flexibility after your workouts, your stride will lengthen naturally, without you even thinking about it. Again, don't think about your stride length, because you don't have to. Focus only on turnover during the workout, with "short," quick steps. Eventually you will find that your "short" steps are getting longer because your hip ROM is increasing with each workout.
The exciting thing about focusing on your hips is that you should see very steady gains for the first several months of a walking regimen. If you are a beginning walker with a good diet and you are going about 15-25 miles a week, you should see about a minute per mile pace increase every 2 months if you focus on turnover and post-workout flexibility.
Blisters are Bastards
In many ways, walking is easier than running. As a lower-impact activity, it is certainly "easier" on the joints and connective tissues, and is generally done at a lower heart rate than running (although that is certainly debatable once you work hard enough). But there is one place where walkers have runners beat: the bottoms of the feet. Because walking puts the bottom of your foot in 3x more contact with the ground, and because your foot rolls more from toe to heel, you have more friction and therefore...blisters!
I have dealt with monster blisters ever since I started walking more than running. I'm talking about blisters up to and including 2.5 inches in diameter. Multiple of those. On both feet. Sometimes blood-filled. The struggle is real, folks. Here I want to discuss the two main types of blisters and how to prevent and treat them. This is all drawn from my personal experience, so if you have persistent blisters and my tips don't help, I recommend you visit a podiatrist with experience treating athletes.
Blister Type 1: Small Friction Blisters
If your blisters are small (less than 3/4 inch diameter) and shallow, they are probably caused by tight spots in your shoes. Sometimes you have shoes that rub you wrong, particularly in the toe or heel. If you frequently get small blisters in the same spot, it is probably blister type 1.
Prevention: There are a few things to try. First and most obviously, you might have the wrong shoes. Certain brands of shoes fit the foot differently. Examples: Asics have a straighter last, while Nike has a wider forefoot. Find out how your foot is shaped and get a professional's opinion about what kind of shoes are best. The local running store is a good start, but make it clear that you are WALKING. Hopefully they will know how to help you. If your shoes are a bit too tight, size up a bit. You should have 1/2 inch of space in the toes to accommodate normal foot swelling during exercise. This may also explain why shoes that you bought while cold get too tight once you're hot and working hard. I always recommend trying on shoes immediately after a long workout, when your feet are swelled, to see where they might rub you the wrong way.
If your shoes are perfect, it could be your socks. Great socks are a great investment. For small friction blisters, thin technical socks work wonders. Some people find layering two pair is even better, some find that to be too much "rubbing." Give both a try. If your shoes and socks are both perfect, a talcum powder might help. My podiatrist recommended Sanabalm, and it is a great product.
Treatment: If you have small shallow blisters, you can easily top them with a thin layer of Newskin (or any liquid bandage) to feel like new. Blister Band-Aids may also help.
Blister Type 2: Huge Mutant Sliding Blisters From Outer Space
Blisters larger than 3/4 inch diameter, or ones that are deep and full of fluid, have plagued me most of my walking career. These are caused by sliding around in your shoe, which tends to happen if your shoes are too loose. It seems like there should be an easy solution, but I have found that some feet are just prone to these damn things, and the only cure is to train the skin to be thick and gross. The worst part is that they can become so deep that they alter your footstrike, which can cause other injuries. The best possible scenario is for them to pop during your workout and drain into your sock. If that sounds painful...it is. But it's way less painful than if they DON'T pop.
Prevention: Narrower shoes. Notice I didn't say "smaller shoes." The length of your shoe should fit the above guidelines, but if you are getting giant sliding blisters, you should narrow those shoes up. I wear Asics which already have a narrow last, and I buy them in size 11 2A, which is as narrow as you can get, and a super long shoe. They look like damn clown shoes, but they WORK, dangit. For these types of blisters, I have done a lot of trial and error and have found that thick technical socks (note: not thin socks) help the most. I buy Nike Dri-Fit socks (built for each foot specifically) at $6 a pair and it's a great investment. Also, Sanabalm helps, particularly if it's hot out since sweat can exacerbate the problem.
