Hey there, team. Coach Alexa here, coach for Reading, Oxfordshire, and online.
So in my last video, I mentioned the fact that I’m going to be bigging up walking as a thing. I thought for the runners amongst us, I would ease ourselves into this series with some reasons why walking can be a really useful part of your runs.
We potentially have a bit of a single-minded attitude in the running community that all running must be done as running. I just wanted to run through a few examples of why doing some walking in your runs can be useful.
Fuelling and Adjusting on the Go
It might be that you are doing a long run or an event and you need to take on some fuel or some water, or adjust your kit. Just walk. It is far easier and much less likely that you will inhale what you are eating when you are walking than when you are running.
Managing Effort on Hills
It might be that you are out on a long run and the goal of that run is to build endurance at a really nice, gentle effort and lower heart rate. You come to either a sustained or very steep hill — walk up it.
If you keep running up it, the likelihood is that you will push yourself into a different training zone, which will change the training impact of that long run.
Navigating Challenging Terrain
It might be that you have reached very muddy, boggy or sandy terrain, which feels really hard. On soft ground, we lose the elastic energy return benefits of running.
Walking might actually be the most efficient way to get through that section.
Staying Safe in Difficult Conditions
It might be that you are out on a dark and icy night and you hit a patch of your route where you cannot really see where your feet are landing. It just feels safer to walk.
When we are walking, we are either on one foot or two feet at the same time. When we are running, we are only on one foot or no feet on the floor at all. For trickier surfaces, walking can be a great and safer option.
Improving Recovery Between Intervals
It might be that you have been set, or you have chosen, a specific interval-style session and you are struggling to get your heart rate and breathing rate down during recovery.
Walking those recoveries can be a great way to ensure you recover properly and get the best quality out of your next rep. Session dependent, obviously, but it is another reason why walking can be really useful.
Final Thoughts
I thought I would set the scene because some runners can be a little bit fixated on the idea that all runs must be done at a running gait. Walking can actually be really useful for your running.
In the next videos, I will be talking about how awesome walking is in its own right.
Happy running and walking.
