10 km Training Walk

It was another lovely day. I walked down to the waterfront before my watch picked up the satellites which was a good place to start my walk. I aim to average 6:45/km on these walks but, as usual the first km was over 7 min (7:08). I managed to settle into a good easy pace but slowed down considerably after the turn-around. My average at the half -way point was around 6:42 but the final average pace was 6:49. My right hamstring is feeling pretty sore so I guess that's not too bad. I started straight back into my work when I got back into the office, forgetting about my 2:30 meeting which I had to turn up to unshowered and in my walking gear. Oops, not what I would want to do!

Eikeden Relay - leg 5 - 7.5 km

It was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. Our team, 'Scottish A' started off in fourth place but moved up to second after Natasha's leg. We were about 1:10 under our estimated time before Peter started but he exceeded expectations and put us 1:20 up. Alana did a great 10 km walk, also bettering the estimate.

I wasn't feeling great before I started but was pleased with my first lap which was under 6 min/km.  I knew I was slowing but thought the 30:08 5 km was a good effort. It's my second best time for a judged 5 km and there were no cards or warnings at this stage.  My glutes were tiring but I pushed on and was a little concerned when the bell didn't ring at the end of the next lap. Fortunately I could see Natasha getting ready when I drew level with the start finish line and Alana confirmed that I was on my last lap. Thanks goodness!

I had hoped to average near 6:00/km but managed only 6:08. I could not be disappointed though since there were no cards and no official warnings (one judge had mentioned that my knees were beginning to soften). For the last two years I have been sinned binned for receiving more than two cards. It's great to be no longer a sinner!

Philip took some film very near the end of my last lap which I hope to put up here tonight. I was tiring so it wasn't my best but it still shows a big improvement in my technique.

Eikeden Relay - 7.5 km

2 x 2 km, 3 x 1 km

It was great weather for walking but I had to dig deep for today's workout as this was my fourth training day in a row. I was pleased with the results I achieved and looking forward to my rest day tomorrow.

12:17, 12:07, 6:11, 6:01, 6:08
Average pace 6:06, average heart rate 151 bpm

2 x 3 km, 3 x 1 km, 2 min rest intervals

Thursday 17 May - 10 km with 2 x 5 min @ 10 km pace

My glutes were aching when I started out but I pushed hard and managed to warm up to a reasonable pace. My fast sections were at the 2 km and 4 km marks. It was a good workout with an average pace of 6:37 and average HR of 149 bpm

10 km with 2 x 5 min @ 10 km pace

!0 km Fartlek

My first two walks this week were pretty slow so I was very surprised to manage the first km today in 5:37. I had a tail wind and the rain had pretty much stopped for the first 4 km.  I was walking well but felt the effects of the wind once I turned back. The rain became quite heavy and I began to get cold. I could feel my muscles tightening up and decided not to sprint in the last few km for fear of becoming injured.
5:37
3:21 + 2:53 = 6:14
3:14 + 2:59 = 6:13
3:11 + 2:54 = 6:05
3:11 + 3:14 = 6:25
3:19 + 3:06 = 6:25
3:25 + 3:13 = 6:38
6:52, 7:25, 7:38

Total time 1:05:35. Average pace 6:33, average HR 152 bpm

10 km Fartlek

Tuesday 15 May - 12 km Training Walk

This walk was difficult but at least I averaged a better speed than on Sunday.  I still seem to be fatiguing after about 8 km. Surely I will become conditioned soon. Total time 1:30:55, average pace 6:35, average heart rate 122bpm.

12 km Training Walk

20 km Training Walk

The weather forecast for today was pretty awful. In the early hours of the morning I listened to strong winds and heavy rain and was not looking forward to this walk. When I headed off from home at 11:00 am the rain had cleared but it was still cold and windy. I was surprised at how slow I was walking and seemed to do better when I was down on the flat. Philip joined me near the 12 km mark and we walked the last 8 km together. I'm not sure how I managed to be so slow but assume that doing the distance was beneficial despite the lack of speed.

20 km Training Walk

Saturday 12 May - Chocolate Race

I was scheduled to do 4 x 2 km sprints but did a 6 km race followed by a 2 km warm down instead. I estimated a time of 36:25 based on my result in the last 6 km race.  I started in 5th place and passed John during the downhill on the first leg. We were not allowed to wear watches but they called out our times at the end of the first 3 km leg. I was surprised to hear 17:47 since I didn't feel that I was working that hard. I was sure that I would slow on the next lap so wasn't too concerned about being ahead of my estimate. On the second downhill I caught up to Peter Baillie who has not walked for over six months and managed to pass him. About 500 m from the finish I also passed Natasha which was even more of a surprise. I continued on at a good pace only to find I finished in 35:54, 31 seconds faster than my estimate.

