Lessons Learned Along the Way 2

Getting Faster Happens Naturally

"Last Sunday's road race inspired my shuffling this week" GH

There are books written for serious runners who wish to run faster. One can learn about speed workouts of various kinds and undoubtedly, some will work.

At this stage in The GREAT Comeback, however, I will rely on the following factors to knock a few minutes off the time it takes to cover a four- or 5-mile route:

"Good shuffling during yesterday's 5.5-mile walkajog"

- I will make an effort to have a high GOTD* rate.

- I will include a bit of shuffling (or really slow jogging) in 2 or 3 walks per week

I know that if I continue my regular exercise routine, and high GOTD rate, I will become a slightly faster walker because the body gets better with practice. And if I continue to add regular shuffling, my body will get used to the added effort and become more efficient.... and faster.

Already I notice that I am shuffling longer distances without really thinking about it, e.g., 120 metres instead of 80 - 100m. Already I feel smoother on my feet. Added speed will surely follow. So, I don't need to concentrate on getting faster, I just need to keep doing what I'm doing.

Yesterday, during my 5.5-mile walk, the added shuffling helped me get home in the same amount of time it usually takes to cover 4.5 miles. I figure if the shuffling cuts 20 minutes off my time in late April, then by late May the shuffling will help me cut about 25 minutes off the same walk. So, my mantra "Speed Up, Man" is working out just fine.

"I'm in the home stretch about 20 minutes ahead of schedule"

*Get Out The Door, e.g., 90 per cent of the days per month

GH is second from right in top photo

Please link to Lessons Learned Along the Way 1

Photos GH

Lessons Learned Along the Way 1

Break Through to the Other Side

"I finished 5.5 miles, with shuffling, in the time it takes to walk 4 miles"

Yesterday's brisk walk included a fair amount of shuffling (i.e, about 100m of shufflin' every quarter mile) and I was surprised when I returned home. A walk of 5.5 miles would generally take about 110 minutes (about 20 min. per mile) but I was home in 90 minutes. Shufflin' adds a bit of speed!

I was surprised as well by the distance I shuffled on a number of occasions. My mind wandered off a few times - Downey woodpeckers were busy at work in several trees along my route - and when it returned I realized I'd shuffled 200m or more without complaint. Why, soon I'll be running a marathon, I said to myself. (Yes, it was a joke).

Making a little break through here and there doesn't really surprise me. I've run long distances in the past and know - with progressive training (i.e., building up mileage gradually over months of regular running) - a person used to 5- and 10-kilometre distances can one day run a marathon. I'm at the stage in my walking and shuffling where I will notice some improvements in my speed, smooth stride, strength and stamina on occasion.

Yesterday, during one of those mini-break-through moments, I recalled the day I ran my first, solo, long-distance event, quite unexpectedly at that. 

After getting used to jogging one, then two, then three miles at a time on a regular basis in the mid-1970s, I left my house on Victoria Street, London and ran toward the University of Western Ontario, about one mile away. My intention was likely to complete a two- or three-mile easy loop, return home and jot down my mileage (2 mi., 2.5 mi., 3 mi., etc.) in my ever-present record book. But as I past J.W. Little Stadium I wondered if I could sneak onto the track (that surrounded the football field) and measure my speed for a quarter-mile. 

I found a gate open, entered the stadium, checked my watch and started my first lap. One lap soon led to another because it felt good to have the place to myself and I wasn't feeling tired at that point. More laps followed and I started to count the miles. One mile to the stadium and eight laps equals three miles, I said to myself. But I didn't feel like quitting. I felt good. I kept going. 

Four more laps. Four miles. Great. Four more laps. Five miles. Unknown territory. No problem. I kept going. And I kept going some more. 

Nine miles approached, and I reminded myself I still had to get myself home. And ten miles as a total sounded pretty awesome. So, after 32 laps I heartily slapped myself on the back and headed home. I wish I had my old record book. That ten-miler would jump out at me. I likely circled it in red!

