Warming up is Important

I got a lesson in the importance of warming up. One of the guys at work is training to run the marathon and he is in a slower pace group than the racewalkers' pace so I decided to show off. I challenged him to walk with me at work. I found a nice open walk way, about 100 meters long and bolted off at a very fast pace without warming up first. It was all in good fun but a little later my knees started hurting. Uh oh.

I'm not hurting all that much this morning, but I'm planning to do a 20 mile walk with the Marathon Walkers group on Saturday so I took it really easy--kept my heart rate between 145 and 155 bpm which makes this an "easy" workout.

Mile 1 - 12:50
Mile 2 - 13:20
Mile 3 - 13:27
Mile 4 - 13:16
Mile 5 - 13:08
Mile 6 - 12:38
Average Pace - 13:07 minutes per mile
Total Workout - 1:18:42

According to Lindsey Goldbloom of the Marathon Walkers group:

"As far as pace an average of 12:40- 12:45 a mile. We start off slow closer to 13."

That should work for me--we'll see on Saturday.

Gooooooooal!

It might not score anything, but I did reach one of my goals today, do the 6 mile morning walk at under 12 minutes per mile:

Mile 1 - 12:10
Mile 2 - 12:43
Mile 3 - 12:29
Mile 4 - 11:49
Mile 5 - 11:40
Mile 6 - 11:07
Average Pace - 11:59 minutes per mile
Total Workout - 1:11:58

When I checked my time at mile two I was thinking that maybe I was taking it too easy so if I was feeling good after mile three I'd really start pushing myself. When I finished mile four at under 12 minutes I started pushing even harder and was thinking negative splits. That last mile I gave it all I had.

As long as I didn't stress anything I should be able to keep doing the morning walks at 12 minutes per mile--at least that's the goal.

8-mile Scenic Walk

I wanted to do 12 miles but we got up late, our nephew didn't want to go but the dog did and well, it was a logistic issue. We did make it to Venice Beach and it was a beautiful day. Warm, almost like summer, but it is the middle of winter!

Mile 1 - 11:36          Mile 5 - 12:47
Mile 2 - 11:56          Mile 6 - 12:07
Mile 3 - 12:19          Mile 7 - 12:08
Mile 4 - 12:31          Mile 8 - 12:34
Average Pace - 12:15 minutes per mile
Total Workout - 1:38:01

I was feeling pretty good at 8 miles and could have easily gone on to do 12. I had a little pain in my right knee last night, nothing like before but there's no point in pushing it too hard right now.

Next Saturday there's the Paramount 10k and several of the Southern Cal Walkers are going to be there. I'm thinking about going to the beach instead and walking 26 miles. It would be good to put in a couple of these very long distance walks before the L.A. Marathon on March 4th.

The following Sunday, January 21, is the 46th annual 10-mile racewalk put on by the Walkers Club of Los Angeles. It is also my 52nd birthday so it seems like a good one to enter. It even fits perfectly into my training schedule.

Another look at the L.A. Marathon Map

Close Calls

This morning I had a couple of close calls with cars going through intersections. Nothing too alarming but it did throw off my pace twice on mile 5.

Anyway, here's how it went today:

Mile 1 - 12:32
Mile 2 - 12:42
Mile 3 - 12:38
Mile 4 - 12:40
Mile 5 - 12:44
Mile 6 - 12:36
Average Pace - 12:39 minutes per mile
Total Workout - 1:15:55

Better than a couple of days ago but way off my goal of 12 minute miles. My heart rate was above 160 bpm most of the time and got up to 175 bpm at the end so I was putting in a good effort.

Only two months to get into shape for the L.A. Marathon. The goals are to do the 6-mile morning walks under 12 minutes per mile, walk one mile in under 10 minutes and keep up at least 12:30 per mile on the long training walks. I'll need to get my speed up and heart rate down!

Back on Schedule

Today was the first time since December 12 that I got back on my self-imposed schedule.

Monday    - off or light stretching
Tuesday   - 6 miles
Wednesday - strength training
Thursday  - 6 miles
Friday    - strength training
Saturday  - speed work on the track with Southern Cal Walkers
Sunday    - long distance, alternate 12 miles with up to marathon distance

Here's how it went today:

Mile 1 - 12:38
Mile 2 - 13:18
Mile 3 - 13:10
Mile 4 - 13:12
Mile 5 - 13:12
Mile 6 - 12:55
Average Pace - 13:04 minutes per mile
Total Workout - 1:18:27

I'd like to say that I took it really easy today but I was pushing myself. At one point a woman cheered me on, "You can do it! Get that heart rate up!" Checking the heart rate monitor I was up to 165 bpm, yikes! I continued to keep an eye on it and throughout the workout it stayed above 160 bpm. I should have been doing 12 minute miles with that effort.

Needless to say I lost some conditioning over the holidays but I bet I'm not the only one.

Easing into 2007

The New Year party lasted until 3am so I didn't get up at 5:30am to do my morning walk. In fact it was an afternoon walk, just 3 miles, as planned:

Mile 1 - 12:30
Mile 2 - 12:57
Mile 3 - 13:16
Average Pace - 12:55 minutes per mile
Total Workout - 38:45

Nothing to brag about but I was breaking in new orthotics and didn't want to push too hard. Shins hurt at first but by the end of the walk everything was feeling pretty good. It has been a while since I had a good workout and those miles seem extra long right now. I'll need to make up for time lost to injury, vacation and a cold--only a couple of months left before the L.A. Marathon!