As far as speed-walking is concerned for someone in my age group (I'm 68), I'm a pretty fast walker although nowhere near the level of athletically competitive race walkers. Those folks will get on a track and out-walk even normally fast runners, leaving people wondering how they can do something like that. The rules for race-walking are simple but rigid: one, you have to keep the forward leg straight without bending the knee, until that foot passes underneath the body. And two, one foot has to always be contact with the ground. I've seen "footage" of actual race-walking and it seems that, at least at regular speed of viewing the contestants are maintaining contact. But slow the video down and apparently during these high-intensity races there are micro-moments when both feet are (very slightly) in the air. The operative word with this is "detectable", for judges patrol standard race-walking events and carefully observe the walkers to assure...at least as far as they are able to...that everyone is following the rules. For me, I'm not even sure that I am keeping my forward leg straight enough to comply with race-walking standards...probably need someone to observe me and advise on this. I do speed-walk a bit during races, often doing so at Gainesville's weekly Saturday morning Depot Parkrun 5K...I also speed-walked the entire Tom Walker Half-Marathon last November. I seem to have run into a finishing-time wall with my efforts, and this is frustrating me. So, I'm going back to You-Tube to see if I can't pick up on something I'm missing with my form. Summertime...and especially the extended season that pours out into spring and fall in Florida...is a great time for me to explore how far (and fast) I can go with speed-walking (or race-walking for that matter)...
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