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TIL that as you increase your walking speed there is a point where walking any faster would take more energy than running (theconversation.com)

submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

When you walk faster and faster and faster, there is a point in which you automatically start running.

Really? for me, this does not happen. If I actually want to walk faster and faster I begin walking super funny (the steps become wider and wider while still maintaining a foot always on the ground) and it becomes harder and harder to increase speed beyond a certain point when my muscles cannot move any faster. If I want to switch to running I need to consciously switch to running, it only takes me a split second to decide to switch, but it does not happen "automatically".

When I want to reach a certain speed, I make a very quick decision on what's the most comfortable (or sometimes, socially acceptable) way (run or walk?) and based on my internalized experience I do that.. but it's not on the level of a reflex like removing your hand from fire, but rather closer to reaching to get a glass of water with your hand and tracing a comfortable path with your arm. I expect the better you know your body the closer you'll be at making the right call, just the same as there's people that sit with good posture and people that sit with bad posture, I find it strange that it would be an "automatic" thing. I'd also guess that a person that's more used to marching would be more comfortable walking at faster speeds, whereas people that are not used to marching will switch to running much earlier because they aren't used to walking fast. And vice-versa, someone who's not used to running might take longer to switch.. this might also depend on the state of their joints, if the person is overweight, etc.

Here’s a way to look at it: if you try to walk a long distance at a very high speed, you’ll get exhausted, but if you run the same distance at that same speed, you’ll be less tired.

I feel I'm missing something because this seems contradictory with the previous statement. If you are at a high speed but you don't "automatically start running" and can walk, then that would mean you are below the switching threshold. And you said that under that threshold walking is more efficient, so shouldn't it make you less tired to walk?

I feel the kind of "exhaustion" I get from walking is fundamentally different than the "exhaustion" from running.. walking too fast for too long can make my muscles hurt but it does not make me lose my breath the way running (even at low speeds) does.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I agree that mental rules add complexity, mental rules such as "If I run, I'll be seen as weird".

I also agree that the change to running not a reflex in the sense of "This pan is hot! I'll instantly move my arm!"

Without looking at the data, I'd assume the switch-to-running point is arrived at statistically. Most people have a point —or a range or a distribution of points— at which they start running. It could be that this switch-to-running point is similar to breathing: most people go from inhalation to exhalation (a point we could call switch-to-exhalation or, if reversed, switch-to-inhalation) without thinking about it, but they can also consciously control it.

The contradiction you mentioned disappears if you don't consider the switch-to-running point a reflex, and instead consider it like breathing. You can consciously hold your breath and therefore change the switch-to-exhalation point. You can also consciously walk faster and therefore change the switch-to-running point.

I agree that the exhaustion is different: different muscles are being used and they're being used differently. Maybe saying that was factually wrong. My bad. I was trying to get across the point that energy expenditure past the switch-to-running point is higher if you choose to keep walking than if you run. But the fact that there's more energy expenditure doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be more exhausted; it could be that when you run, even though you can save energy, it actually uses muscles that are not properly trained and therefore get fatigued faster than the muscles you'd use if you walked.