MadMayo Running Club » Walk for Fitness

Not Born to Run? Try These Tips

Iris — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:44:55 +0000

Not born to run? These ideas might help:

Start walking. Get an inexpensive pedometer and count your daily steps—there’s evidence that it can motivate you to walk more. A San Diego State University professor tells the Los Angeles Times, “We don’t know why exactly, but keeping a number, a prompt, in our consciousness on a regular basis is important, and that’s why pedometers are superior to other methods. It’s on you all the time.” Consumerist suggests a few pedometer apps. Shoot for a moderate walking pace of 100 steps per minute—easy to do if you keep time to “Stayin’ Alive”. That’s 1,000 steps in just 10 minutes!

Run for five minutes, then walk back. The next day, run for six minutes. Day 3, add another minute, etc. It worked for Carrie Luger Slayback—she started running this way 30 years ago. Now 66, she’s run a marathon every year for the past 10 years and finished 10th in her age group in the 2009 New York City Marathon. When you’re starting out, just running a block can be a PR, but trust us, it gets easier!

Woman Signs Up for 10K Walk, Does Marathon Instead

MMRC — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:06:56 +0000

A 47-year-old Canadian woman signed up to do a 10K walk in the Athens (Greece) Marathon, but took the wrong bus to the starting line and ended up doing the full marathon! Catherine Dickson‘s first thought after the initial shock wore off? She says she “didn’t come all this way to do nothing,” and set off for the finish line, making her way there in 6 hours, 48 minutes. With 12 kilometers to go, Dickson thought, “I only have 12 kilometers to do, damn it, I’m not stopping now.” How’s that for grit?

Don’t Know Where to Begin? Start Walking!

MMRC — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:16:43 +0000

Want to run but don’t know where to start? Just start walking—in your living room! MMRCer Iris is a huge fan of Leslie Sansone’s walking workouts: “Leslie is so upbeat and supportive, and her workouts are easy to follow yet totally effective. Thirty minutes with Leslie always puts me in a good mood,” says Iris.

Find Leslie Sansone’s walking workouts on Exercise TV. Check your cable or satellite system for the Exercise TV on Demand channel—it’s like paying for cable and getting a free fitness trainer! You can also find a huge collection of Leslie’s videos online at iVillage’s NeverSayDiet.com.