The Determined Walker and Runner Continued
One can go a mighty long way on two legs
Q: What do the following have in common? The ability to peel potatoes; walk and run regularly for a long time; make a savoury slow-cooker stew; run a half-marathon; write a good story (that could, say, pay for a trip to Edinburgh); look svelte; and, stand on one's head for an hour on a sidewalk near a heavily-trafficked intersection?
A: They are all activities an average person can do after a suitable amount of regular practice. (A pressing goal - e.g., you lost a New Year's bet and must run a marathon by November - or a point-system are helpful but not essential).
Most readers will know that the answer is correct because you have, or know someone who has, completed one or more of the above tasks. Admittedly, I do not know if anyone has stood on their head at Richmond and Dundas in London, ONT., but has it happened? Surely.
Go ahead. Stand on your head at Richmond and Dundas. Then have a smoke?
Photo credit - London Police Archives
The key to forming any habit is to practice on a regular basis. Peel a potato everyday for 3 - 4 weeks and you'll likely get asked to peel a lot more by your Mom or room-mate because they are discovering you are getting good at it. "You're the Speedy Potato Man!" Write in a diary or journal or blog every day for 3 - 4 weeks and pretty soon your words and sentences and short paragraphs will fall into place in an understandable fashion. Walk to work for 3 - 4 weeks, as long as the distance is not overwhelming, and soon you will find it's an enriching part of your day.
Though a relatively long habit can form in 3 - 4 weeks, it is very, very important to keep the initial efforts within personal limits. If it is five miles between home and the workplace, for example, a one-and-a-half hour walk could feel overwhelming. And it is so much easier to develop a positive habit if it is within one's initial limits*.
[*initial limits could be, e.g., walking a mile in 20 minutes or peeling four potatoes for supper a few times a week. But early limits change as time goes forward. "Stay within your limits and your limits will grow," I say. E.g., walk a mile per day for 3 - 4 weeks and it will soon feel like you are walking somewhat faster and the distance is a bit easier. How nice is that! And if you're getting tired of potatoes switch to carrots or parsnips. You'll be a slow-cooker master within no time at all!]
"While running, walk as much as you want," said another.
March 23, 2022: Four miles of walking on a cold, wet, windy day.
Please link to Steady Eddie: A Walking and Running Habit (Part 1)
Unattributed Photos GH
I know that my running limits grew over the course of weeks, months and years.
Initially, in the early-mid-1970s, I was able to jog a one-mile course (rectangular; about two blocks wide and four blocks long in Old North London), three times per week after one - two months of easy training. I remember walking to the first corner then jogging for a short distance, i.e., from one telephone pole to the next, repeating the process until I returned to the house my wife and I rented for a few years. As weeks went by I was able to jog the distance between two telephone poles, then three, then four. I took walking breaks whenever needed: I didn't time how long I walked, then ran, etc.; I walked when my legs got tired, and the telephone poles were spaced conveniently.
I felt pretty awesome on the morning that I ran the whole route without stopping for the usual walking breaks. I felt more surprised and somewhat awe-struck when my 5 - 6 year-old son David ran with me one morning and upon returning home said, "Let's do it again!" I wasn't quite ready for that!
What's with young kids anyway! At a certain age they seem tireless.
Back to me: Within a year or two I was able to run two-mile loops, or 8 loops on the track at the University of Western Ontario (U.W.O. was an easy walk/jog from our house), or keep up with a tall neighbour who often dropped by 'ready to roll'. He lived two doors down and would knock on the door to ask if I wanted to run. I often did because I liked the notion I was becoming a regular jogger.
As I recall, Don. D. (realtor) and I looked so different physically - he took one stride for my two - and we must have looked like a modern-day 'Mutt and Jeff' (Don and Gord, respectively) as we ran for approx. 20 minutes together. I also remember that a steady diet of two-maybe three-milers prepared me for an experience I could not explain at the time. (I can now!*)
Photo Credit - Mutt and Jeff
That's Don on the left, me on the right!
Photo Credit - Yesterday's Papers
On one very significant, lovely, summer evening I ran slowly to the U.W.O. track with the idea of just running 8 laps and then walking home. But as I ran the laps I wondered if I could add four more without stopping.
"Add another mile. You feel AOK," I thought.
And I did. I ran four more laps than usual, and felt great. So I added another four laps. And felt AOK. So I added another four laps. And felt AOK. So I added another four laps. And felt OK. So I added another four laps. And felt OK.
On Lap 32 I decided to quit going in circles (or is ellipticals the right term?) and head home while I still had a bit of energy. When I returned home with my first-ever ten-miler under my belt I was a pretty happy camper. Ten miles! "Where did that come from?" I wondered. How did multiple 2 - 3-milers prepare to run 10 miles? I didn't have a clue.
*I do now! My stamina or endurance increased over time from one-milers to 3-milers in a visible way. I ran three miles, then stopped, likely because I had other things to do. But I never finished a 3-miler due to exhaustion. I never collapsed when I returned home. Over time my muscular system and skeletal system and cardio-vascular system got visibly used to doing 3-milers, over and over again. And because life is filled with mysteries and I'm related to Mighty Mouse, 10 miles was within my limits on that fateful day.
"Stay within your limits and your limits will grow," I tell myself. After scores of years of running I confidently know that as I train for a half-marathon (21.1 KM) I don't have to run a half-marathon in training to finish the same distance on race day. I do know I'll need to complete 4 or 5 long runs in the 15 - 20 KM range prior to race day. I do know that many runners will have a different recipe to follow than me based on their experience gained over the years.
But when it comes to the development of a habit re short-medium-long distance running, the recipe is pretty much the same. Start easy and keep it easy for 3 - 4 weeks; increase your expectations gradually re frequency (3 - 6 times per week), intensity (slow, medium, fast) and time/distance (15 - 60 minutes per outing for the first few months or year).
"Go slow and enjoy the view," said one experienced runner (Mark Wiebe).
"While running, walk as much as you want," said another.
"Don't discourage yourself by pushing yourself too fast too soon."
A walker/runner's main goal at first should be to get out the door on a regular basis. That's the foundational habit to everything that follows, so we must make the process of building the walking/running habit as easy as possible.
The easier the process, the more likely the habit one forms will be a very strong one.
Shorter than on an average day. I'll make up the difference ASAP
Oh, and FYI, forming a new habit may be a little bit like a major league mental and physical battle. World War III? Yeh, like that!
More to follow.
Unattributed Photos GH
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