Gary at the 10th Annual RW Retreat
By Susan Rich
Three years ago, Gary Baldwin decided to get fit.
There was a time when he was in the Air National Guard, easily keeping up with its annual requirement to walk three miles or run 1.5 miles. But a knee injury sidelined these forays into fitness, and “there was a gradual loss of conditioning,” he says.
Over the years, Gary’s passion for Burgerville’s chocolate hazelnut milkshakes, a desk job, and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle slowly packed 196 lbs onto his 5’9” frame.
“I was at the point to where I couldn’t button my coat,” he recalls. “I had a big, round chubby face.” His waist was 36 inches, and a favorite coat he had custom-tailored in Turkey, no longer fit. “It was either go the next size up, or do something.”
A desire to lose weight was only one motivating factor: “My dad had a heart attack when he was in his early 70s, and my older brother had one when he was 58. I saw that I was coming up on that, and wanted to do something about it.”
Now 60, Gary is “the healthiest in my family,” something he credits to good genes and a great outlook on life. “It’s part of how I relate to people,” he notes.
Walking, Gary decided at the time, was the easiest way to get started on a new, healthier lifestyle.
“That first year, I walked only during the nice months,” he says with a smile. “I dropped some weight, but when the rains started and practice slacked off, I gained back 20 lbs.”
Despite the setback, Gary was hooked on walking. “I decided to work harder, walk year-round, keep off the weight, and lose some more.”
By stepping up his walking frequency, monitoring his food portions, and skipping milkshakes altogether, Gary lost 35 lbs and continues to tone his lean frame.
With the encouragement of his teammates on the Enlightened Soles walking team, he tackled the Portland to Coast Relay beginning in 2003, and has been walking the Willamette Valley Relay since it started in 2004. “I participate in a variety of individual events, half marathons, 10Ks, as well as the team relays. I like to mix it up, keep things interesting. It gives me an opportunity to focus on my technique, and time.”
Now a seasoned walker, Gary’s focus has shifted from get-up-and-go to focusing on form and speed. It’s not that simple, or easy, to just walk faster, he says, explaining how he became intrigued with racewalking. “There is no way to increase speed without increasing efficiency.”
Group Training Helps with Goals
Gary at the 10th Annual RW Retreat |
Gary attended Judy Heller’s Racewalking Clinic in 2005, where he had a chance to work with two-time Olympian Philip Dunn.
“I came away mesmerized by Philip Dunn,” and a new-found commitment to the benefits of group training and
racewalking.
Working with Judy has been key in Gary’s ongoing success: “She came highly recommended, is highly regarded” by
those she works with, he notes.
The annual Racewalking Clinic, is an ongoing source of motivation, too. Every time he goes, he comes away inspired.
“Judy gives me very specific things to work on.” That first year, she encouraged him to focus on “standing up straighter when I walk (and) using my arms correctly.”
Skills he works on one year become improvements he can make and maintain in the next. At the last clinic he attended,
Judy encouraged him to work on foot placement, and how perfecting the push-off motion improves gait efficiency, and ultimately, speed.
Since the 2006 Racewalking Clinic, “I’ve been seeing many sub-11 minute miles,” Gary says.
Although it’s a group training session, there is still plenty of personal instruction, and an opportunity to talk about his personal goals.
“I put her on the spot,” Gary says, recalling how he asked Judy to assess his racewalking potential.
“I said my goal is to walk a sub-10 minute mile, and did she think I’d be able to do that? . I told her if she doesn’t think I have it in me, then I’ll continue to do my best, but I won’t pursue (it). And she said, ‘Yes, Gary, by all means, you can do that. I see it in you.’
“Those are the words I cling to going forward, when it gets tough,” he adds.
As he strides towards that goal, Gary continues to attend group clinics and training sessions, because these are opportunities for him to continually learn and improve.
All this concentrated effort has yielded huge results: “For 2007, my goal was go walk a mile in less than 10.30. I came close to that goal in 2006, when I did the bridge walk in Astoria. That was an intermediate goal, and I hit it one year early,” he claims proudly. “Now my goal for 2007 is to get down to an average 10-minute mile.”
Gary is internally – or intrinsically – motivated to walk his best. His desire to succeed comes from within, and that makes him a powerful contender, both on the course, and when it comes to inspiring himself.
“I’m doing this for myself,” Gary says, explaining why his level of motivation and mental toughness comes easily. “You have to this for yourself, not for your spouse, your family, or your friends.”
What does he do when he gets tired or distracted on the course? “If it’s difficult, I ask myself, ‘Can I keep this pace, can I meet the goal I have set for myself. Can I get to my personal best, or maintain what I already know I can do?’”
Gary’s first step is always with this thought in mind: “I like the feeling of setting out and walking towards my goal. I want to know, ‘Is it possible? Can I do it?’”
Or, sometimes it’s his strong competitive nature that helps him shake a leg. On Leg 35 of the Portland to Coast relay, Gary describes a four-mile stretch that gives him a clear view of the road ahead. “I look at the other walkers, and I say to myself, ‘I’m gonna get them all,’ and I start picking them off. It inspires me.”
And he’s also a gentleman as he passes other walkers: Aside from the courtesy of announcing his passing, Gary goes the extra mile: “I encourage all the people as I go by. I wish them well.”
Gary started walking because he wanted to take care of himself and start living more healthfully. “All the rest is a side benefit, like the close friends I’ve made on the team. “You might start walking alone, but you don’t remain alone. I have become close to my teammates, they’re like a second family.”