Everyday Systems

I haven't run since before the turn of the millennium.

Two days ago, I went running with a coworker who'd invited me. I braced myself (and him) for a really embarrassing performance, but I actually found it surprisingly not bad. We ran about two miles, and I'm reasonably confident I could have done twice that. Granted, we didn't break any speed records, but I think just from urban ranger and shovelglove, I'm about as good a runner as I was back when I actually ran semi-regularly, for a couple years, about 10 years ago. In a way, this makes sense. But I'm still surprised. I figured that running might involve lots of special cardiovascular and muscular systems that wouldn't be hit at all with more moderate walking and more anaerobic shovelglove, but I guess not. Running is so hard core, it seems almost presumptuous to suggest that humble walking could prepare you for it. But it does, not to a competitive degree, obviously, but to a useful, significant one. I'm thrilled, and curious to push myself to test this out a little more (need to do this soon, or my testing will turn into training and skew the results).

Reinhard

I found some very similar crossover when hiking in Big Bend National Park last week. I was worried about summiting a couple of the mountains there, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy. I think we must also not underestimate the power of Urban MOUNTAIN Ranger--a few extra stairs a day make a big difference.

--david

Yeah, I think mountain ranger played a big rolled in this, too.

It's a shame we just moved back to the second floor from the seventh, so that's going to be seriously curtailed for me...

I'll have to keep my eyes open for new opportunities.

Reinhard

Before you know it, you'll be addicted, I promise.

Not sure how fast you walk, how aerobic it is, but there is a large contingent of runners that swear by low heart-rate running to build an aerobic base, so maybe you're feeling the effects of that. I train pretty slow and recently did a half-marathon at more than 1 minute per mile faster (a full fifteen minutes faster total) than I trained.

Running is great, yeah?

I didn't know that about runners training with walking. Interesting.

I'm sure I will get into it (as long as I have someone to run with). My one reservation is that now I won't be able to say "the ONLY exercise I do is walking and shovelglove." Though I guess I have some evidence to document that these alone were enough to get me in good shape.

Reinhard

Not all training includes walking necessarily per se, but very low heartrate, so that it might start at walking. There's a formula for how low you have to keep your HR, so for example I'd have to start with keeping my HR at 148, which might mean brisk walking at first. So, you're building when you walk is my point...

And yeah, your DURING pics from the last few years should keep the skeptics at bay...

Blondie

I hit 4 miles on my 3rd run. And I think I could have gone a lot farther (my running partner and I were both trying to out-gentleman each other in terms of not pushing the other too hard). We were going pretty darn slow (10 minute miles), but considering it was only my 3rd run in about 8 years, that's not too bad.

Reinhard

I like the idea of climbing the stairs as Urban Mountain Rangering, since I live on the 4th floor! Also there is a long stairway on campus that is on our regular walking loop, that my husband and I have nicknamed "the stairway to heaven," so I guess that counts, too!

I think urban mountain ranger had *a lot* to do with the fact that I can jog all of a sudden to some degree. And it's such a beautiful system because it doesn't take *any* extra time -- in fact, I usually beat people who take the elevator.

Alas, you have to live or work upstairs, which I no longer do to any significant degree (both 2nd floor). Still, whenever the opportunity presents itself (and it still does, now and then) I take the stairs.

Reinhard

Increasing your strength (either by walking quickly, squatting movements with shovelglove, stairs etc) WILL increase your running ability, without necessarily impacting cardiovascular systems (eg: VO2max).

eg:
http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/a ... /86/5/1527

In this case, what applies to 'atheltes' applies equally well to 'norma'l folk.

More and more, distance runners are now training with weights for this very reason. It's easier to get stronger....it's much less fun to improve lactate thresholds and VO2max.

One fun protcol we used in the lab here is 3 times a week, 5 sets of 5 squat jumps, with 3 minutes rest between sets. IOW - jump as high as you can 5 times, rest 3 minutes (or do something else - shovelglove?), jump 5 times again etc.

If you make sure to jump to a minmum height (ie: onto a box or chair, but no arm swinging allowed. Hold the shovelglove infront of you as you would for 'tuck bales') you're going to see some crazy impact on your jogging ability in about a month

Also, just to add.

Here are some ways to (cheaply and relatively simply) test your "Cardiovascular system".

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/eval.htm

Scroll down to where it says "Submaximal VO2 max" testing. The step test one is pretty simple, but Urban rangers might like the Rockport walking test instead

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/rockport.htm

The take home message is, walking can improve your cardiovascular AND strength levels, depending on how you do it.

There was a 5k run I did a couple of years ago in Chiang Mai which is a beneit for Burmese refugees. I had been doing elliptical machine prior to this so I thought I was in shape but when I did 5k I thought I would die. This was partly due to the fact it was crop burning season here and air pollution levels were dangerously high, but still I was out of shape.
I did this again a year later after working on mountain rescue team and though I did not run in mountains and only walked, I did next 5k run with no difficulty, so I believe walking uphill really does improve your running ability.