Finally found my missing brisk walk!!

[Bazza1234]

When I first started C25k - I asked myself a couple of questions - How do I walk? and How do I run? Two things I had never asked myself before. I discovered that I walk on my heels - but I run on my midfoot to forefoot. These seemed to me to be my natural motions - but I also became aware that many/most people also run on their heels. I thought it fortunate for me that I don't as the explanations given as to why running on your heels is not good made sense to me. Anyway, for me it also meant that I would buy some lightweight NIKE shoes - which I have enjoyed running in..

BUT -- when doing the walking intervals of C25K, I was told to "walk briskly" - so I did what I thought was walking briskly - continuing my heel-to-toe walking at a faster pace, and striding out, until I could go no faster without starting to jog/run. But I just knew that something was wrong - because my RUNNING shoes had little heel padding and my "brisk walking" (heel-to-toe) was hurting a little. It was obvious that these shoes are not very suitable for walking. I looked everywhere on the Internet trying to find somebody who could describe the transition from my version of brisk walking to the act of running - to no avail.

But I have now found it here youtube.com/watch?v=Houu6v7...(Not working as expected?) I can now see that there are actually two phases in the act of walking - first one is slow walking , which we all do , where we walk on our heels -to to. And the second ( in the vid ) is where the trainer teaches people how to ( she calls it "wog" ) get along with their hands behind their back - at a brisk pace. . BINGO - this is a phase that I have not been doing and it feels so RIGHT!! (not with the hands behind the back of course, that is just a training tool)

I feel very excited about this !!!

[AncientMum Graduate]

Thanks for sharing this Bazza. I know exactly what you mean about the brisk walk in running shoes feeling wrong.

[Bazza1234 Graduate in reply to AncientMum]

Ancient Mum

When nobody is around (or looking ) , have a try at what that trainer is doing - hands behind back, lean a little forward and WALK fast!!! Keep at it for a while and then start to run/jog. Conversely, do a run and then slow to a walk without starting to heel strike while walking.

[AncientMum Graduate in reply to Bazza1234]

Hee hee had a little go in the back garden - only the walking bit though, not the running ( don't want to risk the wrath of my lovely physio) Felt really weird and I must have looked a right nutter BUT I think this is the way to go. It does completely avoid heel strike and I could see exactly how easily it would transition into running. Excellent find m'dear

[misswobble Graduate]

Great stuff Baz! Have you made a start?

[Mummysaurus Graduate]

Thanks for sharing this Bazza, I have also found walking in my running sandals isn't too bad but my running shoes leave me with very sore heels after the walk breaks on my longer runs.

[AmberC Graduate]

Sounds very interesting, I must give it a go.

[Nellyharte Graduate]

Oh la la just want I wanted. When I was I Spain on hols a month ago they were all doing this!!

[Bazza1234 Graduate in reply to Nellyharte]

Doing what?? walking with their hands behind their backs??

[GoogleMe Graduate]

Very interesting.

I've always had trouble sustaining a brisk walk - it felt grim at the time and worse later. This was why I decided to try running for fitness instead. I don't think I was especially brisk in the intervals with C25K, deciding that the point was to get into and out of the session gently and to keep moving between the run intervals rather than any set speed. I think what she is saying is that we're almost not meant to do a really brisk walk, that's the whole point, if a human needs to go faster than a normal walk, then they are built to run. Did anyone else understand it that way?

However, I reckon I must keep my toes up already so I must warn you that it means holes in the top of your running shoes very quickly! On my current shoes it isn't a problem but my Brooks Green Silence my toe did actually pop through.

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

Yes she was saying run,walk,sprint. But her demo of the walking with hands behind her back was a demo of the transition between walking and running --which I can see as being a "Brisk walk". My previous definition of a brisk walk was just a faster, extended stretch version of my normal walk using my heels - which hasn,t been working well for me