There are times when comments go off-topic and to reply to the off-topic comments would only serve to keep the topic off-topic for longer. The answer, of course, is to start a new topic and reply there - as I'm doing here.
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There is a long running running thread on the forum, I used to go running but haven't for years and it doesn't interest me so I don't read it. But I would never dream of going on to the thread and then complaining it is a running thread and say it shouldn't be there because this is a walking forum and they are talking about running.
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… taking your example about threads, running is running - we either do or don't.
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I find this discussion interesting and relevant, firstly because I enjoy both walking and running (during the same activity), and secondly because I’ve read many claims as to what walking is supposedly all about and to which I usually disagree!
I can’t recall anyone ever suggesting that camping isn’t walking and therefore topics about camping and tents and gas and so on ought really to be posted in the Hikers Bar and not in areas about walking. But, of course, many walkers see camping as an integral part of what they do – what they simply call ‘walking’ (or ‘hiking’) - and quite right too!
So why should running be treated any differently to camping in that respect?
I watched a video a little while ago in which, after walking to the summit of Kilimanjaro, the mountaineer jogged back down. He explained that it was not just a faster way to descend, but that it was also often safer to run on a loose surface. Quick, light steps can make slipping less likely. That made sense to me and I’ve tried it several times coming down hills and I believe it’s a Good Idea.
Also, I’m not sure how many members are bothered about maintaining a brisk pace over the whole distance, but I am, and running at an easy pace down hills (which takes surprisingly little effort) can help to compensate for the slower slog going up them.
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were nearing the end of a walk on Dartmoor, between Great Links Tor and Brat Tor, when we were caught in heavy, very cold rain. To warm up, we descended the hill at an easy run and were glowing nicely by the time we reached the bottom. There’s a well-known effect of running called ‘runner’s high’ which we definitely felt and we agreed that the run was our favourite bit of the walk (or 'activity'!
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I’ll finish by turning things around… runners – and especially trail runners – wouldn’t dream of dismissing walking as some walkers dismiss running. Walking is what trail runners do when hills become too steep or simply too much, and they walk to recover sufficiently for another period of increased effort. It's all part of the same activity (or walk, or hike, or run, or whatever we want to call it).
So there we have it. Perhaps someone (whose pseudonym begins with an 'n'!) will point out that it’s impossible to walk and run at the same time. Point taken. But, pedantry aside, I like to point out that walking means different things to different people, and that running and walking can sometimes be combined into a single activity that has merit for some people and that they enjoy every bit as much as others enjoy their own ways of doing things.