Running To Get There (bike, waist, burn, training)

[Larry Caldwell]

The jogging vs. running thread got me to thinking about my childhood training. When I was in Boy Scouts, 60 years ago now, we could cover a lot of ground by running for 1000 paces and walking for 1000 paces, then repeat. The number of paces wasn't important, what was important was to step right out while walking and cover some ground while running. Once you were in shape, you could keep it up for hours while carrying a light pack. I lived 7 miles from school, and could do that distance in an hour and a quarter if I couldn't catch a ride, carrying homework and a trumpet in a case.

I know marathon runners run for hours, but tend to forget that Pheidippides actually had somewhere to go, and needed to get there ASAP. To be authentic, marathon runners need to do it carrying a sword and shield and wearing an iron helmet. Of course it killed him, so maybe the rule change was wise.

People used to run to get someplace. According to his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin once did a 20 mile round trip commute every day on foot. If he didn't have a horse, my grandfather used to call it "shanks mare." The guy who set the record for Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail did it by the run and walk method.

[G-fused]

I often run to and from work. I sometimes ride my bike but will lengthen the trip if I take the bike. I have the benefot of a shower at work (no frills place but i can use it so it's nice).

I keep a few pairs of shoes and sport/suit jackets in my office. I fold and roll my dress pants, shirt, belt, tie, etc. and put it in a small osprey backpack (with a chest and waist strap). Oh, and I have a down coat so it's not heavy - I roll it and strap it to the backpack and use a bungee cord to keep it stable. It all works out nicely and I get to and from work in about the same amount of time as I would taking the subway. 4 miles to work, a little over 5 on the way back (I run to my kids school to pick him up so it increases the distance). Then depending on how my kid is feeling, we'll either run, run/walk, or walk home - about a mile.

I'll do 3x/week at a minimum and skip the days when it's pouring rain, snowing, or when there's too much ice for my taste. I'm no Ben Franklin but it's OK.

[Anne Pennington]

To my knowledge, there are no studies to show that runners lose more weight than individuals who do other types of exercise. However, running certainly does burn lots of calories, and if you're running regularly, you might decide not to eat as much figuring why do it if you're putting all that energy into running. Even I have heard walking is also good for weight loss.