Try walking Parkto-Park for change

Press, 2 May 1981, Page 11

Try walking Park-to-Park for change

By

JOHN DREW

One of the discoveries for some who entered in the walking events at the World Veteran Games in Christchurch was that walking can make you puff just as much as running, although it is a less economical way of getting along. This means walking at six miles an hour, as the veteran Olympic Harrier Club marathoner and a Park-to-Park organiser. Frank Aplin, discovered when he performed with credit in the skm and 20km events. This pace can be as big a demand on oxygen intake as running, at almost nine miles an hour. I had race walked the annual 100 km Symon and Lowther event on the tough Banks Peninsula hill course some .10 weeks before. So. like Frank, I wanted to try myself out in a walking event at the Veteran Games. Being some 17 years older than Frank and thus likely to cope better with a longer event. I chose the 20km (about 12.5 miles). Race walking has long had a traditionally big following among the older communities such as in Britain, Europe, and Australia, where most of the walking medal winners came from at the Veteran Games. It takes a while to learn the technique of race walking. I had been practising for

about 10 days. 1 Was left behind by an assortment of unimpressive-looking elderly types —from Germany and Britain mostly. But I managed to burst past some of them and scored a better time than expected — of about 2 hr. 25 min. This was comparable to my running pace in the marathon the following day. After I got over the humiliation of my debut, as a race walker — it took about a week — I felt glad I entered. I found out for myself how physically demanding it can be.' 1 also discovered that while walking a race at that pace can be as tough as running it considerably faster, the recovery time is faster. It can take an hour or more to recover from a 20km running race. After race walking that distance, although it was quite tough enough, I found myself feeling quite okay in two or three minutes. My walking adventures confirmed the claims made for walking in an excellent recent book, "Walk. It Could Change Your Life." by a former "Time" and "Life” journalist. John Man. the author, also says that while it is possible to get just as much training effect from from

running, the likelihood of skeletal and soft tissue injury is considerably less. There is no need, be says, to develop the "hip swivel" technique to get all the puff and pace you want. Walking also makes big demands on your attention because it requires close, continuous concentration. Walking takes longer to get the same amount of training effect as running provides. But that is no drawback if you have plenty of time to train. That is why walking has a lot to offer older and perhaps retired individuals who have more time for training. Also, walking is a sound introduction to running. It would be fine to see as many older or less fit people as possible walking in "The Press" Park-to-Park event on Sunday, however slow they go. There is nothing sissy about walking a fun run. A trained walker would usually beat a runner who tries, without practice, to challenge a walker at his own sport and pace. You won’t have to hurry on Sunday. There is no time limit. And you can have all the fun of participation by just completing the event at your own pace and that of your friends and families. You are less likely to go lame when walking. After

all. it is better to be a slow walker than a fast runner, who has to stay at home because of having gone lame. Remember also that the Park-to-Park is not a race — just have a pleasant social outing. The most important basic guideline for fun runners and walkers, both for safety and enjoyment, is to choose a pace al which you can keep chatting pleasantly with your companions. In any case, would-be runners, who are not very well prepared for Sunday's outing, would be well advised to walk at least the early part of the run so as to get well-bedded in before applying extra exertion. In any case walk a while after the Tun to “warm down'’ properly. Get well wrapped up afterwards so as not to get a chill or a cold.