How Walking Makes You Go Faster

At my race this weekend, one of the things I planned to do was walk through every aid station and beyond, until I felt ready to run again. This race (a half Iron) hadn't been a planned part of my schedule. I was doing it because my husband was and it was convenient, but I wasn't REALLY racing it. Strangely, I did a lot better than my real races and I think that it was partly because of my walking strategy.

First of all, walking for a little while every mile of a long run is a great way to let your body get a small rest. A change is as good as a rest, they say, and running has to be the hardest thing on the body. You have your fully body weight pounding on your feet and knees with every step. It is really hard on the joints. Walking, though you might think you are using the same muscles, is actually very different and is a lot easier on the joints. Even a little bit of walking has a physiologically beneficial effect.

Second, there is a real psychological boost in walking a little bit every mile. For me, I could tell myself that I only had to run one more mile. That is easier to hold in my head than the whole race (in this case, 13 miles). Just run to the next aid station, and you get another break. You get some calories in and give your body a short time to digest those calories before you start running again. It can be really difficult to digest calories if you're running at race pace, but a little walking gives you a chance to get the calories in. I felt a huge surge of energy at each aid station when I got my four swallows of Gatorade down. If I could, I got some water in, too. If not, I dumped the cup of water on my head. When I finished this race, I only had to drink one full water bottle (and two bottles of chocolate recovery drink) so I know I was less dehydrated than I normally am.

Third, walking can make it so that you can run faster when you start again. If there is a distinct difference in your stride while running and while walking, instead of the shuffle I sometimes fall back on when trying to run a long race distance all at once, you end up dragging your feet less and generally causing less pain. This year's race ended up with no blisters, no black/missing toenails, and no chafing spots rubbed raw. This is the first year I could say that with any race this distance. And I really sped up at the finish line, which always feels good. When I ran, I was running at a pace that felt good, but like I could keep going for a long time. Then when I saw the finish line, I sprinted and felt like a million bucks.