Running by Default

Thanks jefftk for your short posts on random stuff making consistently Less Wrong more about what I wish it should be

I thought I was just an autistic weirdo for doing this, so it's nice to know I'm not the only one!

Running upstairs is also a good example (the trick is getting to the point where you can run up the stairs fast enough that you only feel you are exhausted when you are already up). Or jumping downstairs. Generally, optimizing for fun is probably the most sustainable way of doing this. I don't enjoy most sports that require endurance, but like doing things like running in short bursts, so it works pretty well for me. The biggest downside is probably strangers looking at you weird, but I mostly don't notice and certainly don't mind. Walking in a group is different, of course.

I agree that running has the benefits that you describe. So why don't people run everywhere?

• Walking can be social. Most people can converse while walking significantly more easily than while running. Empathetic groups tend to travel at the pace of the slowest individual that they want to stick together with.
• Traveling more slowly offers more time to think and to observe one's surroundings. Different people will, of course, derive different levels of benefit from a couple extra minutes of quiet reflection.
• Many situations cause a perceived necessity of wearing clothes and shoes which are more comfortable to walk in than to run in. Many situations carry a social expectation of appearing calm and put-together upon arrival, which is often inconsistent with having recently been running. I'd speculate that this factor has a significantly greater effect on individuals in "lower-status" roles in society, whether by career, ethnicity, or gender. In other words, some people have to work harder than others to be viewed as the same degree of credible, and a habit of running from place to place impacts that credibility/respect/"normalcy" in a way that may not affect someone of your appearance and career, but does affect others. And even if one can look perfectly put together upon arrival, most people who see someone arrive on time by running would assume that that person was running late.
• Running, especially in crowded or unfamiliar areas, seems to convey a higher risk of injury than walking. Traveling faster cuts down on the response time available to react to a potential threat, like a vehicle or a tripping hazard. Some people who see a stranger running through a crowded area will assume that that person is running away from something, possibly fleeing after committing a crime, depending on the runner's appearance and the observer's biases. If the observer is a law enforcement officer, runners on the negative side of those biases are running a health and safety risk by choosing not to walk.

Aaah, to be able to run for 3 minutes and not break a sweat...

But seriously, I just spend all my walking time thinking about stuff. Essentially all my best ideas and solutions to my problems come to me while walking, running doesn't quite have the same effect on me.

I do this too, and have as long as I can remember. The downside is that people are always saying they saw me running and am I late for something and what’s wrong do I need a ride etc. We need more adults “running by default” so that bystanders stop asking me those annoying questions. Thank you for your service!! :)

This one is not an obvious win.

It does help with "default" fitness levels, but it also brings a substantially greater chance of a variety of injuries that don't always fully recover. Running by default will also usually mean that you don't take the time for preparations that reduce the chance of such injuries.

I experimented with this in college but ended up not doing it much, mainly because I was always carrying a backpack full of books + laptop + random ballast. In retrospect I should maybe have optimized a bit more; perhaps there are backpacks that make running more comfortable, and I could have got a lighter laptop, a kindle instead of physical books, etc. Or I could have gotten a jogging stroller (you know, for babies) and put my stuff in it.

It's not too late, I suppose, to do this today. Any thoughts on how to make running to and from work more comfortable and less awkward while carrying two laptops & some random small objects?

As a side tangent, I noticed lately that over a half of the distance I used to drive on a normal day, would take nearly the same time if I just walked, due to insane traffic. 

For example, my morning work commute takes about 25 minutes by car, about 12 minutes by bicycle, and about 30ish minutes just walking briskly.  This is because at least 60% of the "driving" is just sitting in traffic, so even though I can drive much faster than I can walk, it does not matter much. The car in traffic is not really a vehicle to move around in, but a movable couch to sit on while waiting.

This is especially true in the age of Google Maps and some such, which allows me to plot my walk/bike-ride through shortcuts that would be impossible to use if I was driving a car.

Running could probably be about 40% faster than walking in such circumstances, making driving all but pointless, unless I need to transport heavy loads or the weather is truly atrocious (but then again, atrocious weather makes driving yet harder and less efficient anyway). 

I’ve tried this. It only occurred to me after I moved to a dirty and ugly neighborhood. Before then I lived either in car centric suburbia or pleasant city neighborhoods with lots of nearby shops.

anyways it’s a good idea

I just wanted to make a comment that I deliberately choose to not run to allow my daydreaming mode (default mode network) to become active and to "recharge" my deep work system. Basically, there is evidence that walking makes you more creative, and it's a really easy way for me to get into that specific brain state. I also use it as a shorter idea-based meditation so that I can focus on a problem and try to solve it whilst walking.

I thought I was the only one! It's free cardio. My mile time is unusually fast, which I want to ascribe to this habit, but maybe the casuality goes the other way ("I like running everywhere because I was already good at running").

My asthma makes running difficult for me at speeds noticeably faster than the brisk walk I usually do (6 km/hour). But I use alternatives are probably close to in spirit: 

• walk by default - for short distances and work talking to some of my friends.
• cycle by default - for distances up to an hour, I use my bike, even if I could potentially save some time by using public transportation. 

I can't even run for two minutes^[1], and I break a sweat even when I run for < 2 minutes.

1. ^{^}

   The last time I tried on the treadmill, I break my running attempts within two minutes and I've stopped trying.

Do you do this at work, indoors around other people?

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That's pretty much what I'm doing on vacation. I always wear a pair of Xero shoes (or vibram five fingers, all shoes with extremely thin soles). They allow for the barefoot style of running that is 2-3 times faster than walking while not being that exhausting at all! I can routinely "run" from point A to point B without even being out of breath. It's just faster than walking!

I seem to recall your saying at some point (on a post about biking?) that you have knee problems. How do you handle that with this approach?