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How big a role do you think walking/hiking plays for running? It seems it increases mileage without really increasing risk of injury |
| Jamba Juice |
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I've been wondering about this too. In Lore of Running Noakes profiles Nurmi, who did a lot of walking on his way to Olympic history. However I think I remember Nurmi saying if he could do it again he would have done less walking, because it had a tendency to make the legs stiff. Because walking is a weight-bearing activity, you have to do a cost-benefit. Walking far at extremely low intensity (HR 90-110 say) would seem to not be worth it. You're putting weight on your legs and not getting enough benefit for it. However, hiking in the mountains, or briskly in rolling terrain, is probably worth it. You can get your HR up to a meaningful aerobic level and also likely get some muscle/connective tissue stimulus due to the grade. |
| kertwang |
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I know a top level masters athlete who swears long (10-15 mile) hikes are the key to her longevity. Low impact, lots of time on her legs, etc. Sure it's not aerobic, but time on the legs counts, esp when you get older. |
| Branchy is From Canada |
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I swear by lots of long hikes with heavy packs. |
| Mr. Obvious |
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Hiking is absolutely aerobic. It may be a lesser stimulus than running but it is an aerobic stimulus none the less. I've seen that a number of Japanese marathoners say that they complete long hikes during the base phase of their training, not sure how widespread that is. |
| bangalangadanga |
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dick beardsely talks about his 'victory walks' he'd often take in "Duel In The Sun". |
| yes to walking |
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I kind of think of walking as extreme base training. It is time on the legs and it is aerobic, just at a much lower level than running. But if you are doing actual hiking then it is a bit closer to running as it is going to be more aerobic and probably build a little muscle if you are going up and down mountains. Back in the day runners used to walk as part of their training, in place of running. Then runners realized that they should be running a lot more and we forgot all about walking. But I think long walks definitely can play a small role in running fitness. Plus, while walking is weight bearing, its not an impact activity. You're not "leaping" through the air like you are with running. So you're not gonna risk injury but you will get your legs working a little more. For anyone injured for a significant amount of time, I would highly suggest long walks (in addition to cross training). Just an anecdotal piece of evidence. A couple years ago my friend came back from India, where he had been for the past year or so. We went on a run and he was having an easier time on the run than I was even though I'd been running off and on recently and he had done no running in the past year. But he said in India he just walked everywhere so that kept him at a decent fitness level. |
| kertwang |
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Maybe that's another key to the east african excellence - Americans spend much of the day sitting - cars, desks, couches, etc. Maybe east africans spend 2 hours more each day on their feet - over 18 years it adds up to a lot. Of course, that is true for every poor country, and there aren't many great indian distance runners. |
| HRM...... |
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A huge role if you take a long view, I think. Weekend mountain hikes with a pack, camping in the woods. Back to back 30-40 mile days. It won't make you a fast runner, but you'll build up some nice legs, durability, etc. |