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Do the Shuffle

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    • Do the Shuffle

      Jeff Galloway is a well-known and respected runner who advocates a run-walk approach to running. Many people are faster when they run-walk than when they continuous run. My running times are about the same for both continuous running and run-walk....I'm slow either way. My coach and good friend will continuous run the first half of a marathon and run-walk the second half and is faster the second half.

      Principles behind Run Walk Run:

      • Continuous use of a muscle will result in quicker fatigue
      • The longer the run segment, the more fatigue
      • Run Walk Run is a form of interval training
      • Conservation of resources
      • Quicker recovery
      • Less stress on the “weak links”
      • Ability to enjoy endorphins
      • Reduce core body temperature


      So, what's up with Shuffling? Because I am only allowed to walk for the next few weeks, I was reviewing Jeff Galloway's tips on walking and came across something that might be helpful to long-distance hikers to prevent injury.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • SHUFFLING

      Shuffle before you get tired.
      Most of us, even when untrained, can walk for several miles before fatigue sets in, because walking is an activity that we are bio-engineered to do for hours. Many beginners get discouraged, however, because during the first session or two they don’t feel that they are going as far as they should – and add a mile or two. During the extra mileage, they often feel strong and hardly tired. In a day or two, they know otherwise as overused muscles complain.
      The continuous use of the walking muscles and tendons – even when the walking pace feels completely comfortable – increases stress on our “weak links,” increasing aches and pains much more quickly. If you shuffle before your walking muscles start to get tired, you recover instantly. This increases your capacity for exercise while reducing the chance of a next-day soreness attack.

      Shuffling is barely moving your feet and legs, to let the walking muscles recover.
      Most of the time you’re doing it right if you feel comfortable, aren’t huffing and puffing and don’t have any aches or pains after your first 10 minutes of walking. You are the captain of your walking ship, and it is you who determines how far, how fast, how much you will walk, etc. If you choose to insert shuffle breaks from the beginning of any walk that is long for you, you will gain a major degree of control over fatigue, aches and pains.

      What is a “shuffle?”
      With your feet next to the ground, use a short stride with minimal movement. You’re still moving forward but not having to spend much energy doing so. When you insert 30 to 60 seconds of shuffling into a regular walk, every two to four minutes, your walking muscles relax and rest. This lowers the chance of aches and pains due to the constant use of the muscles, tendons, etc.

      A strategy that gives you control
      You can’t wait until you’re tired – you must insert the “shuffles” from the beginning. In setting up a conservative strategy of walk/shuffle, you gain control over fatigue, soreness and aches. Using this fatigue-reduction tool early gives you muscle strength and mental confidence to the end. Even when you don’t need the extra muscle strength and resiliency bestowed by the method, you will feel better during and after your walk and will finish knowing that you could have gone further, while recovering faster.
      Shuffle breaks allow you a chance to enjoy every walk. By taking them early and often, you can feel strong, even after covering a distance that is very long for you. There is no need to be exhausted at the end of a walk if you insert enough shuffle breaks, for you, on that day.

      A short and very gentle shuffle
      During the shuffle you are only slightly moving your feet and legs. This allows the tendons, muscles, etc. to recover from your regular walking motion. Keep the feet next to the ground, taking baby steps, barely moving the legs.

      No need to ever eliminate the shuffle breaks
      Some beginners assume that they must work toward the day when they don’t have to take any shuffle breaks at all. This is up to the individual but is not recommended. Remember that you decide what ratio of walk/shuffle to use. I suggest that you adjust the ratio to how you feel on a given day.
      Even the most experienced walker has a few “weak links” that are irritated from continuous use. Shuffling can manage these – or eliminate them.

      Lost in the right direction.
    • I'm like Sandy and normally my feet skim above the ground. This is more apparent in fall, when I realize I sound like a herd of elephants kicking through the leaves and in winter, when I make a continuous line in the snow instead of feet prints. It takes concentration to raise the knees and lift the feet.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • When the kids were in high school and ran cross country, the wife would do road races with my younger son, there was an older lady they referred to as the "Shuffle Lady", they would blow her doors off early in the race but after several miles.....here she comes....shuffling right on by them.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • Drybones wrote:

      When the kids were in high school and ran cross country, the wife would do road races with my younger son, there was an older lady they referred to as the "Shuffle Lady", they would blow her doors off early in the race but after several miles.....here she comes....shuffling right on by them.
      On a similar note...Walker Man (my "trail name" for him) attended many 5k's in the area. He was an elderly man who walked 5k's with a walker. Friends would pick him up from assisted living and drive him to and from races. When I first started running, I ran in a 5k at the local school for the hearing impaired. Walker Man was in front of me and moving so fast, I couldn't pass him. I thought, Oh No! Walker Man can't beat me! My only goal was to pass Walker Man!

