Hi Tetsujin, I know that many runners look down on walkers, and we let them go on doing that so they won't discover our sekrit... 'Nuf of that. When I was first trying to figure out this racewalking stuff, someone explained the arm swing to me (and I think this can apply to 'regular' walking too): He said that you should work your arms like you are pulling a rope in a tug-of-war - keep your elbows at 90º, and then reach forward and pull back hard till your hand is about even with your torso (at least part of which you are already doing - fantastic!). To objective of the arm swing in walking is to help maintain your forward momentum (so swing your arms forward and back instead of side to side), and to help propel your opposite leg forward to begin the next stride. So the harder/faster you pull back, the faster the opposite leg will swing forward. You found out in the early miles and the last mile of your marathon how much of a difference a good and powerful arm swing can make. Of course, you should stay as relaxed as possible while doing all this to help minimize arm and shoulder fatigue. That is not to say they won't get tired, 'cause they will. But you'll minimize the fatigue, and you'll get used to that which remains. I don't know about the tired muscles at the tops of your arches. If you are wearing shoes, I wonder if they might have too high a heel for walking? Racewalkers usually wear racing flats, more because of the low heel and flexibility of the shoe than for any other reason. If you walk with a high-heeled shoe (such as almost any regular running shoe), because walkers generally tend to hit more with their heel than mid or forefoot, you will impede your forward momentum and inhibit a smooth rollover to a toe push-off if your heel is too high. I've also thought about how unfair it is that walkers don't get to take walking breaks because that is what they are doing all the time! I take running breaks every once in a while in training, just to break things up. But I can't do that in a race 'cause I'll get disqualified (in my own mind, even if not by race officials, such as when I racewalk in a running race). I will also tell you that I find racewalking more fatiguing over distance than running was when I ran regularly. At the end of a racewalking half marathon, I am usually completely depleted. I can't imagine racewalking any further than that. Of course, that may just be my own strange makeup... Anyway, welcome to the world of walking in races! I hope it suites you well, and look forward to reading about your experiences with it. And best of luck in the 50!! Jay

Well, I hope I'm not intruding, but after a winter of cross country skiing I've taken up Nordic Walking. A great way to cross train and excellent upper body workout. It works like this and does an excellent job as a way to recover sore running muscles as well... http://walking.about.com/cs/poles/a/nordicwalking_2.htm

For those who are interested, there is a lot of information at this site (http://www.philsport.com/narf/) about racewalking technique, form, shoes, etc. Dave McGovern (www.racewalking.org) also has a lot of useful information on his site. Dave has published several instructional books on the subject, and he also gives terrific weekend clinics that include instruction on technique/form, stretching, and nutrition. Soon after I started racewalking I went to one of Dave's clinics, and it was incredibly helpful. I realize that few people are interested in becoming competitive racewalkers. But a lot of the information available on these sites can also be of value to those who want to be able to move with some speed during walking intervals in a running race. Jay