4.5 mph is not walking, it's running for a petite female.

k_saenz

I'm 4'11" and consider 4.5 walking. I run at at least 6 mph

neandermagnon

Speak for yourself! I'm only 5'2" and anything less than 5mph is walking for me. I run at 10mph.

5'1"

I don't know mph because my treadmill is in kmph but for me anything up to 8kmph is walking, 9kmph doesn't happen, then running is 10kmph. I don't do jogging. I only do walking or running and I'm not all that keen on running.

Bonny619

I CAN walk at 4.5 mph but my body instinctively wants to go into a jog/run. It just feels much more comfortable.

nagniho

I CAN walk at 4.5 mph but my body instinctively wants to go into a jog/run. It just feels much more comfortable.

same here:-) I could do the funky power walk but at 4.5 mph it is easier to start a slow jog. I use this speed during my interval days. Sprint at 6.5-6.7 and then come down to 4.5.

meshashesha2012

i'm 5'5 and 4.5 is walking for me. it's actually pretty uncomfortable for me to jog at that pace or anything under 5.1. for me, the border between not being able to walk and having to run is like 5.0/5.1.

i think it depends on your stride length : shorter choppier steps -> slower speed.

i also have a long legs so that might be a factor as well

mego07

So true, I am barely 5 feet tall:
4mph - fast walk
4.2mph - pretty fast walk
4.5mph- slow jog
5.0mph- fast jog
6mph - run
6.5 to 7mph - sprint

i am the same until i get more into shape. For a while 5.0 is a fast jog but soon in turns into too slow and i am at a fast jog at 5.5. 6 has always been a run.. i can agree with you there.

also, nice to see us petite ladies running! It can get discouraging especially if any of us run races or play running sports like soccer.

hellokittymaui

I'm 5'4" with short legs and at 4mph on the treadmill, it's a very fast walk for me. I have to start jogging at 4.5.

All these articles that offer treadmill workouts are all waaayyyy too fast for me. They usually say 4mp is the warm-up pace!! I can't 4mph until I've been on the treadmill for at least 10-15 mins!

babyworms

... I'm 5'10" and 4.6 is DEFINITELY running for me...

tachyon_master

Speak for yourself! I'm only 5'2" and anything less than 5mph is walking for me. I run at 10mph.

5'1"

I don't know mph because my treadmill is in kmph but for me anything up to 8kmph is walking, 9kmph doesn't happen, then running is 10kmph. I don't do jogging. I only do walking or running and I'm not all that keen on running.

Mine's also in kph, but equates to:
<5 mph is about <8 kph which for me is walking speed
5-6 mph is about 9 kph which for me is brisk walking
6-7 mph is about 9.5-11.3 kph which for me is a slow jog
7-8 mph is about 11.3-13 kph which for me is a medium jog
8-10 mph is about 13-16 kph which for me is running
>12 mph is about 19.3 kph which is a sprint when I'm doing intervals.

Just because I'm short, doesn't mean I can't run fast At the end of the day it's just about training. You'll find that as you become a more experienced runner, you'll be able to run faster and for longer. Don't stress out if 4.5 mph is running for you right now, you'll build it up eventually.

shadow2soul

Speak for yourself! I'm only 5'2" and anything less than 5mph is walking for me. I run at 10mph.

5'1"

I don't know mph because my treadmill is in kmph but for me anything up to 8kmph is walking, 9kmph doesn't happen, then running is 10kmph. I don't do jogging. I only do walking or running and I'm not all that keen on running.

Mine's also in kph, but equates to:
<5 mph is about <8 kph which for me is walking speed
5-6 mph is about 9 kph which for me is brisk walking
6-7 mph is about 9.5-11.3 kph which for me is a slow jog
7-8 mph is about 11.3-13 kph which for me is a medium jog
8-10 mph is about 13-16 kph which for me is running
>12 mph is about 19.3 kph which is a sprint when I'm doing intervals.

Just because I'm short, doesn't mean I can't run fast At the end of the day it's just about training. You'll find that as you become a more experienced runner, you'll be able to run faster and for longer. Don't stress out if 4.5 mph is running for you right now, you'll build it up eventually.

True. I used to be able to run a mile in 8-9 mins. I'm just really out of shape right now.

KristinLeAnn252

Yeah I'm a SUPER slow walker. I probably average 2MPH.. but at 5'0 (or just under), if I go any faster, I'll be jogging lol.

peachfigs

This made me giggle.

I'm very short too with little legs. I feel your pain.

fluffykitsune

4.5 mph is still 4.5 mph whether you walk or run it you will be burning the same amount of calories.

Pushing your weight free of gravity into the air, compared to just propelling forward.

No, there is a decent difference, especially as weight increases or time/distance done.

http://www.exrx.net/Aerobic/WalkCalExp.html

84 vs 65 cal / mile / 100 lbs.

My general rule is 100cal per mile, But I am 5'2 and 115lb
So if I walk 4.5 mph, I burn 450 cals. If I run 4.5 mph, I burn 450 cals as well.
But, I usually walk 3mph. and run at 5mph.
so if I wanted to burn 300 calories, I'd have to walk an hour or run 36 minutes.
Same amount of calories burned, you just do it faster when you run.

gruviegirl

I agree 4.5mph is a light jog. But my average walk speed is 4.2mph and I'm 5'4". It took a few months for me to work up to walking that fast but now it has become a normal speed for me.

neandermagnon

Speak for yourself! I'm only 5'2" and anything less than 5mph is walking for me. I run at 10mph.

5'1"

I don't know mph because my treadmill is in kmph but for me anything up to 8kmph is walking, 9kmph doesn't happen, then running is 10kmph. I don't do jogging. I only do walking or running and I'm not all that keen on running.

Mine's also in kph, but equates to:
<5 mph is about <8 kph which for me is walking speed
5-6 mph is about 9 kph which for me is brisk walking
6-7 mph is about 9.5-11.3 kph which for me is a slow jog
7-8 mph is about 11.3-13 kph which for me is a medium jog
8-10 mph is about 13-16 kph which for me is running
>12 mph is about 19.3 kph which is a sprint when I'm doing intervals.

Just because I'm short, doesn't mean I can't run fast At the end of the day it's just about training. You'll find that as you become a more experienced runner, you'll be able to run faster and for longer. Don't stress out if 4.5 mph is running for you right now, you'll build it up eventually.

thank you for the conversions I can now put this entire thread into context

my conversed values based on the above

up to 5mph = walking

6.5mph = running

with nothing in between. I don't do jogging, and I'm sure I walk faster than I jog anyway... I walk or run, and my sprint speed is also slow (never tried it on a treadmill so I don't know how slow it is...)

I'm slow at running on the flat, but fast at running up and down stairs. If I race with my husband, he beats me by a long way on the flat, but I can beat him up flights of stairs every time I'm also very fast at skating which is similar to hill running from a biomechanics point of view.

ContraryMaryMary

My running coach won a marathon a few years back in a time of 2 hours 53 minutes. That's 9 miles an hour. She's about 5'2".

phjorg1

4.5 mph is still 4.5 mph whether you walk or run it you will be burning the same amount of calories.

Pushing your weight free of gravity into the air, compared to just propelling forward.

No, there is a decent difference, especially as weight increases or time/distance done.

http://www.exrx.net/Aerobic/WalkCalExp.html

84 vs 65 cal / mile / 100 lbs.

My general rule is 100cal per mile, But I am 5'2 and 115lb
So if I walk 4.5 mph, I burn 450 cals. If I run 4.5 mph, I burn 450 cals as well.
But, I usually walk 3mph. and run at 5mph.
so if I wanted to burn 300 calories, I'd have to walk an hour or run 36 minutes.
Same amount of calories burned, you just do it faster when you run.

as was explained, thats false.

Reason why is when you're walking, the body can power you using the fatty acid energy system. which is far more efficient at making ATP than the cardio system. Once you get moving fast enough, then the cardio system becomes the dominate power source for moving muscles, so results in a higher calorie burn, even over same distances..

Azdak

It may be walking for a over 6 foot male but for a petite woman it is light running. I am 5'5 and take more steps than a taller person to keep up so wouldn't that mean I could run at a slower MPH than a man?
It makes no sense to me that I have to run at 4.5 MPH but MFP claims I am walking. It's unfair really. I feel i am running and according to my heart rate I am. MFP really needs to take height and length t of legs and torso into consideration. Also list more exercises. speed intervals on a treadmill is not even listed neigher is planking. They list cleaning house as exercise but not being in a mosh pit which is much more moving than cleaning.

It's not a question of "fairness". It's just basic physiology.

Calorie count estimates for simple exercises such as running and walking are based on simple formulas that have been validated for years (decades?). These formulas were validated using large, diverse groups. Within certain parameters (e.g. walking or running speed ranges), the energy cost of a walking or running stride is similar for large segments of the population, therefore these formulas can be used with a good degree of confidence. Databases like MFP, equipment like treadmills, phone apps--all use this data. HRMs use something similar.

Once one starts moving outside these ranges, there is more variability--stride length, walking style, etc. Since there is more variability, there are no common formulas that can be used for the entire population .

