mejarc

Coach Carolyn: “this isn’t strict form.” Not the orthodox technique, but one that will get us to walk faster. She leads Team in Training groups.

Arms: Bend to 90-degree or even acute angle. “Hip to nip”—arm swings (isn’t thrust) from behind torso, past hip, to chest height.
The further back they swing, the faster one’s pace. Contract to more acute angle if stride seems too long.

Steps: for me, only about 12” gap between feet makes ideal stride length. Push from toes, land on heel. Taking longer strides is actually slower.

Drill: “drunken babysitter.” Loosen hips by walking with crossed-over steps.

To do: loosen my shoulders. They’re not hunching up, but the arms aren’t really swinging loosely.
My time for the mile (1600m): 15 minutes. Cf. my running “10K pace” mile: 8 minutes.

I was a gymnast from age 11-17. I loved doing gymnastics, especially tumbling and the balance beam. However, I was never very good at it. Additionally, my coaches disliked working with me because I was tall and awkward.

But I believe that if I could recover even the modest skills I had then, I would find it magical and enjoyable.

Oh, and I’m currently 43 years old.

There’s a local racewalking group, according to Google—but their last newsletter was updated two years ago, and they didn’t offer workshops, anyway. Am I really the only person in Oakland interested in this?