Abby Dunn Athlete Blog #2
Check out MaineTrackXC's spring athlete blogger Abby Dunn's blog. Dunn is the 3 time defending 1600m Class A racewalk champion who will be looking for the clean sweep this spring.
What was your reaction when you saw someone race walk for the first time? When they first see race walk, a lot of people think that it looks funny, or stupid. I’ve even heard the phrase “they look so gay”. When I first started race walking, I was afraid to go to a track and practice if it wasn’t during official practice time. I was so self conscious about what everyone else was going to think of me because of the comments I had heard people make about it.
Over the past few years I have come to realize that my talent isn’t something that I should try and hide from people, or be ashamed of. It should be something that I am proud of. If people want to criticize it or make fun of it, I shouldn’t let it bother me, and for the most part I don’t let it get to me. However, I think people should try race walk before they say that it looks weird, or silly. I love race walk more than almost anything in the whole world, and I still recognize that it’s silly looking.
I always get the comment “You make it look so easy!” I suppose that means I’m doing my job right... right? Race walk is definitely not something I’d consider easy. It is actually a very technical sport that takes a lot of hard work, dedication and control. There are two main rules to race walking. Rule #1 - One foot must remain in contact with the ground at all times. Rule #2 - Only one knee can be bent at a time. In order to keep your knee straight you have to land on your heel with your toe pointed up. It’s a heel-toe motion. While you do that, your hips have to twist and your weight has to shift from your left leg to your right leg. It is very helpful if you are standing up straight and have your arms pumping back and forth at a consistent 90 degree angle. It is most effective to move your arms farther back than forward so that when they come forward, they propel you forward. That might sound kind of intimidating in writing, but I promise it’s easier to demonstrate in person - (if you ever see me at a track meet this Spring and want to learn, I’d gladly teach you!).
I learned how to race walk the Summer before 7th grade in the Auburn Rec. Summer Track & Field Program. It was actually my little brother’s idea. He was the one who wanted to join track. I was sitting at one of his meets cheering him on when the coach, Tom Menendez came up to me asking me why I wasn’t on his track team. Apparently “I don’t know” wasn’t a sufficient answer because the next thing I knew he was telling me that he expected to see me at practice on Monday. That weekend I begged my mom to not make me go. “Why should I do it? It’s just running in circles. I hate running.” Despite my protests, she decided that running track would be good for me and made me go.
In the Auburn Rec. program, every kid has to try every event. A lot of the coaches are high school athletes who have done really well in specific events, which is really cool! I learned how to race walk from two national champion race walkers, Christie Bernier and Adam Staier. When trying all of the events, race walk ended up being the easiest one for me to learn. A lot of the other events, and especially running intimidated me. The two years that I went to State’s for race walk, I placed 6th and then 2nd. That’s when I started to realize that maybe I was good at race walking. That second Summer, when I placed 2nd at States, Tom, my coach now, asked me if I wanted to start training with him and his high school race walkers that winter. That winter (2008) I decided to try it, and that’s how I got to where I am now!