<p>Well, I don’t use those geriatric things they sell in department stores. </p>
<p>I usually use my Asics 2110 or 1150. (For racing I have a pair of discontinued New Balance racerwalking shoes. I have also purchased running flats, but I am neurotically attached to my NB’s)</p>
<p>Because there is so little impact when you are race walking, I don’t want a sole that is too stiff. I need to land on my heel and roll up & push off my toe. You know, I just heard Chris McDougall speak, and he espouses running barefoot. Now, I am not going to toss my shoes, but he does have some very good points (And he was very good looking and a marvelous storyteller). I do think we need to feel the sensation of the ground as it helps us avoid injury. </p>
<p>If you want to mix in a little pseudo racewalking, extend your leg with your hip, keep your foot really low to the ground & land on your heel, taking very short steps. Think of being in your lowest gear of your bike and picking up your cadence, not a higher gear. By extending your leg that way and landing on your heel, you stabilize your knee. </p>
<p>My knees were terrible before. I had pain, they would lock, they would crunch as I would walk up & down stairs. I did a lot of weights (leg extensions) to strengthen supporting muscles, which helped a little, but I still had days when the pain was terrible. I never have any pain in my knee now. This has been a godsend for me.</p>
<p>so wip…if I start racewalking, that awful crunching sound will go away? I like to wear my ipod when I go up or downstairs to drown out the noise :)</p>
<p>I’m feeling lazy today and grumpy - so I will force myself to go out and get some fresh air. Injuries can really mess with your head. idad…I ordered a free trial of the ipod nazi stuff and I’ll see if I can get the energy to give it a go. Don’t want to aggravate that elbow (or ankle) of mine but we’ll see…</p>
<p>I would try on Nike Free Run and see what you think. They are so flexible that you can almost tie them in a knot, but the cushioning is good (but not over-cushioned). I love them as a walking shoe. I like light and flexible. If I got Brooks for walking, I would get the Launch. I don’t know about a specific walking shoe. The Cascade trail shoe is good for walking/hiking, too.</p>
<p>I am heading for San Diego on business and I am REALLY feeling sorry for myself that I don’t get to run along the harbor. It has always been one of my favorite runs- especially since I wake up so early because of the time change. I do plan to walk- but it isn’t the same and I won’t cover as much ground. It is also going to be really tough to not over-eat/drink. The bigger issue is that I am flying WildChild’s cat to Denver on my way. I have a plane change in Denver and enough time (if everything goes right) to hand off the cat to him outside security. If something goes wrong I am screwed, because the cat can NOT come to the legal conference with me! Wish me luck. He flies in the cabin, and I am hoping he doesn’t torture everyone sitting near me. I’ve never done this- will be juggling my computer backpack and cat carrier- purse will have to go in checked luggage. OH- and the stupid cushion I have to carry because of my injury and not being able to sit comfortably. Joys of travel. (not complaining- love San Diego)</p>
<p>You and me, both! Anyone have any tips on that? Thanksgiving is fast approaching and I’ve got to decide how I want to approach that. Most of the nutrition/fitness stuff I’ve been reading endorses taking break from calorie restriction every so often (a non-diet day or week), arguing that this reboots the body’s metabolism. I may treat Thanksgiving as my first diet break since February. Do I make my Julia Child creamed onions?</p>
<p>Of more immediate concern is Halloween. I really don’t want that candy in the house. I can’t begin to count how many “leftover” Reeces peanut butter cups I’ve plowed through in past years (“just one” at a time). I may just not buy any, turn the lights off, lock the doors, and pretend I don’t hear the doorbell this year. Or maybe I’ll give the little monsters my favorite snack these days: jumbo green olives (hold the martini).</p>
<p>idad…I just entertained and made the candy corn mix with dry roasted peanuts and plain and pretzel m&ms. Had to bag it all and send home with everyone so I wouldn’t be tempted! They loved it! Now I have homemade pumpkin pie in the fridge and I am allowing myself to enjoy it. I used low fat evaporated milk and just eat the pumpkin mix without the crust. Actually the calorie count is pretty low. We made plans on Halloween so we will not be home to give out candy…whew! ;)</p>
<p>For walking shoes, I would go to a running store and let them take a look at your foot shape and stride and recommend an appropriate running shoe. That will be fine for walking.</p>
<p>We (formerly) ol’ fat guys, tend to have wider, flatter feet which will typically call for shoe with more stability or motion control – to prevent the foot from rolling inwards on flat arches. This is the opposite of skinny, high-arched gazelle feet.</p>
<p>Brooks two shoes for flat-footed folk are their Adreneline model (also available in a water-resistant all-season version) and the Addiction (also available in leather versions called “walkers”, for nurses, waiters, and people on their feet all day).</p>
<p>Whatever you do, I would recommend trying a pair of SuperFeet insole inserts while in the running store. These things are the greatest thing since sliced bread for my feet and legs. I cannot stand to wear a pair of shoes without them, now. I even have them in my Docksiders.</p>
<p>I, on the other hand, HATE SuperFeet insoles. I think they feel like rocks, but plenty of people swear by them. On my running forums it’s about 50/50 love/hate.</p>
