Posts Tagged ‘walking’

Walking Is Not Funny

In the last 39 days, I’ve run a grand total of 20 miles – 13.1 of those during the Sacramento Cowtown Half-Marathon. I’ve done no exercise at all since the race, in an effort to rejuvenate my old right leg tendons. I no longer have any stiffness or discomfort, so I thought it was time to at least try a weight-bearing activity.

For each of the past three days, the Lovely Mrs. A. and I have taken a two-mile stroll, which we completed in just under 32 minutes. It’s a very pleasant way to spend a half-hour, the weather is terrific, and my leg feels pretty good. But it got me to thinking about those mobs of people who walk half-marathons and marathons. If we kept our walking pace for a full marathon, we’d come in just under seven hours.

I don’t want to do things I like for seven hours.

Don’t get me wrong. I mean, if I survived a plane crash in the middle of the Mojave I would summon the strength and desire to walk for seven hours. But voluntarily? Never. I’ve bonked on long training runs, and the best remedy for overcoming it was knowing that walking back to the car would take a couple of hours. I’m convinced the prospect of a very long walk led to the invention of the marathon death shuffle.

I’m not down on race walkers. Whatever technique you use to get across the finish line is fine with me. But if I can’t run, I think I have to move the speedometer in the other direction – maybe a skateboard, a soapbox derby car, or an Acme rocket sled.

My Cross (Training) to Bear

For once, I’ve done everything correctly in my rehab. I took three weeks off from running. The pain is gone in my right leg and I can do every physical activity comfortably – except run. My ankle is still stiff during a run and sore afterwards.

Age is definitely a factor… OK, I’m 50, which is not exactly dead, but yesterday I pulled a muscle in my right arm putting my pants on. It’s enough to make you give up pants. There aren’t too many other explanations for why it should take four to six weeks for tendinitis to dissipate, except my rubber bands are stretched pretty thin.

So, from being a runner with a little cross-training thrown in, I’ve become a cross-trainer with a little bit of running thrown in. Instead of reducing my splits, I’m increasing the distance and intensity on non-weight-bearing cardio-apparatuses (apparati? apparatusimus? appareo decet nihil munditia?).

Here’s how it’s gone:

April 16 – 20 minutes at level 3 on the elliptical (starting slow to avoid destroying my calves again).

April 17 – 30 minutes at level 3 on the stationary bike, 7.5 miles.

April 18 – 1.75 mile run at an 8:58 pace.

April 19 – 4 mile walk.

April 20 – 30 minutes at level 4 on the bike, 8.1 miles.

April 22 – 1.75 mile run at an 8:27 pace.

Today – 30 minutes at level 4 on the elliptical, 6.6 miles.

My running pace suggests the cross-training is keeping me fit (even if endurance is already out the window), but more importantly it has cured my unscheduled taper madness. I got my heart rate up to 175 on the elliptical, so I’m pretty sure my body is getting the message.

But it’s funny. I started running to get into shape, but now being in shape is not enough. I get pangs when I see people running down my street. I stare longingly at race brochures.

I always thought getting all deep about running was an affectation. Now I’m not so sure. Now I want to run because I need to run.