I push myself pretty hard as a runner. I’m always seeking to improve my endurance, be it through extra long runs, or just maintaining a strict 5-6 running days a week. I always make sure to throw in some rest days, but, being the crazy person I am, I have a hard time just sitting around on my days off. So, I walk. A lot. Usually between 6-10 miles on any given non-running day. Hell, even on days I do run, I tend to clock in around 2-3 miles of walking. I’d love to say this is some kind of super runner’s strategy; but honestly, I just can’t stay still.
I’ve always been a big walker. As a kid my family tended to go on all sorts of outings to parks, historical sites, and random stuff like county fairs or local orchards, which served as a good walking primer. Added to that was the fact that all of my best friends lived within easy walking distance of the house, so being social as a kid meant walking (or biking, and once or twice, to my eternal embarrassment, rollerblading). Even my schools were pretty close as a kid, and I quickly found that walking was way more reliable than the school bus. Fast forward to college in New Orleans, a city with somewhat dicey public transportation options, and I would find myself walking almost everywhere, just to get around and explore. I long ago stopped considering distances below three or four miles to be much of a walk, and have always had a weird penchant for seeing if I could walk to places that were largely inaccessible by foot. Plus, I always hated driving. Though I do have my license, I don’t think I spent more than three consecutive months regularly behind the wheel of a car.
Aside from just being a nice way to get around, I’ve always thought the best way to get to know a place is by foot. I feel bad for any friends who visit me, because my “driving” directions are always convoluted, and based on my preferred (read: prettiest) walking paths. And I’ve gotten a lot of crap for having no idea how to actually drive anywhere in New York City. Hell I barely even know what the Thruway is (big road, right?). So yes, a born pedestrian am I.
As I’ve talked about in the past, that feeling of exploration I love about walking is something that really encourages me as a runner, too. While it would be easy to run around a nearby track, or use a treadmill, I always need to feeling like I’m going someplace. So, years ago, when I first started running, a three mile run would be me running three miles out and walking back, to maximize the distance I actually traveled. Sure it was time-consuming, but I loved not being confined to my neighborhood. When I started covering greater distances, I would have long intervals of walking between running sessions. It’s a good way to wind down without dropping your heart rate too low, keeps you moving, and again, lets you cover much greater distances. Energy is something that really ebbs and flows while you’re out on a run, and I found that I might get a hell of a second wind after a mile walking interval, which increased my actual miles run for the day. Maybe not the best strategy for the pace-conscious, but remember, you’re still burning calories and working the same muscles when you walk as when you run.
Plus, like I said, I just can’t stand still. Feel sorry for anyone who’s ever waited in line with me, as I just get twitchy and, honestly, incredibly irritating. Be it running, walking, skipping, or crawling, I’m just not happy unless I’m in motion. So maybe my “breaks” aren’t as relaxing as they could be, but they keep me in the exercise mindset, keep me moving, and put more miles on my shoes. What more could you ask for?
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