<p>That’s why it’s so important to go try on the shoes and the insoles and walk around in them. It’s probably the exact opposite 50/50 love hate for people who like the super flexible shoes like the Nike Free. I guess it all depends on your feet. I’d much rather stand and cook in my SuperFeet Docksiders than barefoot. The arch support feels so good – and I’ve got the rock hard BLUE version in my Docksiders. For athletic shoes with removable insoles, I have the ORANGE version which has a little cushioning.</p>
<p>When I went food shopping the other day, I walked by the Halloween candy and decided NOT to buy right now. Having that stuff around is bad news. But I will buy just before the big night…and then take the rest to the office the next day. I thought about buying candy I don’t like (black licorice, clark bars) but that’s acting too much like an ogre!</p>
<p>Thanksgiving…hmmm…I think I’ll keep it pretty low key this year and cut down on all the extra entrees. Less stress and less potential for pounds. I did find a yummy pumpkin bread pudding recipe though… </p>
<p>Tried the Super Feet and they are sitting in my drawer. Hated them. Rock hard.</p>
<p>Played 80 minutes of tennis, won 1 and 3. He tried to run me all over the place which was fine with me as I don’t really get tired these days. I had a good breakfast, good hydration and overall felt well except that I brought in my old running shoes (no cushioning) instead of my tennis shoes. I didn’t have any problems with them other than the laces coming loose from time to time.</p>
<p>I’ve been drinking too much coffee lately and not getting enough sleep. I can’t keep this up for much longer.</p>
<p>TR - I keep thinking we should meet somewhere near Philadelphia and I will give you a lesson. I will take the train from Lancaster and hop off at a designated spot. We should have all converged on MofWC last weekend.</p>
<p>I have such an image of MoWC with that cat. And it’s not good. I’ll bet whoever is sitting next to you is going to be excited hey, maybe you should start by asking if they ever log on to CC. Introduce yourself and all will be well. Ah, the things we do for our kids.</p>
<p>I’ll probably be facebook friends with the whole plane by the time I get to Denver. Or not. Maybe I’ll take the escape chute and grab a beer on the way down.
This could require all my remaining Southwest Air drink coupons! </p>
<p>Did get a short (30 minute) elliptical workout in between leaving work and finishing packing. Had a big all-morning quarterly review meeting at the day job today which had not made it onto the calendar. Surprise, surprise! Stayed away from the trail mix and just ate a banana. Baby steps…</p>
<p>I can’t remember which one he gives out as the freebie. The Phase I workouts might be too easy for you. If so, just increase the tempo and the weight. They were all I could handle for me, but then again walking to the mailbox was all I could handle back then, too!</p>
<p>Off to do Phase III. Got my ankle support on. I’m gonna see if I can not embarrass myself with the jogging in place, burpees, mountain climbers, and jumping jacks today. I was really lame on that stuff Monday. I think I need to work on my explosiveness, coming off the ground – or something like that. My vertical leap is non-existant.</p>
<p>ok idad…so he sent me some 34 page report that was mostly sales pitch. I guess the guy needs to make a living. Said he didn’t want to overwhelm me so he’ll send the ipod workout (45 minutes?) tomorrow…not sure what phase it is.</p>
<p>NM: I’ve done lots of walking–every year from 2003 until 2008, I did a 3-day 60 mile (20 miles each day) walk to raise money for two local breast cancer programs. I’d second the recommendation for using running shoes rather than walking shoes. Go to a store that specializes in running shoes or a place where people know what they’re selling (Dick’s or Bob’s or The Sports Authority aren’t IMO the places to go for this kind of help). I’ve got a wide foot and I’ve had good luck with Mizuno running shoes and also with Asics. I also bought two pairs of shoes when I trained for the walk–usually wearing one pair one day, the other pair the next day. Good shoes can make a huge difference in your training. Also, I would only wear the shoes for walking–didn’t use them for anything else.</p>
<p>Went to the YMCA and did weights last night. Walked out into the parking lot with just a t-shirt on top and felt great even though it was fairly cold out. I felt pretty good - refreshed with the cool air and the feeling of two workouts for the day. Went to bed early and felt great this morning. The pressure is off at the moment and hopefully I can recharge to get back to more regular workouts (I missed doing anything on Tuesday). We’ll see. Work is still busy but not insane and I’m back to drinking coffee. Life does get in the way of getting fit.</p>
<p>I may take a trip to a clothing store to look at some of those 36 inch pants that idad’s been talking about.</p>
<p>So now I have a question regarding what to wear for my first Run/walk 5K on Saturday. I am really excited! It will be cool…probably 50 degrees or so and chance of rain. I will be walking as quick as I can but not running. Any suggestions???</p>
<p>I’m not sure but I think that I’ll go to Sports Authority in a bit to see what they have for long-sleeve tech stuff. I think that the wind speed would be a factor too. Off-hand, I (don’t run in the rain) I say shorts and a tech-t. I normally war the tech shirts without the shoulders when running. If I want something a little warmer, then I go with a T. I don’t own fall long-sleeve tech stuff right now though I’ve been eying them for sales. I do have a winter-weight tech shirt but that would probably be too warm.</p>
<p>I’ve got a new workout routine to get ready for my 5k turkey trot. I now have long run days and speed run days. Of course it’s all relative, since I really can’t run more than a mile and speed is off in some distant future. Today was a long run, so I did 1.1 miles, walked 3 minutes, ran a mile, and then 10 minutes on the armless elliptical.</p>
hey, maybe you should start by asking if they ever log on to CC. Introduce yourself and all will be well. Ah, the things we do for our kids.</p>