THE BEGINNING FOR RUNNERS AND WALKERS
All women must walk before they can run.
Whether you’re out for your very first run or you’re returning to the road after several years away, or if you intend to become a regular walker, you should begin by putting on your watch and sneakers, going outside, and walking purposefully for a few minutes. For some of you, this might be five minutes; for others, fifteen. Don’t push, don’t hurt, and don’t get breathless. Have fun! Walking and running should always be fun, even when you increase your physical challenges later in your program.
For the next three weeks, continue going out for a walk. Try to go every other day, with a minimum of three times a week. Each time you walk, add a minute to your walk and try to go just a bit faster.
A personal note Some people need to walk or run in the morning to start the day; other people need to get out there in the evening to get over the day. I am definitely in the latter category—the evening run ends my day just as surely as a cocktail ends many other people’s. It is a time for me to get out the frazzles, kick some butt, sort out the emotions of the day, and prepare for the next. Inevitably, I come back refreshed, civilized, and ready for a happy evening. Plenty of my friends—most, in fact—exercise in the morning and say it sets them up for a perfect day. To each her own. I find just getting out of bed in the morning a big challenge! |
By the second or third week, some intermediate beginners may start to feel a bit restless with this gradual phase. Beginning walkers will want to remain at this phase for as long as it takes to feel comfortable. A good guideline is to increase your distance or time in the activity by 10 percent a week. When you are ready to start your fitness walking program, turn to Chapter 3.
Those who want to run will notice that at times their walks break into slow runs or jogs. This is a good time to experiment with very easy running. As you walk, pick out a mailbox or telephone pole fifty to sixty yards away and very gently break into a slow run and jog to it. Walk again to catch your breath and repeat this process in all your walks, adding more and longer running phases. You’re now ready for your first real running program.
Real beginners may take weeks or even several months before they can reach this stage, depending on their original physical condition. This is usually the crossroads where a true beginner determines whether she will stay a walker or wants to move on to become a runner.
Runners should move on to chapter 4, but take a look at chapter 3 as you do; it might give you some good information as you take that leap.
A personal note Running and walking are wonderful, because you can do them anywhere. Whether you live in a city, the suburbs or the country, there are roads, footpaths, parks and nature trails. When you run or walk for a set time, you just go out the door and head off for half your workout time, and then turn around, retracing your steps. Going in a random direction is fun, and it’s a great way to discover new sights. However, you will soon develop your favorite routes. I am lucky to live in two beautiful running and walking areas: New York and Wellington, New Zealand. It will surprise the uninitiated to know that New York City’s Central Park is one of the best running and walking locations in the world. It is huge—10 km/ 6.2 miles around, full of beauty, hills and light. Morning or evening, there are thousands of runners, walkers, rollerbladers and bikers there. Despite the occasional bad news you hear about this urban treasure, I have no doubt you are safer in Central Park than on a deserted country road. When I’m in the countryside of New York, my favorite place to run, walk and hike is in the Hudson Valley. There are thousands of miles of running trails in the parks there, particularly in the Mohonk Preserve, where paths along gorgeous lakes and soaring cliffs take you from one spectacular vista to another. In Wellington, New Zealand, I have out and back courses right from my front door that take from twenty minutes to six hours. There is no place in Wellington that does not have a spectacular view or a big hill, so I run or walk on suburban roads and incredibly steep zigzag walkways, in the sensational Botanic Gardens, (a real gift of paths, hills and floral glory), and most fun of all, the new bush tracks that cut tangling green tunnels through to connect suburban villages with everything from a wild seacoast to a rugged mountain top windmill. Most of my early running in America was done on the sides of country roads. There were not a great number of cars, and I found the endless expanse of road exhilarating. But I also found it tiresome to have to literally leap off the road when I suspected a driver of being too close or too reckless. This happens a lot in New Zealand and Australia too. Drivers seem to hate us runners and walkers and the feeling is mostly mutual! Many of my runs were in the dark, and although I always wore reflective gear and moved well off the road when a car was approaching, many times I’d have to leap into a rocky ditch, a slushy snow bank, or a deep, muddy field to avoid being hit. If you have to walk or run on roads, give traffic a wide berth, and always wear colorful, reflective clothing. Whenever I travel, I head out for a walk or run at the first available opportunity to get a sense of where I am. Nothing comes close to running or walking for making me feel quickly familiar with a strange place. I have seen some of the most incredible sights—Paris at night, Florence early in the morning, and dusty farm roads in central Illinois just before a thunderstorm—that tourists and couch potatoes never see. Nowadays, there is a whole generation of women that is doing its walking and running on treadmills. I have happily used a treadmill when it was too icy outside to run or late at night in a hotel in an unfamiliar city. While their usefulness is much greater than this, all things being equal I would always choose to combine my run with discovering the joys of nature, watching the world go by, and getting some fresh air. |
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TIP If you miss a workout, don’t feel guilty. Just start again as soon as possible. If you miss a lot of days, you may need to start again very gradually, but don’t fret. The important thing is doing it! |
Just a few years ago, most regular walkers would never consider pinning on a bib number and entering a race. They felt races were for competitive athletes, those who were intent on going faster. Now walkers are a huge part of ‘races’ everywhere that have become ‘events’ which emphasize participation and fun even more than competition. The nice thing about these events is that the basis of them is still about challenging yourself with movement and fitness, and going the distance. They work as tremendously fun goals for runners and walkers of all abilities. Then again, some of our major big city races, such as the Chicago and New York City Marathons, welcome walkers as long as they can complete the course in time for the streets to open again to traffic. Before you choose an event as your goal, check it out to make sure you are capable of meeting any standards that may exist.
In the meantime, here are a few ‘Just Wanna Have Fun’ events to run or walk:
As you get fitter and stronger, you may find that you want to be competitive, too. There are plenty of opportunities to compete in race walking and in running events, and some of those are listed at the end of the specific walking and running chapters.