Walking

Hi Folks

I'm new to the forum and think its great - youre all so friendly and helpful!

I want to talk about fitness walking - not run/walk- does anyone do it?

I started 5 weeks ago - I used to run in phases but have not run properly for 5 or 6 years - and Im very out of shape and about 3 stone over my 'running weght'. Initially I'd logged on to another site to look at beginners schedules and read that veterans should forget running and walk for the first 4-6 weeks. I set myself some targets 5x 20, then 25 then 30 mins a week and I can see some improvement feel fitter and have lost 1/2 stone. It doesnt hurt my 39 yr old joints so much but it is strengthening my legs and I feel much less stiff. I can still do time challenges and am working at getting my mile times down just like when I used to run.

I have set myself some running targets - a run on the golf course at xmas or new year, and then my 40th birtday present to myself is to RUN a Race for Life next june- I walked it last year.

I'd be really interested to know if theres anyone out there whos into fitness walking as I feel a bit of an oddbod with all you committed runners!

Comments

  • Hi Bune

    I was in a similar position in Jan this year. After two babies 3 stone over weight I wanted to get fit again. I knew I couldn't run, my joints wouldn't take the strain plus every thing moved in a very uncomfortable way. I joined a gym with a good cheap creche and started walking on the tread mill. It took me 2 months to lose a stone then the gym staff suggested I tried to run. I did so and another stone just melted away. I did my first half marathon last week and will be slogging it out at the back of the Brighton 10k with evil pixie in November.
    I love to walk but I do find the weight comes off quicker running and I get a real high

    At the half marathon I did you would have thought it WAS a walking event at the back end :-)

    The most important thing is that you are MOVING :-)

    Good luck

  • Hi JJ

    Wow, that's great!

    How did it feel doing the half marathon?

    I did my first ever 5K race this morning and plan to do a 7 mile race next month.

    I am trying to convince myself to do a half marathon because it would give me a real buzz to know that I could do that distance and I could raise loadsa money for charity BUT I am feeling a bit apprehensive about doing it...so any words of wisdom please?

    Angela
  • Hi bune,

    Thats just how I started out in Feb this year, fitness walking 3 times a week.
    I walked because I was about 4 stone over weight, and 47 years old.
    After 3 months walking I was getting pretty fit so I thought I would try to run for a bit, think I got about 50 yds first attempt, and I felt a very self contious, but I stuck at it.

    well I have now been running for 5 months and I am running 4 times a week, 8 miles on my longest run and 24 miles in the week.
    I have lost 3 1/2 stone and I am totally bitten by the running bug, and this forum !, so be carefull, once on here and your hooked.

    So Bune if I can do it anyone can !

    Good luck and keep up the good work.

    Gaz..........
  • "I feel a bit of an oddbod with all you committed runners!"

    - you're no oddbod.

    You're on a journey that some others have already started but we all took the first step once. Very few people on this forum are athletes in the sense that they mean on Grandstand and many of us don't go out more than once or twice a week.

    Hope you keep enjoying it
  • Hi Bune -- I started my schedules (back in July) by fitness walking. Ihave a dog and at the start he only used to go out once a day so we increased it to three times a day - 2 miles, 3.5 miles and 1.5 miles - so I was doing 7 miles a day over the cours of around 2-2and a half hours (all split up) and basically if I hadn't done it I would have got injured when I started running and also I wouldn't have been able to get as far with my running as I did. Before I became ill I was in training for a 5K (work Corporate Cup Challenge) and I was doing really well. What I would advise you to do as well though to strengthen your leg muscles, is get started at a gym before you start running. I had a weak right knee when I started. I joined a gym and started some gentle leg weights and they helped condition the muscles on my legs and support the knees - I don't even have to wear a knee support on the treadmill anymore (I wear it outside). Good luck!
  • Hi Angela

    What was the half marathon like? Hard but fun. The longest I had run before was 11/2 hours so after that was unknown territory :-). I will not lie and say that I skipped off the course at the end. I had to lean on my sons pushchair to get back to the car. But the acheivement felt great. I learned that there is no shame in walking parts, lots of people do. I also learned that running in events is addictive and spurs your training on no end. So have a go but pick a flat one :-)
  • Thanks for the advice, Josie Jump and the Evil Pixie..eek, but you don't sound that evil at all...I am really warming to the idea of a half marathon now!

    Is the Reading Half flat? I live in Norwich but am frequently back in London, so it's possible to do the Reading one! They do a half marathon in Norwich but it's in June when it may be very hot.

    My little boy hasn't used a pushchair for a few years now, so I will have to get a backie on his bike after the race :0)

    I think you are right about the race addiction, I'm still buzzing after the 5K I did yesterday! I didn't realise I was so competitive!

    Thanks again to you both.

    Angela


  • I did the windsor half at the end of September expecting it to be nice and cool. Ha! It was well in the 70's. I find June to be quite cool. The other advantage to doing a local is it shouldn't take you too long to get home and collapse in to a nice hot bath. A long drive is not to recommended as I found my legs stiffened up quite dramatically.
  • wow thanks everybody!

    I opened my email this morning and I had loads of RW new reply notifications -I hadn't expected the response.

    Thanks for all your encouragement -its good to know that other people have done the walking programme.
    My instinct is that I probably need a good fitness basis - muscularly as well as cv fitness before I take on a running programme and the walking does feel good.
    I have had some health poblems- underactive thyroid and stress/depression that has added to my lay off and lethargy and still take medication.
    I find I get tired quite easily and seem to need a lot of sleep so Im trying to balance a fitness and weightloss goal against this.
    But I do envy and admire every runner who passes me and look forward to when I can join the running ranks again.

    Thanks forumites!
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