Treatment: Pray they pop on their own. If they don't, you may need to pop/drain them yourself. Most websites would strongly recommend against this, but if you are careful you can do it. Fact is, a very deep or large blister will not reabsorb on its own. Sterilize a needle and your skin with rubbing alcohol, then poke a single hole in the side of the deep blister and gently press the liquid out the hole into a clean cloth. If you are poking the needle into the blister you will feel absolutely no pain. If you feel pain, you are hitting your foot underneath the blister, and for god's sake, correct your course! Leave the foot uncovered for as long as possible afterward to let it dry out. Under no circumstances should you remove the loose skin. Let it dry out.
I have dealt with monster blisters ever since I started walking more than running. I'm talking about blisters up to and including 2.5 inches in diameter. Multiple of those. On both feet. Sometimes blood-filled. The struggle is real, folks. Here I want to discuss the two main types of blisters and how to prevent and treat them. This is all drawn from my personal experience, so if you have persistent blisters and my tips don't help, I recommend you visit a podiatrist with experience treating athletes.
Blister Type 1: Small Friction Blisters
If your blisters are small (less than 3/4 inch diameter) and shallow, they are probably caused by tight spots in your shoes. Sometimes you have shoes that rub you wrong, particularly in the toe or heel. If you frequently get small blisters in the same spot, it is probably blister type 1.
Prevention: There are a few things to try. First and most obviously, you might have the wrong shoes. Certain brands of shoes fit the foot differently. Examples: Asics have a straighter last, while Nike has a wider forefoot. Find out how your foot is shaped and get a professional's opinion about what kind of shoes are best. The local running store is a good start, but make it clear that you are WALKING. Hopefully they will know how to help you. If your shoes are a bit too tight, size up a bit. You should have 1/2 inch of space in the toes to accommodate normal foot swelling during exercise. This may also explain why shoes that you bought while cold get too tight once you're hot and working hard. I always recommend trying on shoes immediately after a long workout, when your feet are swelled, to see where they might rub you the wrong way.
If your shoes are perfect, it could be your socks. Great socks are a great investment. For small friction blisters, thin technical socks work wonders. Some people find layering two pair is even better, some find that to be too much "rubbing." Give both a try. If your shoes and socks are both perfect, a talcum powder might help. My podiatrist recommended Sanabalm, and it is a great product.
Treatment: If you have small shallow blisters, you can easily top them with a thin layer of Newskin (or any liquid bandage) to feel like new. Blister Band-Aids may also help.
Blister Type 2: Huge Mutant Sliding Blisters From Outer Space
Blisters larger than 3/4 inch diameter, or ones that are deep and full of fluid, have plagued me most of my walking career. These are caused by sliding around in your shoe, which tends to happen if your shoes are too loose. It seems like there should be an easy solution, but I have found that some feet are just prone to these damn things, and the only cure is to train the skin to be thick and gross. The worst part is that they can become so deep that they alter your footstrike, which can cause other injuries. The best possible scenario is for them to pop during your workout and drain into your sock. If that sounds painful...it is. But it's way less painful than if they DON'T pop.
Prevention: Narrower shoes. Notice I didn't say "smaller shoes." The length of your shoe should fit the above guidelines, but if you are getting giant sliding blisters, you should narrow those shoes up. I wear Asics which already have a narrow last, and I buy them in size 11 2A, which is as narrow as you can get, and a super long shoe. They look like damn clown shoes, but they WORK, dangit. For these types of blisters, I have done a lot of trial and error and have found that thick technical socks (note: not thin socks) help the most. I buy Nike Dri-Fit socks (built for each foot specifically) at $6 a pair and it's a great investment. Also, Sanabalm helps, particularly if it's hot out since sweat can exacerbate the problem.
Treatment: Pray they pop on their own. If they don't, you may need to pop/drain them yourself. Most websites would strongly recommend against this, but if you are careful you can do it. Fact is, a very deep or large blister will not reabsorb on its own. Sterilize a needle and your skin with rubbing alcohol, then poke a single hole in the side of the deep blister and gently press the liquid out the hole into a clean cloth. If you are poking the needle into the blister you will feel absolutely no pain. If you feel pain, you are hitting your foot underneath the blister, and for god's sake, correct your course! Leave the foot uncovered for as long as possible afterward to let it dry out. Under no circumstances should you remove the loose skin. Let it dry out.
