What Just Happened??!!??

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pearso21123
pearso21123 Posts: 351 Member
in Success Stories
I had an unbelievable experience today!! Today was day #5 of walking/jogging (mostly walking with very slow jogging). I live in the country so use telephone poles and mailboxes to track my progress while jogging and have been trying to go a little further with each session. Day #1 I thought I was going to die!! I made it to one of my "start jogging" landmarks and jogged until my previous "stop jogging" landmarks, but still felt pretty good. I decided to go a little further. I went a little further and suddenly the pain that runs up the front of my legs when I'm jogging disappeared, and I realized I wasn't having any trouble BREATHING, even though I was still jogging. So I kept going. I made it to the corner and jogged through my normal walk-to-catch-my-breath segment, made it to the next corner and passed my next "start jogging" mark, and finally made it all the way to my driveway. That's about 3/4 of a mile WITHOUT STOPPING!! When I got to my driveway I looked back and thought "What just happened!?" I felt like an actual real JOGGER!! I felt like Rocky at the top of the steps. Then I checked my time and had only shaved 2 minutes from my norm, which just proves that my jog really is as slow as my walk. I can only hope that I'll get faster when I don't have as much weight to move around :)

Why is jogging so much harder than walking if my speed is about the same?

Replies

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    First, you expend more energy to jog. You are moving a lot more muscles and more effort to go into an actual "jog stride". There is a run stride and walk stride...
  • zuckls
    zuckls Posts: 10 Member
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    My jog is as slow as my walk too :) but good for you and the improvement that you are already seeing! I'm sure you'll see more and more as you continue!
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
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    Your jog will get faster and longer! Keep at it! Way to go!
  • red_90
    red_90 Posts: 28 Member
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    Congratulations, that's great going. Here's a quote that might help to explain why it's more tiring:

    When you walk, one foot is always on the ground. When you run, most of the time you are actually airborne. For example: a 6-foot-tall runner with feet about 1 foot long was found to take 1,250 steps while running 8-minute miles. Thus, while covering 1 mile—5,280 feet—he was in touch with the ground for 1,250 feet and airborne for 4,030 feet.

    Put another way, he was in the air for 76% of the time. So don’t think of it as a 10-mile run. Think of it as 7 miles of flying.

    “Running is Flying”

    By: Paul E. Richardson

  • Treadmillmom1st
    Treadmillmom1st Posts: 579 Member
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    Well done you, its an amazing feeling isn't it. When I first ran 5K without stopping I was absolutely elated, I was up in the clouds, it was the best feeling ever. When I run I have an air of, 'Yer, look at me, I'm a jogger'. :smiley:
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
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    Super Job!!! Keep it going. When I started running I was doing a 14 min mile. I didn't run to run faster, I ran to get weight off. As the weight came off I got faster. Keep doing what you're doing cuz it's working for you. AWESOME!
  • markiend
    markiend Posts: 461 Member
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    I use a web based ( mapmywalk ) to map out where and how far / fast etc

    but as others have said, good job and keep it going
  • LoeshaElizabeth
    LoeshaElizabeth Posts: 96 Member
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    time two minutes and you will see thats actually a pretty long time! good job keep it up :)
  • cosmonew
    cosmonew Posts: 514 Member
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    2 minutes is a great improvement. plus calorie burn in jogging is amazing. i am elated when i take 15 or 30 seconds of my time
  • crazyjerseygirl
    crazyjerseygirl Posts: 1,252 Member
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    Congratulations! I remember that feeling! Be careful, you'll start enjoying it soon!
  • deannaaaaaaaaa
    deannaaaaaaaaa Posts: 238 Member
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    red_90 wrote: »
    Congratulations, that's great going. Here's a quote that might help to explain why it's more tiring:

    When you walk, one foot is always on the ground. When you run, most of the time you are actually airborne. For example: a 6-foot-tall runner with feet about 1 foot long was found to take 1,250 steps while running 8-minute miles. Thus, while covering 1 mile—5,280 feet—he was in touch with the ground for 1,250 feet and airborne for 4,030 feet.

    Put another way, he was in the air for 76% of the time. So don’t think of it as a 10-mile run. Think of it as 7 miles of flying.

    “Running is Flying”

    By: Paul E. Richardson

    this is awesome!
  • totaldetermination
    totaldetermination Posts: 1,184 Member
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    red_90 wrote: »
    Congratulations, that's great going. Here's a quote that might help to explain why it's more tiring:

    When you walk, one foot is always on the ground. When you run, most of the time you are actually airborne. For example: a 6-foot-tall runner with feet about 1 foot long was found to take 1,250 steps while running 8-minute miles. Thus, while covering 1 mile—5,280 feet—he was in touch with the ground for 1,250 feet and airborne for 4,030 feet.

    Put another way, he was in the air for 76% of the time. So don’t think of it as a 10-mile run. Think of it as 7 miles of flying.

    “Running is Flying”

    By: Paul E. Richardson

    awesome job OP ! - congratulations.

    Sorry to burst the 'running is flying' bubble, but this shows that his feet have 'covered' 24% of the ground. But that doesn't mean that he is in the air for 76% of the time. He 'reaches' forward to place his foot down and then his body weight moves from behind the foot, to above the foot to in front of the foot. So his weight is on the ground for more than 24% of the time.

    still, running is awesome ! its just not flying :smiley:
  • laurie62ann
    laurie62ann Posts: 433 Member
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    Congrats! It's a great feeling when the legs and lungs work together!! Keep up the good work!
  • gentryatkinson
    gentryatkinson Posts: 28 Member
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    Just wanted to say 2 minutes off your time is actually quite a bit. As someone said earlier, just 15-30 seconds off my time makes me so happy.
  • kmclamb13
    kmclamb13 Posts: 220 Member
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    Way to go ! Just be happy that the jogging is picking up and keep going. Congrats!
  • Xpecta
    Xpecta Posts: 451 Member
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    That's so exciting!! Congratulations!! Before you know it you'll be jogging 5 and 10k!!! Keep at it!
  • dimple_gal
    dimple_gal Posts: 138 Member
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    Makes you want to get back out and do it again, huh? Great feeling! You are building up your endurance, the speed will come later! The first few minutes are the hardest!
  • MrsMizart
    MrsMizart Posts: 1,275 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Very well done :-)
  • pearso21123
    pearso21123 Posts: 351 Member
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    crazyjerseygirl wrote: »
    Congratulations! I remember that feeling! Be careful, you'll start enjoying it soon!

    Ha! I already feel terrible when I go two days in a row without exercising. Who would've ever thought that I'd look forward to exercising! But it makes the whole rest of the day better.

    I still like walking better than jogging, though.

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