If one is walking faster than 4.2 mph or running slower than 5 mph, then there is no "calculator" available. MFP collects information from a variety of different activity databases--some of it accurate, some of it not--into one place so that it is more easily accessible.

It's become more of an issue as more people start running as part of their fitness programs--more people end up in the 4.0-5.0 mph running range. Unfortunately, calorie estimates--by any means--will be much less accurate at these speeds for the reasons I mentioned. On the plus side, we're not talking about huge differences here--and people are getting the extra fitness benefits from running.

mrp56839

Hell, I'm 5'10" and that is my fast pace for out on the trails. Granted on the track I can do 5.5 to 6 MPH, but most of my running is in the hills on rocky terrain. I find it demoralizing when I see these threads and the ensuing post that anything under a 12 minute mile isn't running/jogging. Running is a gait, not a speed, and I may be slow, but I'm working my *kitten* off!

^^^ This! I'm 5'8" and my run pace is about 4.25-4.5mph. I wear a HRM and know how many calories I burn doing my intervals, so I just let MFP tell me I'm "briskly walking" at 4.5mph and then change the calories to whatever my HRM says.

They do need interval training as an option though!

shanster23

I agree!!
I don't use 4.5mph as my running pace, however when I set that as my pace on the treadmill it's impossible for me to move my legs quick enough to walk it. I have to jog it. (5'1")

LeenaRuns

Seriously?! I'm 5'6" and 4.5 mph is most definitely a fast walk for me.

ETA: fixed spelling

mariposa224

Speak for yourself! I'm only 5'2" and anything less than 5mph is walking for me. I run at 10mph.

I'm 5'5" and 4.5mph isn't running for me either. It's a very fast walk, but not a run. I can just walk really friggin' fast. I trained my children as toddlers to walk fast, too... Now they're 20 & 14.5 & they're pretty fast walkers as well.

Just use an HRM and create your own exercise, calling it whatever you like, as a few others have recommended.

bnorris2013

5'2 and heavy

2.7 mph is a normal walk
3 mph is a fast walk
3.5 mph is a very fast walk
4 mph is a jog
4.5 mph is running

gollygee23

I am 5.5 and 4.5 is walking for me too. I am still walking at 6.0. I don't run - it's too hard on the knees.:happy:

Azdak

One foot on the ground during the stride = walking

Two feet off the ground during the stride = running

Speed is irrelevant to the definition. There is no set speed where "walking" becomes "running".

Heaven71

4 is walking for me at 5'5" and 4.5 is a jog so really the height thing is irrelevant. It's more about fitness. As long as you're moving, it doesn't matter really just keep on moving.

The reason MFP states it that way is because that is the way someone created and logged it. If you don't like it, create your own. Use a HRM and log your own.

jennibear22

I'm 5'3 and for me 4.5 is a slow walk - usually what I would do for a cool down after some cardio. I tend to walk at 6.0 and if I jog/run it's usually at 6.5-7.

majope

One foot on the ground during the stride = walking

Two feet off the ground during the stride = running

Speed is irrelevant to the definition. There is no set speed where "walking" becomes "running".

Yup. My fastest running pace is about a 9:30 mile. My slowest running pace, when I was doing low heart rate training, was almost double that--about an 18-minute mile, which is much slower than I can walk. Also, for several years the pacer for my 12-minute mile training group for a half-marathon was a speed walker. Totally different mechanics, regardless of speed.

CristinaL1983

I'm 5'7''
for me
3-4 mph is a walk
5-6.5 mph is a jog
6.5-7.5 mph is a pretty good, sustainable run
8+ mph is a sprint that I have difficulty keeping up for more than 45ish seconds

Between 4-5 mph is super awkward for me as its a quick walk to really slow jog and I find myself alternating between the two. I usually go straight from 3.something to 6ish.

Having said that, I used to be able to sustainably run at 8+ mph. Repeated ankle surgeries led to a more sedentary lifestyle and weight gain. I'm currently working with my ortho on increasing my ability to run outdoors. Also, when I was in the Navy, there was no exception nor different standards for people of different heights. IMO, it is more a matter of training than height.

[All speeds are flat ground/track times.]

ETA: One of the fastest guys I knew was 5'4'' and ran 6 minute miles on all our Physical Readiness Tests (10 mph)

cparter

TSK SMH.. lost in translation but isn't moving the most important thing? Who cares if one calls your walking 'running' or vice versa. What is important is the fact you are eating healthy choices and are moving something.

I would say, that as you become more conditioned, put more stress on your body and lose weight, you will increase your base line which would most likely align with that of MFP. Yet, it really doesn't matter. Embrace the good and don't get so flustered over something that will not save the day or affect the cost of cheese.:ohwell: