20 km Training Walk

Daylight saving started today so it was 10:00 am before we were ready to even talk about going out for a walk. The rain started before we got out the door and Philip thought we would be able to head to the pool and do some cross training. He took it well when I said I would be doing the 20 km walk that was on my programme regardless of the weather.

I found today's walk very hard and I was slow. It was wet and cold and I was trying some new things as explained below. I had done some core and glute exercises as my cross training on Friday and my muscles were a bit fatigued from that. A few km from the end my calf muscles felt like they were going to cramp up but they did actually hold together. It was a relief to see the 20 km tick over. If Philip hadn't been walking with me I may have been even slower or may have stopped racewalking before completing the planned distance. My glutes were feeling it over the last few km which is a good sign.

20 km Training Walk

I went to see John Sloane, the podiatrist, on Friday to hear his feedback from the filming at the track last weekend. It was a bit of a shock to see how much my foot collapsed in my walking shoes but good to know that my running shoes do a much better job. I will be walking in those from now on and may end up buying another pair. It's disappointing that New Balance market racewalking shoes that do not incorporate sufficient support into their design. I will have to buy from Shoe Clinic in the future so that I can see a video of myself in the shoe before I buy it.

John has taped a temporary orthotic to my left foot for me to see how it goes. It certainly felt different with more of my weight falling on the outside of my foot. John also encouraged me to try a shorter step to help resolve some of the issues that he saw in my walking. All this seemed to contribute to a slow time today but I am optimistic that a few steps backwards now will bring about improvement in the long run.