AboutScott Demaree Expertise I can answer questions about training, physiology, nutrition, technique, equipment and injury prevention. My background is not medical, so I will not be able to answer detailed questions about injury treatment. However, during 30 years of endurance exercise I have had a few injuries so I feel qualified to talk about things that have worked for me and others.
Experience I have been a long distance runner since 1978 and took up racewalking in 1982. More recently, I have worked as a certified personal trainer helping people with a wide range of exercise needs. Last year, I coached several people to successfully finish the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk in Dallas (60 miles in three days).
Organizations American College of Sports Medicine, American Council on Exercise, National Science Teachers Association
Publications Journal articles associated with my graduate work with me as the primary author were published in the Journal of Nutrition, Acta Physiologica Scandanavica. Additionally, I co-authored the chapter on exercise metabolism in ACSM's Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 4th Edition. Finally. I co-authored a book for beginning marathon runners (Marathoning 101).
Education/Credentials I have recent Master's degrees in Exercise Science from Wichita State University and Nutrition from Texas A&M University.
Awards and Honors I won national championships in the 1986 100-Kilometer Racewalk and the 1989 24-Hour Run.
Expert: Scott Demaree Date: 1/20/2008 Subject: walking
Question I walk 5 miles 4 or 5 times a week. I am 69 years old. Am I walking too much? I weigh 113 in the morning and 115 at night.
Answer There are several things to look at that could indicate overtraining. Are you tired all the time, especially after your walks? Are you prone to illness, particularly infectious diseases? Do you dread your workouts? Does your pace drop off noticeably at the end of your walks? Yes to any of these questions could foreshadow future trouble. And the more yeses, the more likely that you are doing too much.
In general, 20-25 miles per week is not excessive, and age should not be an issue. If you are able to do this while remaining injury-free, you must have built up to it the way you should -- gradually.
However, those earlier questions are indicators of potential problems, so pay attention to such symptoms.