I learned a valuable lesson that night as I circled the old UWO track (now gone, along with the well-remembered outdoor hockey rink). A pile of two- and three-milers can prepare a person for a ten-miler when conditions are right. And if I keep shuffling along - 100 to 200 metres at a time - during a couple of walks per week, one day in the future I'll shuffle a quarter mile, then half, and so on.

I've got the walking habit and a six-month-long solid base (and more*). I've got the energy to shuffle on occasion. A ten-miler is obviously a long way off (not even on the horizon) but more mini-break-throughs will surely occur in the future.

"The shuffling routine is coming along nicely"

Link to The GREAT Comeback - Starts with a Base 5

*After dropping out of marathoning in 2006, I continued a fun and fitness routine for about 8 - 10 years that included cycling, hockey, some running and walking. That being said, couch-potato-like attitudes began to form. Something had to (has to) be done!

Photos GH

Photos From Along the Way 2

Runners and Walkers in Old Londontown

Please link to Photos From Along the Way

The GREAT Comeback - Starts with a Base 5

Running Errands and Running Races

"I completed two errands during my walk on April 22*"

I would say that after I developed the habit - over the course of 3 months last fall - of going out the door (GOTD) over 90 per cent of the days per week, good weekly mileage followed. I have walked over 100 miles per month for the last five months (Nov. - March: 105 - 144 miles, average 125 miles) and am on track to equal or surpass the average in April. And surely, now that the habit of walking on a regular basis and covering 100-plus miles per month is steady, good fitness and health benefits should follow.

Photo credit - Walking Benefits

Yesterday I cheered on runners participating in a local set of races (half- and full-marathon) and while talking to a former running mate I let the following thought slip out:

"Maybe I'll look for a five-kilometre road race in the fall. I'm running low on T-shirts."

"I was inspired to walk 7 miles after watching a local road race

with Radio Dan and other former running mates"

There could easily be some truth in that statement, especially related to my supply of shirts. The knowledge that I have built a solid foundation for some easy running, i.e., shuffling or walk-a-jogging, allows me to think about long-distance running again. A five-kilometre road race in the fall is definitely doable. My regular shuffling tells me so.

Whether I'll plan for a short race is another question, because I'm having fun doing what I'm doing and know that positive physical benefits will accrue over the course of future weeks and months. Especially the months.

Photos from along the way:

*On April 22 I delivered a birdhouse to Old East Village. Easy errands = good miles. Two birds with one walk. 

Please link to The GREAT Comeback - Starts with a Base 4

The GREAT Comeback - Starts with a Base 4

Hardy Canadians Build Good Foundations

"I have no problem with the rain"

I built a solid base or foundation for what is to follow (Who knows? A 5K roadrace, a marathon, a walk across Spain?) by walking an average of 116 miles per month for the last six months. I think the walking I do now, including a bit of 'shufflin' off to Buffalo', is pretty easy because of my GOTD score from October to end of March. That is, I 'Got Out The Door' on 93 per cent of the 180 days in those months.

See, Canadians are generally a hardy folk, not stymied by winter weather. I covered 121 miles in December, 140 in January and 114 in February. Not bad, not bad at all. And yesterday, I walked in the rain. I had Greenway Park to myself!

Why, when I went to university as a kid, me and my roomies survived on dog kibble for months at a time. We even sang a song about it every Friday before supper. (I don't have it written down in my UWO notebooks but I think it was just called 'Kibbles and Beer').

Here's what I can recall - about 50 years later:

(In unison, loudly) Verse one!

Kibbles and beer, kibbles and beer,
Open the Molsons* and we'll give a cheer.
We'll only eat kibble for one more year,
Unless we all flunk outta Psychology!! (followed by uproarious laughter)

(Together) Verse two!

Kibbles and beer, kibbles and beer,
Open the Carlings* and we'll give a cheer.
We don't have money for pork chops or steer,
Unless we all become Dennis!! (i.e., Dentists, and followed by uproarious laughter)

Verse three!

