Running vs Walking

I heard a segment on NPR once, that basically we were not built for long distance running, but rather for running short distances and walking long ones.

If that were true, the greatest concentration of distance runners wouldn't be coming from East Africa - our ancestral home before the Great Migration.

IMO they have it exactly backwards - humans evolved for extended LISS - it's the folks who migrated out of Africa that have lost some of that ability along the way.

I *detest* running. It makes my boobs hurt, aggravates old injuries, and causes my asthma to flare. I run in bursts when umpiring or playing netball and I'm plenty fit enough for that. The rest of the time, I walk. Fast walking is actually better than slow jogging, I'm told.

Either way, clearly my excercise hasn't hindered my weight loss.... it's day 328 and I'm down 27 kg so far....

It depends on what your goals are fitness wise. I do a lot of walking and I don't run (anymore) because it's really hard on my joints and really screws with my lifting. Walking is great exercise but you aren't going to make substantial leaps in your cardiovascular fitness just walking. I walk primarily for recovery work and to just move a little...I cycle three times per week or so to really push my cardiovascular fitness level and make improvements in that RE.

I think everyone hates running at first. I think it took me about a year to actually enjoy it.

Either way, clearly my excercise hasn't hindered my weight loss.... it's day 328 and I'm down 27 kg so far....

correct, exercise has very little to do with weight loss. That comes from a caloric deficit (can be diet alone, or a combo of diet and exercise) Exercise just lets you eat more to achieve the same weight loss (deficit)

The idea that exercise doesn't aid in weight loss is one of the most persistent myths on MFP.

Going from inactive to active - which can only be achieved by exercise - results in increased BMR, above and beyond that which would be expected from changes in body composition. That means that even after you net out exercise calories, an active body will lose extra weight for the same caloric intake, on the order of 1 pound/month.

I love love love running, to the point where I'm training for a marathon (I don't know which one yet, but I'm training for it!) but running is not for everyone. You should find something that you enjoy doing and makes you happy and is fun for you. Working out should be a challenge but if you're trying to do something you don't like then it will surely become a chore.

If you're late it will get you there faster, LOVE THAT

Since running will raise your HR more than walking the biggest benefit will be increase heart health, other benes would be: burns more cals (per minute and per distance), increase endurance, if you are late it will get you there faster, ability to get away if need be, translates over to playing sports, etc.

Start with Couch to 5K, combines walking and jogging intervals.

I can burn twice the calories in half the time (okay, I'm estimating) if I run instead of walk--so for me, running to burn calories instead of walking to do it is kind of a time-saver. Besides that, I like the way it makes my legs look.

Either way, clearly my excercise hasn't hindered my weight loss.... it's day 328 and I'm down 27 kg so far....

correct, exercise has very little to do with weight loss. That comes from a caloric deficit (can be diet alone, or a combo of diet and exercise) Exercise just lets you eat more to achieve the same weight loss (deficit)

Which apparently has very little to do with weight loss.

I have been running for a while now, six years. My relationship with running seems to be based on how well I am running. When I am super used to running, I find running easy and I really enjoy it. If I ever lose my running fitness, I find running difficult and I do hate it.

If you enjoy walking, I say stick to walking. I think that it is much better to do something that you love because you will be more likely to be super consistent. The only reason I don't walk is because my attention span is pretty much non-existent.

If you do decide to become a runner, I would suggest slowing your pace a lot and adding some walk breaks to ease your body into getting used to running. Slowing down will lessen the pain as your body adjusts.:laugh:

If you'd rather walk than run, then do that because you'll likely not make excuses for not walking as opposed to not running.

The difference is the time versus calorie burn (rate). I can walk at varying speeds (between 3.3 and 3.6 mph) for 52 minutes with a warmup and cooldown, and burn between 550 and 625 calories on a varying grade. Or I can run at 7-7.5 mph (with walk breaks every 4 minutes, walking 40 seconds) and burn nearly 1000 calories running out and back for a total of 5.2 miles on an average 2.6% grade.

And running (for speed) has it's own effects on the body (both good and temporarily bad). You'll use and tone a different set of muscles running verus walking. You'll get different cardiovascular effects running versus walking. Cardio workouts with walking tend to promote very efficient slow-twitch muscle fiber. Depending upon how fast one runs, fast-twitch muscle development can be encouraged, but it is encouraged more by resistance training. But after conditioning with running, you'll find it more difficult to get your heart rate up by walking. I know that even walking fast, my heart rate rarely gets over 110 bpm on the flat. I actually have to seek hills to get it a little higher and my system is now so efficient it takes getting my heart rate into the 145 range just to get into the fat burning zone.

You may also find your resting heart rate dropping signifcantly after running for a period of time. Mine has dropped from an average around 55-58 down to around 45 beats per minute if I am sufficiently rested after a training run. That occurred when I dropped from an average of 11 miles per day walking (total, including about 90 minutes spaced throughout the day of fast paced 4 mph walking) and went on to start training for a marathon (which I just completed and I am training for my next one).


Injury-wise you can get hurt just as easily walking as running but there are more weight/gravity forces to deal with running.

I walked, and walked, and walked from 2010 to 2013 gradually increasing my average daily step count from 17,000 steps per day to 22,000 steps per day. One day, because we were going to Charleston, SC and it just so happened the Cooper River Bridge Run was scheduled for the same weekend that were planning to go to Charleston, I entered on a whim (more to take pictures up on the bridge than anything else). There was no question I could walk the entire 10K race and complete it in the allotted time. Instead of walking it the entire way, I ran the first two miles, walked the thrid (because I was taking pictures on the bridge) and then ran from mile 3 until the end. No training, just a couple of days of short practice runs to get a sense of pace. I came across the finish line tired, knowing I used a different set of muscles than I was accustomed to using walking and hiking, but also feeling like I could go another 6 miles (I probably could not have gone the extra 6 miles, but I felt that good, not wasted).

I realized that running stressed and developed other muscles than walking or hiking and, so, put it into my schedule. When two of my coworkers began training for a marathon using this Galloway run-walk method and knowing that I had a good solid base of cardio capacity to start with, I began to follow a training plan that would build up the endurance for the full marathon in 6 months (knowing that I could always change my mind and bail out if training didn't go well or drop down to the half-marathon or 10 K category.

I can't say I was thrilled with running all the time when I was younger because I used it as a path to some other goal. Now running (in addition to walking) has become part of my daily routine. But I really like the health benefits I've seen.

A propos - time efficiency - For short runs, the amount of calories per total time, including changing and showering, may even be less than for walking.

Totally valid point... which is why I used it as an excuse for a long time. Now I've "scheduled" big blocks of time into my day to run, but if for some reason I can't make it happen, then I'll use every last random minute of the day walking.

Just keep walking and try to improve your speed. A lot of people don't realize once you break 5mph walking, you burn the same calories you would running around the same speed. It's difficult to get to that speed and maintain it, but an awesome feeling when you do.

Marathon runners also incorporate speed in to their program so they finish fast on race day. So they do long slow running ( for some people that means fat loss) and they do speed training ( for some people that means gaining muscle and toning up)

My relationship with running seems to be based on how well I am running. When I am super used to running, I find running easy and I really enjoy it. If I ever lose my running fitness, I find running difficult and I do hate it.

That is soooo true!! :laugh: