A Few More Steps

So I had to walk a few more steps this morning on the newly remeasured course. Kept it pretty easy, heart rate well under 150 bpm for most of the walk.

Mile 1 - 12:18
Mile 2 - 12:40
Mile 3 - 12:50
Average Pace - 12:36 minutes per mile
Total Workout - 37:49

Humm, just the other day I was thinking that I should be able to jump out of bed and walk 12 minute miles without even warming up--guess I'm not there just yet. Oh well, I'm still faster than I was just a couple of months ago and there's four months to go before the L.A. Marathon.

Re-measuring the Course

It wasn't as easy as I thought to re-measure the 3-mile course that I use for my daily walks, but I finally got through it. I put a steel measuring tape on the ground and checked the distance for one revolution of the bicycle wheel. Then I went out on the course and counted wheel rotations. On my first try I lost count a couple of times--probably because I was self-conscious I might look like the village idiot pushing a rusty bicycle around and counting to 754 and one quarter for each mile. I tried again after dark with one of Rosie's knitting counters.

If I measured it correctly this time, I wasn't too far off to begin with. In a way that was a disappointment because I thought that I was walking a longer course and that's why my time wasn't as good as the weekend long walks. As it turns out I have been walking a slightly shorter course all this time. It wasn't too big a discrepancy, about 30 yards. My first mile was about 50 yards short. The second mile, when adjusting for that 50 yard deficit in the first mile, was pretty much accurate. The last mile turned out to be about 20 yards longer than a mile. That explains why my mile pace kept getting slower all this time on those daily 3-mile walks.

Now I have new, hopefully more accurate, mile markers, but it looks like it will be even more difficult to hit a 12 minute per mile average because I've got to go a little further.

All in all, it was a rather disappointing Sunday. I started the day ready to do a long slow 26.2 miles. My nephew and I thought it would be great to go the marathon distance, at least that's what we wanted to do Saturday afternoon. However, he went out with a friend that night and came home with doubts about going the distance. Oh, well, I was willing to settle for a good 8-miles, but when he got up Sunday, even after the extra hour due to the time change, he wasn't feeling like doing even that, in fact he hasn't run for a couple of weeks now but doesn't want to see a doctor about his sore shins. That, and other things that kept piling up--Rosie's friend that slept in, my heel that was still patched up and a slight knee pain from yesterday's fast 800 meter repeats--and I finally threw in the towel. I ended up giving Rosie a short racewalking lesson. I only timed one mile of the lesson, 17 minutes. My heart rate didn't get close to any aerobic benefit zone but Rosie was huffing and puffing by the end of the workout. Now Rosie wants to spend more time walking with me so she can loose some weight and get fit. I guess I did the right thing by putting the family first today.

Now that we are on Standard Time, it won't be dark for my early morning walks--at least that's something to look forward to.

Speed Work with the Southern Cal Walkers

Whohoo--did some speed work today at Cal Tech with the Southern Cal Walkers. 800 meter repeats, here's how it went:

1st 800 meter time - 4:55
2nd 800 meter time - 5:28
3rd 800 meter time - 5:22

The fastest was about a 9:50 min/mile pace and the slowest was about a 10:56 min/mile pace. I don't think I could do a whole mile at the fastest pace, but the second repeat was feeling like my 12 min/mile long walk speed yet I was over a minute per mile faster. The last repeat I was concentrating more on form and was a little faster with about the same effort.

Of course we did a full set of warm up drills before and stretched afterwards.

Now I'm convinced that the course I marked around the block is way off so my weekend project will be to measure it. Maybe sometime in the future I'll get a GPS system like the one of the Garmin Forerunner systems, but for now I'll do it the "official" cheapskate method by counting revolutions of a bicycle wheel.

Time to Remeasure the Course

In my dissapointment at not reaching a 12 minute per mile average pace yesterday I forgot to note that it was a new PR for the daily walk. I edited that today. However, there was another dissapointment today--I tried again for a 12 minute per mile average and did even worse!

Mile 1 - 11:42
Mile 2 - 12:25
Mile 3 - 13:01
Average Pace - 12:22
Total Workout - 37:08

I started out even faster than yesterday and tried to maintain the same steady pace on the second mile but was way slower. I used the last mile as a cool down but sprinted the last 300 meters.

So why is it that I can walk 8 miles at a 12 min/mi pace but can't do it for 3 miles? The mile markers must be off. I searched the Internet and found several expensive measuring devices but then I came accross a couple of documents explaining how "official" road races are measured--they use a bicycle wheel. Sure, the official way is to use a wheel revolution counter, specifically a Jones-Oerth counter, but counting wheel rotations and calculating the distance should get a fairly accurate measurement. At least it will be better than the odometer on my car because I'll be measuring the sidewalk instead of the street.

One more thing--I've been trying to do strength training at least a couple of days per week. I did it today and on Wednesday when I walked my fastest mile--but was it really a mile?

Still Not Reaching New Standard

Today was the "easy" 3 mile walk. My heel is feeling better, though I still am using a pad on it and wearing heel-less clogs to work.

Mile 1 - 11:44
Mile 2 - 12:06
Mile 3 - 12:16
Average Pace - 12:02 minutes per mile * New PR
Total Workout - 36:07

Almost got my pace to 12 min/mi but the consistantly slower miles are concerning me. I'm thinking that maybe I haven't measured the course accurately.

Closing in on a 10 Minute Mile

My heel is feeling better so I once again tried for a fast mile followed by some strength training--this time I succeeded.

10:09 minute/mile * New PR by 46 seconds

That's a big improvement on the last PR mile walked two weeks ago.

I'm almost up to the speed I was running when I had to stop due to knee problems. Although I didn't post it when I started racewalking because I thought it was ridiculous, one of my goals is to walk under a 10 minute mile. I couldn't seem to be able to do it running. Now I'm almost there--walking.

There were some lessons learned this morning. One thing is that the Band-Aid Advanced Healing Blister pads hang on much better than the Dr. Scholl's Blister Treatment pads I used yesterday. Another thing is that Body Glide on the heels works better than plain petroleum jelly. Finally, I must be dropping some girth because the heart rate monitor strap is feeling a little loose. Before starting the walk the monitor was reading 195 bmp which was obviously wrong so I had to restart it. Then about 200 meters into the walk the chest band slipped down and I had to pull it up. In addition, the monitor was reading over 210 bpm, but that was impossible. By the time I finished the mile it was reading 178 bpm so I guess things eventually settled during the workout.

Goals for the next few weeks:

• Finish the long (20+ mile) walk without blisters - don't care too much how fast I go.


• Break the 10 minute mile barrier.


• Walk under 12 minute/mile for the 8 mile long walk.

Heel Still Not Healed

I headed out this morning after taking Monday off. I wanted to do a fast mile and strength training but my heel was still hurting so I just walked a very easy three miles instead. The first couple of miles I kept my heartrate at around 148 bpm and did pretty good time considering that I was 20 bpm less than Sunday's long distance. By the last mile my heal was a bit sore so I took it even easier.

Here are the results:

Mile 1 - 12:42
Mile 2 - 12:49
Mile 3 - 13:41
Average Pace - 13:04 minutes/mile
Total Workout - 39:13

Just a few weeks ago I would have been so happy with a 13 min/mile pace. How things have progressed--now it feels like a stroll around the neighborhood.

I'll be glad when my right heel stops bothering me. I don't want to patch it up for my daily walks. I've been wearing heel-less clogs to work to keep the pressure off--don't know what else to do to hurry up the healing process.

Curt Sheller Racewalking Article

Wow, what a great find.

Curt Sheller Steps Per Minute

Here it is--linked from his page.

What's Your Steps Per Minutes (Spm)?
What's the Average Length of Each Step You Take?

• Calculating You Steps Per Minute (SPM)


• Steps Per Minute Mile Pace Chart


• Pace and Target Heart Rate Calculators


• Music and Pacing

What are your steps per minute?

How long is each step?

Do these seem like strange questions? Not really strange, given this formula: pace = spm x each step. These are valid questions you should be asking yourself. You do speed work to increase your spm, and endurance/technique work to improve your form. You measure your time in training, your distance, and some of you even monitor your heart rate. So why not track your spm.

I'm sure you've heard this phrase in various racewalking circles and read the following in numerous racewalking books: "A world class racewalker has a stride length of over 4 feet and takes well over 200 steps a minute." The Chinese have been clocked at 240 spm and faster. That is incredible; great! But how can you use that information? Here's how...

Use the Pace Chart below. Consider this example. Look up the pace for 200 spm and a 4 foot stride length. You get a pace of 6:36. Jefferson Perez won the 1996 Olympic 20K walk in 1:20:07. That's a 6:27 pace. Allen James finished in under 6:00 minutes for the Melrose mile. Six minutes a mile is 220 steps per minute. That's movin'!

As you can see in the chart it doesn't take much improvement in either your spm or your stride length to trim seconds off of your pace. I have a saying I keep spouting. "1 inch is worth 12 seconds a mile." John Soucheck has heard me say that too many times. 12 seconds, now that's a lot of improvement for a little inch.





As you can see one (1) inch isn't much on the ruler but is alot in time.

Look at the chart above. (Ignore the 7.06 number for now). You can see that at 170 spm the pace for a stride length of 3' 1" is 10:04. Increasing your stride length an additional 1 inch results in a pace of 9:48. That is a 14 second improvement. Again, not bad for a little inch.

How To Calculate Any Of The Three Values In The SPM Formula.

Of the three items in the SPM formula (pace, spm, and stride length), pace is very easy to calculate if you have a measured mile. You simply start your stopwatch at the start of the mile and stop it at the end to get your time. Whatever the watch reads that's how fast you went. But what were your steps per minutes and what was your average stride length?

Next, it is far easier to calculate you steps per minute than it is to calculate the length of each step. All you have to do is count your steps for a mile, divide by the time, and you have your average spm. So I'm sure you saying right about now, "You've got to be nuts! How can you keep track of all those steps?" How?

I have developed a manual method and over the years I have refined to down to the following by using a stopwatch. You only have to count 20 steps and read the stopwatch. Do this periodically during a workout to get the average that you are stepping. With your 20 step count and your one mile pace use the chart below to determine your average stride length.

There are also several stopwatches on the market that can be programmed to do this math for you. Checkout Accusplit for a wide range of stopwatches. These watches can do lots of timing related functions.

I 've refined my step counting over the years to the following:Starting when my left foot strikes the ground (I carry the stopwatch in my right hand) I start the count at zero and increase the count with each strike of my left foot. As soon as I reach 10 steps I stop the watch and read the time. With the 10 steps taken by my right foot that's 20 steps. So if my time for those 20 steps is 7.05, I'm taking around 170 steps a minute based on the SPM Chart. I have found that in most training sessions the step count remains pretty even. It's usually the stride length that decreases. That's where the endurance training comes in.

Over time by referring to the pace chart and calculating your 20 step count you will arrive at several 20 step times that you use as a goal in training.Or, use the Accusplit stopwatch mentioned above. EXAMPLE: For a 90:00 session I'll use 7.0 as a 20 step target to stay at. That around 170 spm a 9:00 to 9:30 pace for me depending on my technique. One goal is that National/World class 200-240 spm number. Frank Alongi in his Ledge Point Video stated that elite walkers "start their training a 180 spm." That quote is best read with a thick Italian accent for best effect.

Using the chart, I realized that even at my 6' 4" height I have a relatively short stride compared to a world class walker. My stride length in 1992-93 ranged (in races) from 3' 4" to 3' 6". My spm was about 180 spm in races up to 10 miles. So you can see the fastest that I could possibly do a 10 mile race (Ronn Zinn, Asbury Park, NJ every year) was 1:24:00. That was my PR up to 1996.

So I went on an "increase my stride length campaign". And, it worked. I was able to increase my stride length to around 3' 8" in the course of a year. Now that is only a 1 or 2 inch improvment. But remember, "1 inch is worth up to 12 seconds per mile." And my PR for the Zinn 10-miler now is 1:21:12 (8:13 pace). Knowing my spm average during the race I look on the SMP Chart and see that, indeed a 8:13 average is an increase of 1 inch.

How to Get That 1 Inch or More Increase? And Where Does It Come From?

Where Does It Come From? It's behind you and around your hips.

The biggest technique gains that the average walker can make is by improving what they are doing with the hips and feet.

First the feet. At a national championship, notice the top walkers. Their rear foot doesn't leave the ground until it has rolled right up to the end of the toes, (B) before the end of the propulsion phase. The front foot of most average walkers has landed long before the rear foot gets done with the propulsion phase. Notice in the illustration below that the foot of walker (A) still has about 3 inches to go before rolling up on his toes. Now if 1 inch is worth up to 12 seconds a mile, that walker is leaving almost a half minute on the ground! That could be the difference between an 8:30 mile vs a 9:00 mile. Quite a difference!

OK. So that adds up to 3 inches of improvement. Want some more? You'll find it in your hip action. Better hip extension combined with the inches from better foot action can really add up. The average walker can add up to 3 inches to their stride length with better hip extension and the strength to hold it. That 3 inches plus the 3 inches from better foot action adds up to a one minute improvement. Not that's walking. Put that together with the endurance and strength to hold this new technique and there you go. A one minute per mile PR. It can and does work. Now back to the roads ;-)

Better hip extension plus better rear foot action equals faster times.

Steps Per Minute Mile Pace Chart

SPM[20]      3'  3'1"  3'2"  3'3"  3'4"  3'5"  3'6"  3'7"  3'8"  3'9" 3'10" 3'11" 4'  
140 8.57 12:34 12:13 11:54 11:36 11:18 11:02 10:46 10:31 10:17 10:03  9:50  9:37  9:25
141 8.51 12:28 12:08 11:49 11:31 11:14 10:57 10:41 10:27 10:12  9:59  9:46  9:33  9:21
142 8.45 12:23 12:03 11:44 11:26 11:09 10:52 10:37 10:22 10:08  9:54  9:41  9:29  9:17
143 8.39 12:18 11:58 11:39 11:21 11:04 10:48 10:32 10:18 10:04  9:50  9:37  9:25  9:13
144 8.33 12:13 11:53 11:34 11:16 11:00 10:43 10:28 10:13 10:00  9:46  9:33  9:21  9:10
145 8.28 12:08 11:48 11:29 11:12 10:55 10:39 10:24 10:09  9:55  9:42  9:29  9:17  9:06
146 8.22 12:03 11:43 11:25 11:07 10:50 10:35 10:19 10:05  9:51  9:38  9:26  9:14  9:02
147 8.16 11:58 11:38 11:20 11:03 10:46 10:30 10:15 10:01  9:47  9:34  9:22  9:10  8:58
148 8.11 11:53 11:34 11:15 10:58 10:42 10:26 10:11  9:57  9:43  9:30  9:18  9:06  8:55
149 8.05 11:48 11:29 11:11 10:54 10:37 10:22 10:07  9:53  9:39  9:26  9:14  9:02  8:51
SPM[20]      3'  3'1"  3'2"  3'3"  3'4"  3'5"  3'6"  3'7"  3'8"  3'9" 3'10" 3'11" 4'  
150 8.00 11:44 11:24 11:06 10:49 10:33 10:18 10:03  9:49  9:36  9:23  9:10  8:59  8:48
151 7.95 11:39 11:20 11:02 10:45 10:29 10:14  9:59  9:45  9:32  9:19  9:07  8:55  8:44
152 7.89 11:34 11:15 10:58 10:41 10:25 10:10  9:55  9:41  9:36  9:15  9:03  8:52  8:41
153 7.84 11:30 11:11 10:53 10:37 10:21 10:06  9:51  9:37  9:24  9:12  9:00  8:48  8:37
154 7.79 11:25 11:07 10:49 10:32 10:17 10:02  9:47  9:34  9:21  9:08  8:56  8:45  8:34
155 7.74 11:21 11:02 10:45 10:28 10:13  9:58  9:43  9:30  9:17  9:05  8:53  8:41  8:30
156 7.69 11:16 10:58 10:41 10:24 10:09  9:54  9:40  9:26  9:13  9:01  8:49  8:38  8:27
157 7.64 11:12 10:54 10:37 10:20 10:05  9:50  9:36  9:23  9:10  8:58  8:46  8:35  8:24
158 7.59 11:08 10:50 10:33 10:16 10:01  9:46  9:32  9:19  9:06  8:54  8:43  8:31  8:21
159 7.55 11:04 10:46 10:29 10:13  9:57  9:43  9:29  9:16  9:03  8:51  8:39  8:28  8:18
SPM[20]      3'  3'1"  3'2"  3'3"  3'4"  3'5"  3'6"  3'7"  3'8"  3'9" 3'10" 3'11" 4'  
160 7.50 11:00 10:42 10:25 10:09  9:54  9:39  9:25  9:12  8:59  8:48  8:36  8:25  8:15
161 7.44 10:55 10:37 10:21 10:05  9:50  9:36  9:22  9:09  8:56  8:45  8:33  8:22  8:12
162 7.40 10:51 10:34 10:17 10:01  9:46  9:32  9:18  9:05  8:52  8:41  8:30  8:19  8:09
163 7.36 10:48 10:30 10:13  9:57  9:43  9:28  9:15  9:02  8:49  8:38  8:27  8:16  8:06
164 7.31 10:43 10:26 10:09  9:54  9:39  9:25  9:12  8:58  8:46  8:35  8:24  8:13  8:03
165 7.27 10:40 10:22 10:06  9:50  9:36  9:21  9:08  8:55  8:43  8:31  8:21  8:10  8:00
166 7.23 10:36 10:18 10:02  9:46  9:32  9:18  9:04  8:52  8:40  8:28  8:18  8:07  7:57
167 7.18 10:32 10:15  9:58  9:43  9:29  9:15  9:01  8:49  8:37  8:25  8:15  8:04  7:54
168 7.14 10:28 10:11  9:55  9:40  9:25  9:12  8:58  8:46  8:34  8:22  8:12  8:01  7:51
169 7.09 10:24 10:07  9:51  9:36  9:22  9:08  8:55  8:43  8:30  8:19  8:09  7:58  7:48
SPM[20]      3'  3'1"  3'2"  3'3"  3'4"  3'5"  3'6"  3'7"  3'8"  3'9" 3'10" 3'11" 4'  
170 7.06 10:21 10:04  9:48  9:33  9:19  9:05  8:52  8:39  8:27  8:16  8:06  7:55  7:45
171 7.01 10:17 10:00  9:45  9:30  9:15  9:02  8:49  8:36  8:25  8:13  8:03  7:52  7:43
172 6.97 10:13  9:57  9:41  9:26  9:12  8:58  8:46  8:33  8:22  8:11  8:00  7:50  7:40
173 6.93 10:10  9:54  9:38  9:23  9:09  8:55  8:43  8:30  8:19  8:08  7:57  7:47  7:37
174 6.89 10:06  9:50  9:34  9:19  9:06  8:52  8:40  8:28  8:16  8:05  7:54  7:45  7:35
175 6.85 10:03  9:46  9:31  9:16  9:03  8:49  8:37  8:25  8:13  8:03  7:52  7:42  7:32
176 6.82 10:00  9:43  9:28  9:13  9:00  8:46  8:34  8:22  8:10  8:00  7:49  7:39  7:30
177 6.77  9:56  9:40  9:25  9:10  8:57  8:43  8:31  8:19  8:07  7:57  7:46  7:37  7:27
178 6.74  9:53  9:37  9:22  9:07  8:54  8:40  8:28  8:16  8:04  7:54  7:44  7:34  7:25
179 6.69  9:49  9:33  9:18  9:04  8:51  8:37  8:25  8:13  8:02  7:52  7:41  7:31  7:22
SPM[20]      3'  3'1"  3'2"  3'3"  3'4"  3'5"  3'6"  3'7"  3'8"  3'9" 3'10" 3'11" 4'  
180 6.66  9:46  9:30  9:15  9:01  8:48  8:34  8:22  8:10  7:59  7:49  7:39  7:29  7:19
181 6.62  9:43  9:27  9:12  8:58  8:45  8:32  8:19  8:08  7:57  7:46  7:36  7:27  7:17
182 6.59  9:40  9:24  9:09  8:55  8:42  8:29  8:17  8:05  7:54  7:44  7:34  7:24  7:15
183 6.56  9:37  9:21  9:06  8:52  8:39  8:26  8:14  8:03  7:51  7:41  7:31  7:22  7:12
184 6.52  9:34  9:18  9:03  8:49  8:36  8:24  8:12  8:00  7:49  7:39  7:28  7:19  7:10
185 6.48  9:30  9:15  9:00  8:46  8:33  8:21  8:09  7:57  7:46  7:36  7:26  7:17  7:08
186 6.44  9:27  9:12  8:57  8:43  8:31  8:18  8:06  7:55  7:44  7:34  7:24  7:15  7:06
187 6.41  9:24  9:09  8:54  8:40  8:28  8:15  8:03  7:52  7:42  7:31  7:21  7:12  7:03
188 6.38  9:21  9:06  8:52  8:38  8:25  8:13  8:01  7:50  7:39  7:29  7:19  7:10  7:01
189 6.34  9:18  9:03  8:49  8:35  8:22  8:10  7:58  7:47  7:36  7:27  7:17  7:07  6:58
SPM[20]      3'  3'1"  3'2"  3'3"  3'4"  3'5"  3'6"  3'7"  3'8"  3'9" 3'10" 3'11" 4'  
190 6.31  9:15  9:00  8:46  8:33  8:20  8:07  7:56  7:45  7:34  7:24  7:15  7:05  6:57
191 6.27  9:12  8:57  8:43  8:30  8:17  8:05  7:54  7:42  7:31  7:22  7:12  7:03  6:54
192 6.25  9:10  8:55  8:40  8:27  8:15  8:03  7:51  7:40  7:29  7:19  7:10  7:01  6:52
193 6.22  9:07  8:52  8:38  8:24  8:12  8:00  7:48  7:37  7:27  7:18  7:07  6:58  6:50
194 6.18  9:04  8:49  8:35  8:22  8:09  7:57  7:46  7:35  7:25  7:15  7:06  6:57  6:48
195 6.15  9:01  8:46  8:33  8:19  8:07  7:55  7:43  7:33  7:22  7:13  7:03  6:54  6:46
196 6.11  8:58  8:43  8:30  8:17  8:04  7:52  7:41  7:31  7:20  7:10  7:01  6:52  6:43
197 6.08  8:55  8:41  8:27  8:14  8:02  7:50  7:39  7:28  7:18  7:09  6:59  6:50  6:42
198 6.06  8:53  8:39  8:25  8:12  8:00  7:48  7:37  7:26  7:16  7:06  6:57  6:48  6:40
199 6.02  8:50  8:36  8:22  8:09  7:57  7:45  7:34  7:24  7:13  7:04  6:55  6:46  6:37
SPM[20]      3'  3'1"  3'2"  3'3"  3'4"  3'5"  3'6"  3'7"  3'8"  3'9" 3'10" 3'11" 4'  
200 6.00  8:48  8:33  8:20  8:07  7:55  7:43  7:32  7:22  7:12  7:02  6:52  6:44  6:36
201 5.97  8:45  8:31  8:17  8:04  7:52  7:41  7:30  7:19  7:09  7:00  6:51  6:42  6:34
202 5.93  8:42  8:28  8:15  8:02  7:50  7:39  7:28  7:17  7:07  6:58  6:49  6:40  6:31
203 5.91  8:40  8:25  8:12  8:00  7:48  7:36  7:25  7:15  7:05  6:56  6:46  6:38  6:30
204 5.88  8:37  8:23  8:10  7:57  7:45  7:34  7:23  7:13  7:03  6:54  6:45  6:36  6:28
205 5.85  8:35  8:21  8:07  7:55  7:43  7:32  7:21  7:11  7:01  6:52  6:43  6:34  6:26
206 5.82  8:32  8:18  8:05  7:52  7:41  7:30  7:19  7:09  6:59  6:49  6:40  6:32  6:24
207 5.80  8:30  8:16  8:03  7:51  7:39  7:27  7:17  7:07  6:57  6:48  6:39  6:30  6:22
208 5.76  8:27  8:13  8:00  7:48  7:37  7:25  7:15  7:04  6:55  6:46  6:37  6:28  6:21
209 5.74  8:25  8:11  7:58  7:46  7:34  7:23  7:13  7:03  6:53  6:44  6:35  6:27  6:19
SPM[20]      3'  3'1"  3'2"  3'3"  3'4"  3'5"  3'6"  3'7"  3'8"  3'9" 3'10" 3'11" 4'  
210 5.70  8:22  8:09  7:56  7:43  7:32  7:21  7:10  7:00  6:51  6:42  6:33  6:25  6:17
211 5.68  8:20  8:06  7:54  7:42  7:30  7:19  7:09  6:58  6:49  6:40  6:31  6:23  6:15
212 5.66  8:18  8:04  7:51  7:39  7:28  7:17  7:06  6:57  6:47  6:38  6:30  6:21  6:13
213 5.62  8:15  8:02  7:49  7:37  7:26  7:15  7:04  6:55  6:45  6:36  6:27  6:19  6:12
214 5.60  8:13  8:00  7:47  7:35  7:24  7:13  7:03  6:52  6:43  6:34  6:25  6:18  6:10
215 5.58  8:11  7:57  7:45  7:33  7:22  7:11  7:00  6:51  6:41  6:33  6:24  6:16  6:08
216 5.56  8:09  7:55  7:43  7:31  7:19  7:09  6:58  6:49  6:39  6:31  6:22  6:14  6:06
217 5.52  8:06  7:53  7:40  7:28  7:18  7:07  6:57  6:47  6:37  6:29  6:21  6:12  6:04
218 5.50  8:04  7:51  7:39  7:27  7:16  7:05  6:55  6:45  6:36  6:27  6:19  6:10  6:03
219 5.48  8:02  7:49  7:36  7:25  7:13  7:03  6:53  6:43  6:34  6:25  6:17  6:09  6:01
SPM[20]      3'  3'1"  3'2"  3'3"  3'4"  3'5"  3'6"  3'7"  3'8"  3'9" 3'10" 3'11" 4'  
220 5.45  8:00  7:46  7:34  7:22  7:12  7:01  6:51  6:42  6:32  6:24  6:15  6:07  6:00
221 5.42  7:57  7:45  7:32  7:21  7:10  6:59  6:49  6:40  6:30  6:22  6:13  6:06  5:58
222 5.40  7:55  7:42  7:30  7:19  7:08  6:57  6:47  6:38  6:28  6:20  6:12  6:04  5:57
223 5.38  7:53  7:40  7:28  7:16  7:06  6:55  6:45  6:36  6:27  6:18  6:10  6:02  5:55
224 5.35  7:51  7:38  7:26  7:15  7:04  6:54  6:43  6:34  6:25  6:17  6:09  6:01  5:53
225 5.33  7:49  7:36  7:24  7:13  7:02  6:52  6:42  6:33  6:24  6:15  6:07  5:59  5:52
226 5.31  7:47  7:34  7:22  7:11  7:00  6:50  6:40  6:31  6:22  6:13  6:05  5:57  5:50
227 5.28  7:45  7:32  7:20  7:09  6:58  6:48  6:38  6:29  6:20  6:12  6:04  5:56  5:48
228 5.26  7:43  7:30  7:18  7:07  6:57  6:46  6:36  6:27  6:18  6:10  6:02  5:54  5:47
229 5.24  7:41  7:28  7:16  7:05  6:55  6:45  6:35  6:25  6:16  6:09  6:00  5:53  5:45
SPM[20]      3'  3'1"  3'2"  3'3"  3'4"  3'5"  3'6"  3'7"  3'8"  3'9" 3'10" 3'11" 4'  
230 5.22  7:39  7:26  7:15  7:03  6:53  6:43  6:33  6:24  6:15  6:07  5:59  5:51  5:44
231 5.19  7:37  7:24  7:13  7:01  6:51  6:41  6:31  6:22  6:13  6:06  5:57  5:50  5:42
232 5.17  7:35  7:22  7:11  7:00  6:49  6:39  6:30  6:21  6:12  6:04  5:56  5:48  5:41
233 5.15  7:33  7:21  7:09  6:58  6:48  6:37  6:28  6:19  6:10  6:02  5:54  5:47  5:40
234 5.12  7:31  7:19  7:07  6:56  6:46  6:36  6:26  6:17  6:09  6:01  5:52  5:45  5:38
235 5.10  7:29  7:17  7:05  6:54  6:44  6:34  6:25  6:16  6:07  5:59  5:51  5:44  5:37
236 5.08  7:27  7:15  7:03  6:52  6:42  6:33  6:23  6:14  6:06  5:58  5:49  5:42  5:35
237 5.06  7:25  7:13  7:01  6:51  6:40  6:31  6:21  6:13  6:04  5:56  5:48  5:41  5:34
238 5.03  7:23  7:11  7:00  6:49  6:39  6:29  6:20  6:11  6:03  5:55  5:47  5:39  5:33
239 5.01  7:21  7:09  6:58  6:47  6:37  6:27  6:18  6:09  6:01  5:53  5:45  5:38  5:31
SPM[20]      3'  3'1"  3'2"  3'3"  3'4"  3'5"  3'6"  3'7"  3'8"  3'9" 3'10" 3'11" 4'  
240 4.99  7:19  7:07  6:57  6:46  6:36  6:26  6:16  6:08  6:00  5:52  5:44  5:37  5:30

Pace and Target Heart Rate Calculators

Active.com calculators

From Active.com

ROAD COURSE CALCULATOR

From NARF: link(From their site) - This calculator is designed to help you plan and evaluate your training sessions or races on a road course (or on a path, around the block, at a mall, or wherever). The course can be a loop, out-and-back, or point-to-point. The calculator considers each completion of the road course as one "loop" (even if it is a point-to-point course), and can easily perform the following functions: convert distance to laps, convert laps to distance, convert pace to lap time, convert lap time to pace, convert pace to race time, convert race time to pace.

Music and Pacing

A lot of people use music while training. I for one don't really do that being a professional musician I get too involved in the music and loose focus on walking. I like to really focus on the task at hand and not get distracted. I listen to my walking (technique and physical effort). But for those walkers with a better attention span than mine ;-). Music can be be a great benefit. So why not actually have it be a training aide as well and not just background music.

The Medical & Sports Music Institute offers their Music In Sync, Vol I Race Walking (and walking) tapes. They have 64 tempos from 100 bpm to 220 (race walking from 170-220). Since there is such great interest in footfall frequencies for race walkers, I thought you would like to know about their tapes because they can match footfall frequency with any pace. The tapes can also help with pace compliance and increasing pace. Let's say a walker wants to shave 1 min. off of their 10K time, using the chart above, you come up with the projected spm. You can then just pop in the correct bpm tape that equals the spm goal pace.

Finally Reached Goal Pace

I finally hit my marathon goal pace, on an 8 mile walk no less.

Mile 1 - 11:30          Mile 5 - 11:22
Mile 2 - 12:03          Mile 6 - 12:13
Mile 3 - 12:44          Mile 7 - 12:19
Mile 4 - 11:27          Mile 8 - 12:19
Average Pace - 12:00 minutes per mile * New PR
Total Workout - 1:36:00

This time the course was pretty much flat, I didn't include the Santa Monica Pier bridge. As I was clicking off the miles I was hoping to get three miles in a row under 12 minutes but somehow I just couldn't do it. The mile markers on the L.A. Roadrunners maps must be a bit off because I always seem to do great on the mile just before the pier, miles 4 and 5 on today's walk, and a tougher time on some of the other miles. In any case, the total distance and the average pace should be a fair indicator of how I'm doing.

Of course it wasn't all smooth sailing. On mile 2 I remembered that I didn't turn on my cell phone and I dropped some stuff from my pouch when I pulled out the phone, though it didn't seem to hurt my time too much. I was really pushing it to make my goal pace and as a result my heart rate was higher than I would have liked, right around 165 bpm for most of the walk. When it caught myself going up to 170 bpm I backed off a bit but I was feeling good so I didn't slow down too much. My right heel was patched up but at times it was feeling like the Moleskin was slipping and I was getting a new blister. After the workout I did notice a new small blister but the tender spot I was protecting did fine. The back of my right knee hurt a little probably because I was unconsciously compensating for my right heel. One final glitch--there was a foul smell once I got into the car. Humm, smells like someone stepped in some--yep, there it was dog crap all over the sole of my new shoes.


Despite the crappy treads, though my mother always said that was good luck, the new Loco Banditos worked out great. They are now my favorite shoes but I've still got to experiment some more before deciding if these are the ones to use on the L.A. Marathon.

Joshua didn't run today. He hurt his shin getting into a van at school. He was on his way to soccer practice at the time and once he started running he was hurting. He is taking it easy for a few days until it heals, but he's already talking about the 22 mile workout scheduled for next weekend.

Light Workout with the Southern Cal Walkers

Patching up the hurt heel worked. In addition, I tried out a new pair of Loco Banditos. When I first got them I thought that I'd have to exchange them for a larger size but after trying them out on the track they were perfect!

After  warming up we did some "accelerations." Basically, ramping up the speed on the straight aways and taking it very easy on the curves. Surprisingly, my lap time was about the same as if I had kept up an even effort all around. Checking out the laps, it was obvious which ones I did on my own and which ones I slowed down to have a conversation with other club members.

Lap 1 - 2:55          Lap 4 - 2:59        Lap 7 - 3:32
Lap 2 - 3:01          Lap 5 - 2:59        Lap 8 - 3:52
Lap 3 - 3:19          Lap 6 - 2:59        Lap 9 - 2:59

Consistant 2:59's (when I'm not socializing) equal about an 11:56 minute/mile pace. We'll see how it goes tomorrow on the 8-mile long walk.

Time out for a Blister - Ouch!

Except for a decent 3-mile walk on Wednesday, this week has been pretty much of a wash. The blister I got on my right heel last Saturday put a damper on the workouts. I went to the drugstore to stock up on blister patches and hopefully train with the So Cal Walkers tomorrow morning.

Walking to the Beat

When I worked out with the Southern Cal Walkers, Donna Cunningham, one of the members, had a metronome for pacing. It did sound a little weird hearing a beeping sound as she whizzed by but she did whizz by very fast.

There is a method to this. Here is an article that explains how a beat can help you walk and run faster:
EXERCISE PACING & USE OF MUSIC - by James Sundquist

Just in case the link breaks, here is an excerpt of the article that I found particularly interesting for racewalking:

WALKING

But what is the right pace for me?

This is probably the most frequent question we get at the institute. Of
course, we always tell people that it depends on their goals and their
health and fitness level. Unless you are an athlete, it is not important
how fast your feet are going as it is how fast your heart is going when
you are walking for exercise. If your goal is weight loss, we suggest a
slower pace of 3 mph which is approximately 60-70% of your Maximum Heart
Rate. This is not quite in the aerobic zone for many people. What is
important for weight loss is distance covered and time spent (which
should be 1-2 hours per day). This pace then projects out to about 120
steps per minute.

To get in your aerobic zone you want to achieve closer to 75% of your
heart rate. But you only need to go this fast for 20-30 minutes three
times a week. This requires a faster pace of closer to 140 steps per
minute.

If your goal is endurance and increased fitness and/or mile time, you
will need to get your heart pumping in the 80-90% of your Maximum Heart
Rate. This begins at 160 steps (beats) per minute. Then eventually you
increase the pace to 170 steps per minute. This pace should eventually
help you generate a 12-minute-mile pace which is a race walk pace. But
remember, this takes time. You need to develop your aerobic capacity as
well as your lean muscle mass, strength and flexibility, before you
attempt this pace and faster. Most walkers need at least a year to
develop paces of 170 spm (12 minute mile) or faster.

Interestingly, many people are exercising at different paces on
different days or time frames, using all of the above paces. This is
because they have all three goals in mind: weight loss, aerobic
conditioning, and increased endurance and speed. Combining paces in a
workout is known as Interval Training and is an excellent way to
accelerate your health and fitness conditioning, and can even speed
recovery from sports injuries.

For those of you who use the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion, you can
count your repetitions per minute to find the pace which is synchronized
to the level your physiatrist, exercise physiologist, physical
therapist, or personal trainer have determined appropriate for you.
Cardiac Rehabilitation Specialist usually begin their patients at around
3 mph on a treadmill which clocks out to around 120 steps (beats) per
minute. In clocking pace for motorized treadmills, we discovered that it
takes more steps per minute in terms of pace to produce the same Target
Heart Rate, or a higher mph, because the motor is doing half of the
work. A non-motorized treadmill required less mph, or steps per minute
to produce the same Target Heart Rate because in addition to the work
load of walking, the walker had to also power the treadmill, in effect,
becoming the motor for the treadmill. In all of these cases, it was the
Heart Rate which was the most important thing to watch. The pace or
steps per minute of the walker must then be adjusted to conform to the
right Target Heart Rate. So, walking in the woods, on a motorized
treadmill, and a non-motorized treadmill, would require three different
paces or mph to produce the same Target Heart Rate. This is why pace
tapes have become increasingly valuable to produce Target Heart Rate
compliance during exercise.

Matching up beats per minute to miles per hour for walking, running and
cycling became a completely new process which involved clocking footfall
frequencies of thousands of walkers and runners. We did this by simply
counting how many steps per minute they took and then factoring it into
the time they would walk or run a mile. In testing steps per minute, we
discovered that a person can walk the entire range of tempos from 100 to
220 steps or beats per minute. Racewalking biomechanics, necessary to
produce a 12-minute-mile pace (5 mph), begins around 170 steps (beats
per minute). The following table indicates empirically tested steps per
minute for each mph for walking.

WALKING PACE CHART

LEVEL 1: VERY INACTIVE: 80-100 steps per minute = 2 mph (30 minute mile)
LEVEL 2: LIGHTLY ACTIVE: 120 steps per minute = 3 mph (20 minute mile)
LEVEL 3: MODERATELY ACTIVE: 130 steps per minute = 3.5 mph (17-18 minute mile)
LEVEL 4: ACTIVE: 140 steps per minute = 4 mph (15 minute mile)
LEVEL 5: VERY ACTIVE: 150 steps per minute = 4.3 mph (14 minute mile)
LEVEL 6: EXCEPTIONALLY ACTIVE: 160 steps per minute = 4.6 mph (13 minute mile)
LEVEL 7: ATHLETE: 170 steps per minute = 5 mph (12 minute mile)
LEVEL 8: ATHLETE: 180 steps per minute = 5.5 mph (11 minute mile)
LEVEL 9: ATHLETE: 190 steps per minute = 6.0 mph (9-10 minute mile)

These steps per minute are the equivalent of beats per minute in music
or with a metronome. So when walking at the steps (beats) per minute the
resulting pace projected is shown in the above chart. Remember your
walking pace is not a guarantee, only a projection, as you could walk in
place going 0 mph at 190 steps per minute.

If you are interested in knowing your own exact personalized pace and
stride length, you can obtain your own precise steps per minute-mile
equivalent. Simply walk one mile and clock the time. While walking,
count how many times your feet hit the ground for one minute.

Divide 5,280 by your minute-mile time. Divide this figure by how many
steps you took in one minute. This will give you your stride length. Now
if you want to improve your time, then divide 5,280 by the stride length
you now have. Divide this figure by the time of your new minute mile
goal. This calculation will tell you approximately how many steps per
minute you must now walk to achieve your improved time goal.

Chipping Away on the Average Pace

So after the Saturday 10 mile walk that should have been 20 miles and the 10K AIDS Walk on Sunday, a day off Monday and strength training on Tuesday I got back on the three mile daily walk. Here's how it went:

Mile 1 - 11:55
Mile 2 - 12:18
Mile 3 - 12:45
Average Pace - 12:19 * that's a new PR
Total Workout - 36:59 * also a new PR

It was tough getting started because my right heel was still hurting from Saturday. I switched to my running shoes and put on a Dr. Scholls Blister Treatment pad. I tried these pads before and they usually slide off after a while. By the first mile it was starting to slip. In addition, I nearly twisted my ankle going around a truck that was parked on the sidewalk.

The first mile was comfortable and fast so I was hoping that I could do all three miles at about 12 minutes per mile. The second mile was slightly uphill so I expected a slower lap. My heart rate went up to about 168 bmp but I was still feeling good. The third mile should have been faster. I was feeling my heel rubbing and was afraid of making things worse.

Despite it all, I'm improving and that keeps me going.

AIDS Walk 2006

Not a racewalk, but a walk none the less. Let's call it a 10K "recovery" walk and put it down as part of my marathon training.

Here we are before the start. That's me, Rosie and Joshua in the picture.

The course was the usual 10K going from West Hollywood to Hollywood and back. It wasn't a race, just a fund raising event, though I did see some runners taking advantage of the streets closed to traffic. It was a leasurly stroll but after that messed up 20 mile attempt yesterday it was a good recovery walk--though I was feeling stiff, my heel still hurt and I was really glad when we finally finished. I didn't check the time, but it took all morning to to the 6.2 miles.

Oh and it was a dog friendly event so Natty joined in too.

20 mi LST DNF

Don't you just love acronyms? So I tried to do the 20 mile long sub-threshold walk but did not finish. Too bad, I was doing so well but I've got lots of excuses.

Let's start with rest the night before. Rosie worked a location job all week and she got home at 2am. That was bad enough, but she must have taken something to sleep because she started snoring and I had a difficult time waking her up so she could put on her CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) device. So much for a good night's sleep.

When I did the eight mile run last week I got a rash from my thighs rubbing. I don't have huge thighs but the shorts I've been using combined with my racewalking gait causes some friction right below my crotch--ouch! At about the eight mile mark I started hurting and I remembered that I brought along a tube of petroleum jelly, which was in the car--ugh. So, I stopped the chronograph on the Timex Ironman and did a slow recovery walk to my car at the half-way point. It was parked was several blocks away and had way too much of a cool down. By the time I started mile 11 I had a hard time getting my pace back.

Finally, just past the 11 mile mark I was feeling a pain in my right heel. I'll confess, I switched to a new pair of shoes, New Balance RC550WB's. I got them on Monday and used them during the week, they fit better then the New Balance 111's and didn't have any problems so I wore them for today's 20 mile walk--bad decision. I stopped to check out my heel and it was a bloody mess. I tried applying some petroleum jelly but it stung and that's when I stopped the workout. I didn't want to stop it, but there will be plenty of other long workouts--no point overdoing it today.

So I guess I learned a few lessons, which I should have known anyway, but maybe they will sink in this time.

The 11th mile is the last mile I kept track of, 13:28, but I'm going to throw it out because that was after stopping. Here's how I did on the other 10 miles:

Mile  1 - 12:38                          Mile  6 - 11:56
Mile  2 - 13:04                          Mile  7 - 12:02
Mile  3 - 13:14                          Mile  8 - 12:49
Mile  4 - 11:55                          Mile  9 - 12:32
Mile  5 - 12:51                          Mile 10 - 12:07

Average Pace - 12:30 minutes per mile
Total Workout - 2:05:13

I was surprised that my pace was this good. I wasn't trying for a 12:30, I thought I'd be closer to 13:30. Since this was supposed to be a 20 mile walk I started out slow and kept checking the heart rate monitor trying to stay close to the 153 bpm easy distance effort. The Santa Monica Pier bridge crossing came up on mile 5 and it was much easier than last week because I was warmed up. My heart rate did go up to 168 bpm on the bridge, but I was able to recover quickly once over the crest.

Something new I tried was to drink only water for the first 4.5 miles and switched to Gaterade after crossing the bridge. This is a marathon tip from one of Dave McGovern's books to "trick" the body into burning fat instead of carbs as early in the workout as possible. Actually, Dave recommended water for the first 90 minutes, but I was doing a shorter workout. This is supposed avoid hitting the wall near the end of a long effort. I was feeling like I was burning out near the end of the 18 mile walk a couple of weeks ago, though I did manage to put in a 12:13 final mile. Maybe I'll try this again on the 22 mile walk in two weeks and see if it works for me.

Do Winners Really Walk Negative Splits?

Negative splits means doing the second half of a race faster than the first half. Using the data from the 2006 L.A. Marathon racewalking results, I wanted to see if the top walkers did negative splits.

There were only three racewalkers who were able to pull of a negative split between the first half and the second half of the race and they were not the top finishers. They were the 28th, 32nd and 50th place walkers. That's out of the 53 finishers that are on my list.

How about that last finishing kick? I compared the overall pace to the 30K to finish (about the last 7.5 miles) and four racewalkers did the last quarter of the race faster than their overall average pace. They were the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 27th place finishers. Even fewer had negative splits when comparing the first half to the last quarter, only 3 and they were the 20th, 27th and 32nd.

Just because the top finishers didn't accomplish negative splits doesn't mean that they went all out at the beginning and went slower on each passing mile. Crunching the data I was able to extract the pace for the first 10K (6.21 miles), the middle 20K (12.43 miles) and the last 12.26K (7.56 miles). Of the top 10 finishers, five walked their fastest in the middle of the race.

As long as I was in the number crunching state of mind, here are some other interesting findings:

Average Age of Racewalkers = 53 -- I'll be 52 at the next L.A. Marathon

Top 10 Finisher's Average Age = 44

Average Pace = 14:01 minutes/mile

Top 10 Finisher's Average Pace = 11:55 minutes/mile

The winner for my age group averaged 12:10 minutes/mile, went progressivly slower throughout the race and finished 6th place overall. However, it appears that he walked with his 19 year old son (or perhaps a relative) because his times match someone with the same last name through every check point. Interestingly enough the top two finishers, aged 48 and 56, also walked side by side but at a blistering average pace of 10:40 minutes/mile.

So my 12 minute/mile target pace would put me in the top 10. I should also do pretty good in my age category, but right now I don't want to get my hopes up too high. I often wonder if keeping up a 13 minute/mile on the long runs is enough to make my goal pace. I also wonder what I'd have to do to get up to that winning 10:40 minute/mile pace--that's better than my fastest mile and multiplied by 26.2? My respects to those athletes.

What's so Easy about an Easy Day?

Today was an "easy" day though I can't say that it was all that easy. I used to take an "easy" day quite literally, but that's not actually what an it is supposed to be. An easy day means doing a workout at around 70% of maximum heart rate--pretty much the same as the long distance day. As a review, here is my heart rate table:

Workout          % of MHR     Heart Rate
Easy Distance       70            153
Tempo/Interval      85            172
Economy             90            178
VO2 Max             95            185

Looking back over the past few weeks it looks like I do the daily three mile walk at about the same pace as the long walk. I often have a better pace on my long day than the weekday easy day. For example, here are today's times:

Mile 1 -- 12:06
Mile 2 -- 12:55
Mile 3 -- 12:59
Average - 12:40
Total --- 38:02

Quite a difference from yesterday's 10:55 mile and it is was slower than Sunday's eight mile walk yet it was feeling like a good effort. In addition, the heart rate monitor was showing that I was around 70% of maximum heart rate.

Guess there are up days and down days and you can't keep making new personal records day after day.

We scheduled the long day for tomorrow--20 miles. However, there is heavy rain in the forecast and we can't postpone it until Sunday because we're taking part in the annual L.A. AIDS Walk. I would racewalk the AIDS Walk, but it doesn't seem appropriate.

Listen to the Body

So Monday was my day off--from exercise, not my job. In fact I had a hard day at work followed by two screenings. The last screening was for a movie a friend of mine edited and it was showing at the Latino Film Festival. The festival was running way late and I didn't get home until after 1:00am.

Of course that made it hard to get up early on Tuesday so I skipped the workout.

I didn't get a good night's sleep and on Wednesday I managed to do a few accelerations and stretch, but that was about it.

By now I was feeling a bit down, like maybe I was coming down with a cold or something so I made sure to get to bed extra early and finally managed to get some rest. That made all the difference in the world. This morning I decided to do a quick mile and some strength training.

*New one mile PR -- 10:55

That's a full 18 seconds faster than my best mile from last week.

The strength exercises went much better too. I guess my body was telling me to take it easy from Monday through Wednesday.

L.A. Marathon Number Crunching

For some reason the results page of last year's L.A. Marathon isn't working as it should. Fortunately, I copied the data for the racewalking results before it went down. I also did some data munging, removed some incomplete or suspect entries and came up with a list of the top 53 finishers for 2006.

This should be interesting to see where I stand compared to the 2006 racewalkers. Having this information in a spreadsheet allows all sorts of interesting analysis. Of course past performance isn't a guarantee of future results--sort of like investing, isn't it?

