Hi there, team. Coach Alexa here, online coach for We Run.
So I wanted to talk a bit today about walking and how you can speed up the pace of your walking.
Walking Can Be Faster Than You Think
I’ve done long hiking events where people are averaging easily over four miles an hour at a walk.
And you look at the race walkers, and a lot of race walkers are covering, again, at a walk, admittedly a slightly flamboyant walk, the race walk technique, really good speeds that a lot of runners would struggle to get to over a marathon distance.
So you can walk with a really decent pace.
And we all know how to do that somehow, don’t we?
If we’re hurrying to catch that bus or train on the way to work, or speeding up a little bit so we can catch the road crossing while it’s on green for pedestrians, we know we can walk at different paces or different speeds.
Using Walking Intervals to Build Speed
And again, it’s not too dissimilar to running if you want to have a little bit of a play with the different paces of walking or speeds of walking.
I live on quite a flat road in an east-west direction. I could do little brisk walk intervals between trees or driveways or lampposts, or all the way to the end of the road.
I could have a bit of a play with brisk walking and then slowing things down again. That’s a lovely way to do it.
It’s a great way of just gradually introducing slightly higher heart rate, breathing rate, effort level walking in as a way to build up fitness, and as a little stepping stone towards the even higher breathing rate and heart rate and effort level stuff of running.
The Benefits of Walking Hills
And also hills, if you’ve got some available to you, are a lovely way of doing it too.
So when we are going uphill, we are having to put effort into doing the upwards bit as well as the travelling along bit.
We don’t have half as much of the amazing elastic energy return system through our tendons and fascia in walking as we do when we’re running.
So it is a little bit more down to the muscular structure, which is good. Walking uphill really helps build up those leg muscles.
Hill Walking Techniques to Try
You can just pick a hilly route and walk up those hills, realising that your pace will slow down, but that effort level cardio-wise will go up.
Or do little shuttles – power walk up a hill to a certain point, getting that arm swing going, and walking back down again as a little bit of recovery.
So lots of ways you can mix it up.
Or, as I say, just picking a hilly route and focusing on shorter hills, or challenging yourself to get to the top of a longer hill without trying to slow down too much.
Mix Up Your Walking Routine
So loads and loads of lovely ways that you can play with an element of different muscular engagement patterns, and also different cardiovascular levels within the walking gait.
Let me know about that. Have you ever tried to do a little bit of power walking uphill?
Do you think it might be nice to fit into your routine?
I do it on my dog walk. Sometimes the dog wants to stop and amble and sniff, and sometimes she’s off, so I’m doing a pretty decent brisk walk alongside her jog.
Final Thoughts
Happy running and walking.
