Just a post, after an absence for a while about the different muscles used when running or race walking. I have just done my first race walk of the 'winter' season and can feel lots of hidden muscles stiffening up Despite running all spring and summer, there are mysterious parts of the body - mostly around the bum - that running obviously doesn't reach.
I have spent all summer flitting between different plans for running - Runner's World, Nike Run Club, Jenny Hadfield and Ju Ju's Magic Plan - without settling on the proper nectar full running bush. Anyone any ideas on the best, and more importantly, how to stick with it?
But with race walking I know roughly how to do it. My 10k yesterday was 1.07.15, I am so lucky at my age to be fit and healthy enough to be quicker than I was ten years ago. The message from that is Never Give Up.
And for Flick, who like me is aiming to find the answer to everything - yesterday got me a little nearer - just two to go.
Gratuitous shot of knees included.....
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Duddles
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Interesting, I wonder if males and females are built differently. I’m a walk leader, among other things, and just started running. Only since running that I’ve felt bum getting a workout!
Having spent a while on the IC from some muscle strains I’m thinking about switching to race walking. Interesting that it could lead to ‘buns of steel’. Thanks for the photo, having seen your knees my Monday is now complete.
The knees are pretty ancient, but I realised the other day that my clothing, the green top and the shorts also all date from the last century. Quite proud of that. Only the trainers and the Garmin tip into the 2000s. The Buns of Steel have been around since Rationing as well......
The best plan is very subjective... I get on nicely with the Nike ones, but others will get on better with others for sure. On the Nike ones, it does make a huge difference with how long you let the plan run... I’ve been on multi month 5k one before and it was pretty hardcore, my daughter just completed a 5 week one and it was pretty easy for her. The magic plan is, in my opinion, the best of the “get to 10k” plans that I’ve seen... but it’s not a race plan as such, so it depends what the objective is.
My bum gets a bit of a workout running, but not really walking... that said, I haven’t engaged a race walking pace ever, and the subtle gait differences would change the amount of work each muscle does, the same as it does with running I guess.
67 minutes for 10k while walking just blows my mind, as I’ve said to you before, it really doesn’t compute in my little brain... maybe I will give it a try once I’ve got my event out of the way.
67 minutes for 10k puts me in the 'also rans' The winner yesterday was a young woman who did it in 47 minutes. Quite a lot get under the hour. They are a miracle to behold and somehow float over the ground, leaving you with a wiggle in their wake.
All things are relative of course... all we can do is be proud of our own achievements. They’ll leave us with a wiggle in their wake just because that’s where they are, and we shall just try to be better today than we were yesterday. We my catch them, we may not... but we can always strive to be the best that we can be.
10k in 52 minutes - fantastic, and way ahead of me. I hope one day soon to break the hour, running. That is the immediate target As you know, 'racing' is not what it is all about - just trying to do your best, with a PB a bonus..... and if you can wiggle your Buns of Steel, you will always be ahead of the pack.....
A few years ago, in support of a friend of mine, a group of us signed up and did a full marathon walking race. At the time I was running up to 16k and thought I would be able to continue to run while training to walk faster, but I couldn't. I was amazed how the muscles are worked differently so had to shift my focus to race walking for the next 4 months. I definitely had buns of steel after that! Congrats on your great 10k time, too! That is some speedy walking! I did my mara in just over 6 hours but don't think I could run it in that now, let alone race walk it 😂
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My favourite walk is now a run!
Tim's run - A walk for Tim in Herts 
Fast walking the park run today 