      Sadly he is now deceased but he still remains an inspiration.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Jeff Galloway is a well-known and respected runner who advocates a run-walk approach to running. Many people are faster when they run-walk than when they continuous run. My running times are about the same for both continuous running and run-walk....I'm slow either way. My coach and good friend will continuous run the first half of a marathon and run-walk the second half and is faster the second half.

      Principles behind Run Walk Run:

      • Continuous use of a muscle will result in quicker fatigue
      • The longer the run segment, the more fatigue
      • Run Walk Run is a form of interval training
      • Conservation of resources
      • Quicker recovery
      • Less stress on the “weak links”
      • Ability to enjoy endorphins
      • Reduce core body temperature


      So, what's up with Shuffling? Because I am only allowed to walk for the next few weeks, I was reviewing Jeff Galloway's tips on walking and came across something that might be helpful to long-distance hikers to prevent injury.
      That sounds similar to my bike five miles, walk one strategy, which let's me rest and use different muscles, and restores normal blood flow to the gluteus maximus while walking. Now that I bought a full suspension bike, I will probably walk less.

      Walmart had an aluminum frame full suspension bike in clearance (50% off) that I bought today, after getting a flat tire on my decrepit old bike. I was just looking for an excuse to replace it. The wheels were not true, the bottom bracket was loose and no longer turning smoothly, the shifters were coming apart, the brakes were worn, and the tires had many cracks.

      I change my walking when I feel a hot spot. Instead of pushing off strongly with my toes, I switch to marching.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does
    • Drybones wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      I always try to walk at a speed that still allows me to talk without gasping or sounding winded. If I find it hard to talk I know I need to slow down.
      This is why I always carry a cushion strapped to the top of my pack.
      I do the same. Makes those logs and rocks much more comfy.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      I always try to walk at a speed that still allows me to talk without gasping or sounding winded. If I find it hard to talk I know I need to slow down.
      This is why I always carry a cushion strapped to the top of my pack.
      I do the same. Makes those logs and rocks much more comfy.
      And warmer, after you let the air out of your sleeping pad the butt gets cold on the ground while packing, when I slept on the ground I put my cushion under my pad so my butt was on it while packing up, makes a big difference, I now sit on it in my hammock after the under quilt has been removed for packing.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • I'm not a runner, but I often see runners out on the neighborhood streets. Sometimes I see a very tired person "running" but at a pace so slow I think I could walk faster. Their running gait at this speed seems very inefficient compared to walking. I could see the advantage in just walking at that point. But as a non-runner, I see the advantage of walking at every point.
    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      meat wrote:

      we were playing poker one night and several hours later discovered we were playing with a pinochle deck, we found common ground in that we all had an opertunity to win...which I was glad about since I was the knucklehead who bought the deck. :thumbup: :thumbdown:
      I'll bet that was a flop.
      yeah it didn't go over well, I never gave it a thought, just walked up to the little corner store and said "give me a pack of cards" I mean I had heard of the game...it was sumthin' old people played at fold up card tables way ack when.
    • JimBlue wrote:

      meat wrote:

      JimBlue wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      WanderingStovie wrote:

      Anyone got a deck of cards?
      I'm one short.
      Playing solitare 'til dawn with a deck of 51 ?
      now that sucks!
      its from a country song.

      playing solitaire til dawn with a deck of 51. And watching Captain Kangaroo. Now don't tell me. I've nothing to do.
      Classic by the Statler Brothers, although someone recendid a remake of it.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      JimBlue wrote:

      meat wrote:

      JimBlue wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      WanderingStovie wrote:

      Anyone got a deck of cards?
      I'm one short.
      Playing solitare 'til dawn with a deck of 51 ?
      now that sucks!
      its from a country song.
      playing solitaire til dawn with a deck of 51. And watching Captain Kangaroo. Now don't tell me. I've nothing to do.
      Classic by the Statler Brothers, although someone recendid a remake of it.
      I hate when that happens...but fare is fare.