Don't let anyone tell you that semi-professional couch potatology isn't a worthwhile physical exercise. (But, a little cross-training wouldn't hurt.)

So, to break up your workout of reaching for one of your 14 remote controls, try training for a 5K or 10K walk or run.

The transformation from a post-holiday limp vegetable to 5K or 10K walker or runner requires planning in order to be successful and avoid injury. The key is consistency, but you can do it.

Let's start with some distance definitions. A 5K (that's kilometers) event is 3.1 miles. The 10K is 6.2
miles, and although you are not ready for it yet, a half-marathon is 13.1 miles, and a marathon is 26.2 miles.

Though there's a difference between walkers and runners, (we'll discuss speed demons later) you have to
start somewhere. A walk is a good beginning because walking events are often recreational and usually are fundraisers for good causes. Call a friend, get in shape together and have fun.

The right stuff

Before training begins, the right gear is important, especially the shoes. "Just like the tires on your car, running shoes will give you a certain mileage of comfort and support. For serious walkers and especially runners, that distance is about 500 miles per pair," explains foot and ankle specialist William C. McGarvey, associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, who also has done 10K runs and off-road triathlons.

Go to a store that specializes in shoes for athletic events, he recommends. "Your feet will be measured and evaluated to determine the need. A shoe should not make your foot do something it does not want to do. For instance, if you are flat-footed, a shoe with an arch is needed. There's a shoe for every foot."

And there's an equally important and unique sock for every foot, too. Seasoned walkers and runners know the value of a blisterless 10K. The secret is often in the sock.

The next stop is the athletic clothing store.

Angela M. Weatherill, senior manager of information technology at UT Health Science Center also helps women train for 5K, 10K, marathon and 50K events. Runs, marathons and triatholons have been part of her daily life for more than 30 years.

Even before going to the track for an evaluation, the first thing she has her trainee do is get the proper clothing: shorts or the Capri style that comes to the knees, and t-shirts made of the new fabrics that pull perspiration away from the body and through to the outside of the shirt where it evaporates.

The right plan

Unlike plopping down on the couch for the final season of ER, finding a time to walk regularly requires thought. Sometimes it's easier to find a sponsored event as a goal.

"Having a training plan can eliminate a number of problems. Think it through and ask yourself, 'what is my current activity level, what am I capable of doing, and how much time do I need to train?'" McGarvey suggests.

Establishing consistent training habits is important. Unfortunately, many people have a "weekend warrior" mentality. "They work all week and then go out on weekends and do as much as they can physically. It is something to do but not a priority," he says.

"For others, when the time of the event comes near, they try to cram everything into a few weeks." Unlike the brain, the body does not respond well to this tactic.

This is when McGarvey sees the most injuries and problems that result from overuse of the body and improper training techniques. With walkers and especially runners, he sees soft tissue problems - a strained muscle, a pulled ligament or tendonitis.

He observes that very busy (or impatient) people often neglect to take the time either to stretch properly before a workout or begin gradually so that the pace increases your body temperature, warming up cold, stiff muscles. "The body needs a chance to adapt from a sedentary state to exercise. That one act can be injurious and does not get better overnight. It can require days, weeks and sometimes months."

Just do it.

If your goal is to walk a 10K by this spring, you'd better set your DVR for your favorite shows and get out there now.

If you are totally out of shape, you will need three to four months to prepare.

To evaluate where you are right now, and what is needed to accomplish the goal, start walking the track (or bayou, or trail) at a moderate pace, which is 17 to 20 minutes per mile. After walking one mile, you might be tired and need to sit down. Speed and endurance must increase.

"A standard track is one-quarter of a mile, 440 yards. You have to walk that distance four times to complete one mile," explains Weatherill, who recommends you create a walking schedule so you are walking four times a week, which means you are walking four miles a week.

Most high schools and colleges, gyms, and parks have an official quarter-mile track. If one isn't close to you, find a safe neighborhood path and mark it off in your car.

To increase your speed and endurance, increase your distance by 10 percent each week. "A 10 percent increase is the maximum your body can adapt to, whether you are a walker or a runner," she explains. So the second week you walk 4.5 miles. The third week you walk a total of five miles. Add the extra mileage gradually over the entire week.

"If you do more than 10 percent a week, there is the chance of injury. People start out very enthusiastic, but please follow this rule," says Weatherill, who also believes it is a good idea to keep a walking or running diary: "You always know where you are, and this is part of the plan to be consistent."

If there is a break in the training program, you must begin at the lowest level and build back up, McGarvey says. The rule of thumb is: it takes about two weeks of re-training for every week you missed.

Learn from the road warriors: runners

"When runners prepare for a half-marathon or a full marathon, which have time limits, each decides how fast he or she will run the race, then that goal is reached at least two weeks before the event. They do not overstress the body."

With a schedule in place, the next part of the plan to evaluate for the runner is diet. "Fuel for energy use is important, because human muscles store enough fuel for approximately two hours of aerobic activity, and marathons and especially triathlons can take several hours," observes Weatherill.

For day-to-day activity and workouts she knows the importance of eating protein, especially meat, and drinking milk for calcium. Weatherill's meals during the day, which are always balanced, consist of cottage cheese and fruit with nuts sprinkled on top, a rice cake with peanut butter for a snack, a piece of toast with peanut butter with some grapefruit.

Lunch or dinner might be fresh greens, pasta or bread and some chicken or beef, but she does not eat processed foods like lunch meats. Fresh fruits and vegetables as well as meat are needed in your diet to provide the sulfur used by the liver to do its job, which is to remove toxins and waste from the body. Weatherill encourages eating natural foods and a well-balanced diet.

"Some runners get really focused on the diet four to seven days before an event," Weatherhill says. Many report eating lots of carbohydrates including pasta, potatoes and bread, low-fat foods and moderate protein intake. Then two days before, they consume serious fluids, but no dehydrating alcohol. Runners often cut down on high-fiber food before a race.

"My athletic lifestyle gives me self-confidence, energy to accomplish my objectives at work as well as participating in endurance events and triathlons, which consist of three activities back-to-back: I come out of a 2.4-mile swim and immediately ride my bike for 112 miles, and then quickly get off and run 26.2 miles."

Weatherill's activities and lifestyle may be more than some people would want to accomplish, considering the dedication and consistency required. For her, the payoff is solid muscle, appropriate body fat, a healthy body, great endurance, happy attitude—and she sleeps well.

For more information on events, check out http://www.insidetexasrunning.com.

 

Last Updated: 2-03-2009

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