Kibbles and beer, kibbles and beer,
Open some Fifties and we'll give a cheer.
If it's not in a stubby get the heck outta here,
Unless you're giving it away!! (fall down on the floor with laughter)

(Last line, loudest of all) There is no verse four! (followed by the loudest cheer)

"You don't need a UWO degree to know why the toad crossed the road"

*As I recall, Molsons Golden, Carling Red Cap

Please link to GREAT Comeback - Starts with a Base 3

GREAT Comeback - Starts with a Base 3

The Secret to Building a Solid Base

"Drop other distractions. Grab a partner. Get out the door.

Wear comfortable clothes. And solid shoes. ETC."

Rarely do I share my secrets, but in this case, since making The GREAT Canadian Comeback is such a hot topic, I will make an exception.

The secret to my success, the reason that I am doing so well logging miles of walking almost every day, is that I have more than one secret. Really, building a solid base so that a lifetime of fun and fitness is possible is not a simple "I'll just snap my fingers" affair. It's hard work.

Here are my secrets:

I make my walking routine a high priority

I drop other activities, e.g., my weekly hockey game is now gone

I walk to complete errands, e.g., to pick up groceries

I walk with a partner. Don K. helped build my walking habit

I have suitable walking clothes and shoes at the ready

I started easy (short distances, short duration), within physical and time limits

I gradually added on 'five minutes here', 'another block there' and
will continue to do so re shuffling, jogging, running

Conclusion - I built the walking habit, and now I'm continuing to build a solid base for more activities. I realize I cannot do everything but I want to have fun and fitness. I have time to walk, I make time to walk and I take it.

"Hey, I'll walk. I've got sturdy legs.... albeit short and skinny, as above"

Now that I have developed an 'almost daily' walking habit (Steady Eddie over the last 6.5 months), I'm finding it easier to associate walking with other parts of my life. When a friend and I talked recently about meeting up for coffee, I suggested a location that was convenient for both of us and 35 - 40 minutes from my front door. (After coffee time I was asked if I wanted a ride home. "I think I'll walk, thanks," I said. No problemo).

In two more years I bet I will be walking to more places almost automatically.

Please link to GREAT Comeback - Starts with a Base 2

GREAT Comeback - Starts with a Base 2

I've Got the Time, So....

"Roller-bladers approach with arms swinging to and fro"

I enjoyed a very pleasant 5-mile walk yesterday on the Terry Fox Pathway. It generally follows the Thames River toward Springbank Park and I often see a few 'regulars', including walkers, roller-bladers, cyclists and troops of Canadian geese.

A couple of times I was tempted to break into a shuffle, which I did with success (for a short distance, e.g., 50 to 100 metres, every quarter mile on Sunday and Monday. But I resisted the temptation. I have the time to slowly and gradually build my base or foundation for longer-distance walking (aka hiking a longer way than I do now) or short- to long-distance running. So, I'm taking my time.

"After a walk-a-shuffle I add an S to my records, as above.

Oh yeah, I like keeping track of the details"

"I have the time, so take it," I say to myself regularly now. Why hurry back into better all-around fitness when I'm already enjoying and benefitting from each walk that I take? I know I'm already making a comeback, and from experience, I know that Rome wasn't built in a day.

Benefits associated with walking on a regular basis:

Photo credit - Your Body on Walking

Note what the poster above says about longevity: "75 minutes a week of brisk walking can add almost 2 years to your life."

I'm thinking, I'm already walking 75 minutes per day. Therefore, perhaps I can add 7 x 2 = 14 years to my life. Something more to think about while out on the Terry Fox Pathway : )

By the Numbers:

Yesterday I completed number 23 in a set of 90 walks that 'may' include a bit of shuffling.

I've averaged over 30 miles per week for the last 2 months.

I feel there is no need to increase my weekly average while increasing the amount of shuffling.

Time to save up $150 for new running shoes.

 Photos from along the way:

Hairy woodpecker gives me the once-over, one block from home"

Please link to GREAT Comeback - Starts with a Base 1