Name                    Bib#  Age  Sex  10K         Half        30K         Finish      Pace
MARIO LOPEZ             326   48    M   01:05:57    02:17:23    03:15:19    04:39:34    10:40
ERIC FISCHER            351   56    M   01:05:57    02:17:22    03:15:19    04:39:34    10:40
JOHN MURDZEK            325   46    M   01:10:02    02:27:44    03:33:57    05:07:06    11:43
JUAN MORENO             366   41    M   01:12:07    02:30:19    03:36:50    05:12:24    11:55
ROBERT COLLINS          332   19    M   01:10:29    02:30:32    03:40:21    05:18:48    12:10
STEPHEN COLLINS         327   51    M   01:10:30    02:30:33    03:40:21    05:19:01    12:10
MARY SCHOENBAUM         320   50    F   01:17:02    02:42:06    03:50:23    05:24:37    12:23
DEO JARAVATA            353   41    M   01:14:38    02:39:05    03:50:09    05:25:29    12:25
RAYMOND BILLIG          302   49    M   01:18:45    02:43:26    03:52:39    05:28:37    12:32
LINDSEY GOLDBLOOM       312   38    F   01:18:44    02:43:24    03:52:37    05:28:38    12:32
NANCY WILDING           346   52    F   01:15:48    02:41:01    03:51:00    05:28:52    12:33
BRANDYE SMITH           308   45    F   01:18:45    02:43:25    03:52:38    05:28:59    12:33
ADENA WRIGHT            315   52    F   01:18:46    02:43:26    03:52:41    05:29:12    12:33
AL CAZAS                323   46    M   01:22:16    02:44:09    03:52:00    05:29:12    12:33
CHARLES CUTTING         301   68    M   01:13:18    02:37:46    03:51:51    05:34:21    12:45
MARTHA FITZPATRICK      310   63    F   01:18:46    02:43:34    03:57:54    05:39:44    12:58
BERT JOHNSON            369   66    M   01:14:10    02:40:34    03:55:00    05:40:18    12:59
RUSTY DERUITER          345   65    M   01:17:15    02:46:39    04:02:10    05:42:38    13:04
VICKI KRYSZAK           316   59    F   01:17:34    02:44:25    04:01:42    05:43:03    13:05
PETER DOGGETT           334   48    M   01:21:57    02:52:41    04:06:05    05:45:26    13:11
SYLVIA ELLIS            352   58    F   01:21:57    02:52:42    04:06:04    05:45:49    13:11
JOE EDWARDS             344   68    M   01:21:02    02:49:31    04:06:45    05:46:14    13:12
PATRICK BIVONA          335   65    M   01:16:07    02:46:09    04:00:51    05:46:24    13:13
ERNEST CLARK            307   54    M   01:18:44    02:43:24    03:52:37    05:47:17    13:15
DONNA DAWSON            329   55    F   01:15:10    02:43:35    04:00:18    05:48:16    13:17
MICHAEL MIZOTE          322   48    M   01:15:49    02:41:02    03:55:18    05:48:20    13:17
CHRISTINA PEREZ         364   43    F   01:23:35    02:56:56    04:14:34    05:56:10    13:35
WILLIAM CARTER          365   60    M   01:26:27    02:59:19    04:12:56    05:57:18    13:38
DEBORAH SALARI          340   41    F   01:23:31    02:50:32    04:05:34    05:58:43    13:41
MARIA FERNANDEZ         318   58    F   01:23:26    02:57:14    04:15:33    06:04:22    13:54
ERIC NEUMANN            348   29    M   01:20:58    02:54:45    04:15:03    06:11:05    14:09
MAUREEN HERNANDEZ       314   55    F   01:27:33    03:06:13    04:23:50    06:11:11    14:10
KATHLEEN MCAVOY-JAHRAUS 317   55    F   01:25:59    03:02:28    04:20:04    06:12:11    14:12
PHILIP PRATT            303   59    M   01:29:22    03:06:29    04:28:01    06:21:04    14:32
MICHAEL BLUM            330   67    M   01:30:38    03:12:25    04:33:34    06:30:15    14:53
DELIA ORVANANOS         361   53    F   01:30:25    03:10:30    04:32:45    06:30:46    14:54
ENA DUBNOFF             359   68    F   01:30:27    03:10:32    04:32:38    06:30:47    14:54
ESTHER SOZA             319   64    F   01:28:24    03:08:54    04:33:02    06:33:43    15:01
CAROLE NELSON           349   60    F   01:30:08    03:09:42    04:34:54    06:34:17    15:02
KAY TYLER               357   14    F   01:30:54    03:11:40    04:36:13    06:35:00    15:04
DEBORAH GAL             354   45    F   01:30:55    03:11:38    04:36:14    06:35:00    15:04
IRIS PEOPLES            313   44    F   01:34:09    03:17:24    04:42:46    06:39:09    15:14
JOHN SOUTH              347   66    M   01:25:14    03:04:20    04:30:41    06:39:55    15:15
JANE ADAMS              328   53    F   01:34:45    03:19:31    04:47:36    06:45:13    15:27
CONSTANCE KOENIG        324   47    F   01:34:47    03:19:33    04:47:36    06:45:14    15:28
DIANNE BAUER            362   63    F   01:22:08    03:07:24    04:40:21    06:45:20    15:28
KATHLEEN HAMPTON        341   52    F   01:32:34    03:20:37    04:47:51    06:49:35    15:37
KATHY CURETON           358   57    F   01:36:31    03:24:46    04:59:25    07:14:45    16:35
LINDA LOISELLE          367   52    F   01:40:25    03:31:21    05:06:55    07:22:46    16:53
RICHARD MAY             331   58    M   01:51:48    03:49:32    05:25:31    07:38:54    17:30
DICKSON YAGI            321   68    M   01:45:36    03:53:22    05:37:13    08:00:09    18:19
PHYLLIS GOLDSTEIN       336   71    F   01:29:59    03:13:36    05:12:15    08:04:52    18:30
REVA WALLACE            306   71    F   01:47:21    03:55:57    05:46:37    08:11:52    18:46

8-Miles, Not Quite As Planned

So the plan to do the first half at 160 bpm heart rate and the second at 170 bmp didn't work out quite as planned.

It was fairly cool, in the mid 60's, and the route started near the Santa Monica Pier. There wasn't enough of a warm up going from the mile marker, the bicycle rental shack, to the start of the Santa Monica Pier bridge and even though I made it over just fine, my shins were hurting through the first couple of miles. By the third mile I was feeling better but another trip over the bridge at mile seven kept going through my mind all morning.

The bridge crossing at mile seven wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but once I was over the crest I got a call on my cell phone. Yeah, I carry a phone just for emergencies, but it wasn't an emergency. Rosie called to say that she and our nephew, Joshua, were at the Coffee Bean. OK, I could go for that after the walk, but then she told me that she was at the Venice Beach Coffee Bean--way at the other end of the route! No way, I told her to meet me at this end and I'd call after I finished. That took some time out of mile seven.

The last mile was all down hill, I was doing pretty good time and halfway through it the phone rang again, this time it was my nephew. When I pulled out the phone everything in my carry pouch fell out. I had to stop, pick everything up and told Joshua that I'd call when I'm finished! Still, that last mile turned out to be the fastest.

As for the heart rate, it fluctuated between 145-165 bpm but most of the time is was around 150, it seldom got over 160 bpm. Maybe my legs got too tired right from the start or maybe the cool weather had something to do with it. Then again I might have been subconsciously holding back in anticipation of crossing the bridge on mile seven. In hindsight there is nothing to be concerned about, my goal was unreasonable. According to the heart rate chart I made a few days ago the easy distance walks should be done at 153 bpm and that's pretty much where it ended up.


Mile 1 - 12:37
Mile 2 - 12:24
Mile 3 - 11:50
Mile 4 - 12:54
Mile 5 - 13:03
Mile 6 - 12:10
Mile 7 - 13:28
Mile 8 - 11:41
Average Pace - 12:30

Still hanging onto that pace even with the hill work, worrying and the phone calls. In fact it was six seconds per mile better than the 8 mile walk I did a couple of weeks ago.

Southern Cal Walkers

This morning I met up with the Southern Cal Walkers at the Caltech track. I found out about them when I joined the North American Racewalking Foundation. It turns out that NARF managing director, racewalk instructor, coach, judge, author, (did I leave anything out?) Elaine Ward also runs this goup.

When I first saw them I thought I thought I could out pace most of the people in this group, some were older than me, some younger. But once things got moving I realised that many, OK most, of the members could easily out pace me, including most of the older ones. To add to this humbling experience, one of the members showed me an "age graded" card that lists how fast an athlete should be able to racewalk at various ages. Remember the heart rate monitor formula showed me at 29 years old? My best mile pace puts me in at around 80 years old!

We did dynamic flexibility warm up exercises followed by some 800 meter intervals.

Elaine Ward pulled me aside for a while to check out my technique and said that I looked pretty good--not fast, but that will come with practice. One thing that was a little confusing was that she said that I should get some training shoes. The New Balance 111's I was wearing don't have much support and that's fine for racing but a sturdier shoe would be better for the regular workouts. When I first started looking for racewalking shoes I read everything I could, but since there was only one racewalking model made by a major manufacturer, the choice seemed to be rather limited. After seeing the various shoes experienced racewalkers were using, choosing the right shoes for training is going to be a bit more challenging.