Why Walk?
Hello to all who may find this blog! A bit of background on me. I am a personal trainer who used to run. It didn't come easily. I was almost constantly injured with shin splints, which a podiatrist discovered was due to hyperflexibility in my feet (99th percentile of flexibility in the tendons and ligaments led to severe internal pronation that no amount of motion control in my shoes could cure). Orthotics helped somewhat, but I was still continually plagued by injury. Finally I said "screw it" and started just walking, something I had always considered weak before. Turned out with proper training, I got pretty good at it, and I can now walk faster (without injury!) than I ever could run.
Showing up at races as a walker leaves one open to stereotypes and, sometimes, mockery. Sadly, there are many runners who don't take us seriously, and even more sadly, there are many walkers who make us all look bad. Let's look at some of the (mis)perceptions of runners and run/walkers first.
1) "Walkers are out of shape." That's why we're walking, right? Because we can't run? Not really. Many of us could run but choose not to. If I were determined to jog, I certainly could do it. The problem is, I couldn't go far, I couldn't go fast, and I couldn't go more than twice a week without getting injured. For me, it's far more enjoyable to walk quickly than to run slowly, and I put my base fitness up against any comparable runners.
2) "It's not fair when people can walk faster than I can run." If I had a dollar for every time a runner said "it's not fair" to me during a race, I'd have a decent nest egg. I'd like to know what dictionary these people use to define "fair." I train my ass off to be as fast as I am, and never complain that my hyperflexible feet are "unfair" to be saddled with. If I am beating you in a race, who cares? Races are supposed to be fun, and it doesn't matter if a walker beats you. And if you care so much, train harder and beat me next time.
3) "Walkers don't get race etiquette." You got us there. Honestly, this is the worst offense and it's what I meant when I said lots of walkers make us look bad. If you are walking in a race, for the love of GOD, don't walk more than two abreast, don't start too far forward in the pack, don't veer all over the place, don't come to a dead stop at water stations...this goes for you runners, too. And y'all bitches have to stop taking your walk breaks without checking behind you, because I have run a few of you down.
Anyway, I have explained why I and others walk. In this blog I hope to help educate wannabe race walkers, give tips for starting out and improvement, strategies for hills, headwinds, and flat ground (yes, flat ground also requires strategy), and perhaps let runners know that we are not all a bunch of noob jerks.
Showing up at races as a walker leaves one open to stereotypes and, sometimes, mockery. Sadly, there are many runners who don't take us seriously, and even more sadly, there are many walkers who make us all look bad. Let's look at some of the (mis)perceptions of runners and run/walkers first.
1) "Walkers are out of shape." That's why we're walking, right? Because we can't run? Not really. Many of us could run but choose not to. If I were determined to jog, I certainly could do it. The problem is, I couldn't go far, I couldn't go fast, and I couldn't go more than twice a week without getting injured. For me, it's far more enjoyable to walk quickly than to run slowly, and I put my base fitness up against any comparable runners.
2) "It's not fair when people can walk faster than I can run." If I had a dollar for every time a runner said "it's not fair" to me during a race, I'd have a decent nest egg. I'd like to know what dictionary these people use to define "fair." I train my ass off to be as fast as I am, and never complain that my hyperflexible feet are "unfair" to be saddled with. If I am beating you in a race, who cares? Races are supposed to be fun, and it doesn't matter if a walker beats you. And if you care so much, train harder and beat me next time.
3) "Walkers don't get race etiquette." You got us there. Honestly, this is the worst offense and it's what I meant when I said lots of walkers make us look bad. If you are walking in a race, for the love of GOD, don't walk more than two abreast, don't start too far forward in the pack, don't veer all over the place, don't come to a dead stop at water stations...this goes for you runners, too. And y'all bitches have to stop taking your walk breaks without checking behind you, because I have run a few of you down.
Anyway, I have explained why I and others walk. In this blog I hope to help educate wannabe race walkers, give tips for starting out and improvement, strategies for hills, headwinds, and flat ground (yes, flat ground also requires strategy), and perhaps let runners know that we are not all a bunch of noob jerks.
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