Here's how I did on the intervals:

1 - 5:41 - about 11:22 min/mile pace
2:30 rest (walking slowly and taking in water)
2 - 5:54 - about 11:54 min/mile pace
2:30 rest
3 - 6:06 - about 12:12 min/mile pace
2:30 rest
4 - 6:09 - about 12:18 min/mile pace

So my average pace was around 12 min/mile, though I'm still starting out too fast and ending up rather weak. I was wearing the heart rate monitor and was holding pretty steady at 170 bmp, just below what should be my interval workout rate. Next time I might be able to push it a little harder.

Tomorrow is the long slow (or long sub-threshold) walk. We're going 8 miles so taking the first half at under 160 bmp and the second half at around 170 bmp should be a good for a 12:30 min/mile pace. However, we're going to add the Santa Monica Pier bridge to the start and end of the workout to get in some hill work and I'm not sure how that will affect my pace. Still, after checking out the marathon course, some hill work is in order.

Is Every Little Improvement Worth A Post?

I don't really know, but it is satisfying to see progress, especially on an easy day.

This morning's workout:

Mile 1 - 11:13 * New PR by 2 seconds
Mile 2 - 12:13
Mile 3 - 13:42
Average Pace - 12:23 * Also a new PR

Total Workout - 37:10 * Guess that makes this one a PR too

I strapped on the heart rate monitor and decided to keep it around 160 bpm, not bothering to look at the time too much. The first mile fealt good as I ramped up from a 150 bpm warmup before starting the first mile to 160 bpm. However, by the mile mark I went past my target heart rate so I started slowing down. My heart rate kept going up, guess that it takes a while for a change in effort to affect the heartbeat. By the middle of the second mile it was up to 173 bpm and I was having to relax to get it back down. Again, it dropped well below my target and continued to drop below 150 bpm on the second mile. The third mile I was just trying to finish the workout in one piece so I wasn't concerned too much about speed or keeping my heart rate up. Still, the average pace was pretty much what I was expecting.

Yesterday I did strength training. It does seem to be helping out. My speed is up, but I've got to work on endurance too.

Failure/Success

This morning I tried doing my usual 3 mile workout as a tempo walk. As I understand it a tempo workout is done at the same effort throughout. Using my heartrate table I see that I should be doing the tempo workout at 172 bpm. After some warm up exercises I started out fast at about 150 bpm. Around half-mile I was only up to 160 bpm and wondering if I could continue this for 3 miles. Approaching the mile mark I was finally up to 170 bpm and fealt like I was falling apart so I stopped the workout at mile one.

So I failed to do my tempo walk, but surprised myself when I checked the time:

11:15 - New PR by 25 seconds!

After a short rest I was thinking about doing another mile so I took off, this time starting much faster and got my heart rate up to 170 in the first 200 meters. However, I didn't feel that I could keep this up for the entire mile so I stopped before injuring myself and went home to do some stretching.

I'll research how to do tempo and interval workouts before trying it again. It looks like I should probably start with shorter distances and work my way up. Doing three miles at 172 bpm was too much at my current fitness level.

Strength Training Day

This morning instead of doing my usual 3 mile walk I did some Racewalking Exercises . Hope it is okay to post this document on my blog.

It looks easy but it certainly isn't. I don't have all the goodies to do every exercise so I skipped around a bit. Still, I went to the point of total muscle fatigue on several exercises. It would probably be best to do these exercises after a hard walk to get the most benefit, but right now I should set aside at least two days per week on strength training.

One thing not to leave out of any exercise program--stretch at the end of the workout. It was quite painful going through the workout, but I did feel good once it was all over.

New L.A. Marathon Course

Sunday we drove through the new proposed L.A. Marathon Course.

It doesn't have lots of hills, though there is one around mile 18 that might cause problems. Some of the course has long gentle ups and downs, and many miles of unimpressive scenery. The road is in need of repair in lots of areas and it is almost all concrete and asphalt.

The biggest change is that it will be a point-to-point race starting at Universal Studios and ending up in Downtown.

It was quite humbling driving in L.A. traffic and knowing that the fastest wheel chair racers will get through it faster than we were able to complete the course by car.

One thing is for certain, I'll have to add some hill work to my racewalking training!

More on Heart Rate Training

I found some more information about heart rate based training on Jeff Salvage's racewalk.com web site. He suggests using resting heart rate as part of the percentage of maximum heart rate calculation on his Heart Rate page. However, he is also using the old 220 - Age to determine maximum heart rate and Dave McGovern pretty much proved that is not accurate.

During Saturday's long walk my heart was beating faster than the 65 - 75% of maximum heart rate recommended for a general endurance workout. However, combining the maximum heart rate as calculated in the clinic with the resting heart rate from Jeff Salvage, things are starting to look much better.

Once again, my maximum heart rate as tested in the racewalking clinic was 191 and my resting heart rate as measured this morning was 63. These numbers will vary from day-to-day and hopefully improve over time so that I'll eventually have to re-evaluate, but they should be close enough for the next several weeks of training.

Here is the formula:

Goal Heart Rate = (Maximum Heart Rate - Resting Heart Rate) * Percentage of Max HR Desired + Resting Heart Rate

So plugging in the numbers, here are the various workouts, rounded off the the nearest heart beat:

Workout        % of MHR         Heart Rate Calculation        Heart Rate
Easy Distance     70            (191 - 63) * .70 + 63         153
Tempo/Interval    85            (191 - 63) * .85 + 63         172
Economy           90            (191 - 63) * .90 + 63         178
VO2 Max           95            (191 - 63) * .95 + 63         185

Those harder workouts look really scary. In the clinic I was able to get my heart rate up to 173, but more on that in a moment. How do these numbers compare with just a straight percentage of maximum heart rate?

Workout        % of MHR         Heart Rate Calculation        Heart Rate
Easy Distance     70            191 * .70                     134
Tempo/Interval    85            191 * .85                     162
Economy           90            191 * .90                     172
VO2 Max           95            191 * .95                     181

Again, I don't have enough experience with the heart rate monitor and haven't tried any economy or VO2 Max workouts to know what it feels like to approach these effort levels. The long walk I did on Saturday does seem to validate the formula with the resting heart rate factored in.

Finally, here are the numbers from the racewalk clinic. We did this on a 400 meter track, measuring our heart rate every 2 minutes for 8 minutes, taking a 1 minute rest and repeating 3 times:

_                Set 1             Set 2            Set 3
2 min.           168               166              172
4 min.           171               171              173
6 min.           169               169              173
8 min.           170               170              173

I don't have all of the recovery heart rates which were recorded 1 minute after each set, but my last was 137. That's a little too high and Dave McGovern recommended that I do some speed work to improve recovery.

According to the handout we got at the clinic, most people should get up to around 90-92% of maximum heart rate in this 30 minute workout. A 5K race could also be used for this test, spot checking the heart rate at about the 2 mile mark. Dividing that figure by .9 and that's a fairly close estimate of the maximum heart rate. In my case the average of all the readings is just over 171 so 172 / .9 =  191 maximum heart rate.

Progressive Walk

I wanted to start out rather easy this morning and get progressively faster throughout the workout. I tried it with the heart rate monitor and here are the results:

Mile 1 - 14:15 - 130 bpm
Mile 2 - 13:10 - 151 bpm
Mile 3 - 12:39 - 161 bpm

It looks like I took it too easy at the start and never got up to a very hard effort, but I was pushing myself quite hard. I would have liked to have seen times at least :30 seconds faster all around. I've got plenty of excuses, still recovering from the 18 mile walk a couple of days ago, it was a little wet and slippery this morning and I was a little stiff from too much sleep these last couple of days. I'll try it again later in the week and see if there is any improvement.

As long as I was doing some heart rate monitoring, here are some other readings that I did this morning:

Resting in bed -- 63 bpm
Walking around house -- 80 bpm
Pre-workout warm up -- 90 bpm
Recovery 2-minutes after finishing workout -- 110 bpm

One of the issues that came up in Dave McGovern's clinic was that it took too long for my heart rate to recover to "normal" and some speed work should help with that. In addition, some strength training should help with the speed so it looks like I've got plenty of work to do between those long weekend walks.