Two walkers managed to complete the race in exactly their estimated times so I suspect my result will be one of the worst. We all got a small chocolate bar and the winners got a block of chocolate for their prize.

Friday 12 May - 10 km with 2 x 5 min @ 10 k pace

It was raining a bit when I went out but I hate fast walking with a coat on so I decided to take a chance on getting wet. The wind was not too bad and I decided to do both fast spells on the outward leg in case the wind was worse on the way back.  I was really pleased with the pace I was getting on the non-sprint sections. This could have been due to me being pushed for time to get back to the office and have a shower in time to meet the 1:30 lunch date I had with Philip. My time for the 10 km was 1:05:07 which is better than one or two 10 km race times I have achieved. Average HR 144 bpm.


10 km with 2 x 5 min @ 10 km pace

Wednesday 8 May - 12 km Training Walk

There was a light drizzle and not much wind by Wellington standards so the walking conditions were quite good. I felt pretty comfortable and was pleased with the pace I achieved. 1:21:25 for an average pace of 6:47 and an average heart rate of 126 bpm.

12 km Training Walk

10 km Kickdown

My plan was to do the following average speeds: 7:20, 7:00, 6:40, 6:20. There was a reasonably strong tail wind for most of the outward leg so I knew I would have to work hard even to maintain speed on the return leg. I knew after 500 m that I had started too fast but I thought 7:00 min / km was okay if I reduced by 10 - 15 sec each split. Unfortunately the wind was strongest on my second split so that was much faster than I wanted with minimal effort. I tried to sprint the third leg into the wind but was 9 seconds slower than the previous one and did manage a modest increase on the fourth leg.

This is only the second time I've attempted this workout and it's going to take quite a bit of experience to achieve the steps up in pace that it calls for.

My splits were: 17:32, 16:24. 16:33, 16:10 for average paces of 7:01, 6:37, 6:38, 6:28.  Average pace overall 6:40, average HR 152 bpm

10 km Kickdown

Sunday 6 May - Relay Race and Training

My programme called for a 15 km walk today. This was achieved by a 1.5 km warm-up, 4 km relay leg then a 9.5 km training walk later in the day. Our team of Peter, Robyn and me won the walking race. The cup has only one club name on it - Scottish has won it for something like 8 years in a row.

It was a beautiful day and Philip and I really enjoyed our walk along the Petone esplanade and the Hutt river in the afternoon.

1.5 km Warm-up, Masters Relay, 9.5 km Training Walk

Saturday 5 May - 3 x 2 km with 3 min rest intervals

I was feeling a bit jaded today, possibly due to playing squash in the morning, and I had too much lunch before our 2 pm club walk.  It was the club's annual visit to Karori but none of the other walkers were interested in joining me at Karori Park for sprints. Why could that be?

There is a boundary track to the park that is around 1 km. I did one lap to warm up then made a start on the sprints. The track is not flat but I have managed 5:45/km here in the past. The speed this day was nothing like that but I did try. My splits were 14:16, 13:10, 14:32.

3 x 2 km with 3 min rest intervals

9.5 km Training Walk

This was meant to be a 10 km walk but I wanted to finish a task at work before I went out and it left me short of time before my 3 pm team meeting so I cut the distance back a tad.

The conditions were lovely and I was pleased with the speed I was achieving quite comfortably after a very modest start. My right thigh and hip were feeling quite sore before the walk but warmed up nicely as I got into it.

I played squash last night and initially thought maybe it was a mistake to try and combine this with walking but I'm hoping that I will be able to get away with it. (My squash is not looking flash though).

I will add the Garmin data later. I haven't brought my connection to do it from this work PC.

9.5 km Training Walk

Total time : 1:03:46  Average pace 6:42 min/km. Average HR 155 bpm.

Wednesday 2 May - 12 km Training walk

I was only a few hundred metres from home when I realised I had left my Garmin watch at home.  Going back to get it meant catching a later train and I figured it wasn't worth it. There are distance markers around the waterfront and I pretty much know where the 6 km turn around is. I decided to walk for 45 min then turn back.  I went half a minute or so over that so I turned around outside the Marakesh Cafe at Greta Point. I walked into a pretty strong southerly wind on the way out so had the advantage of a tail wind going back. Once again I wore the wide belt around my hips to reduce any sideways movement.

The return trip was about 2 minutes faster meaning I completed slightly more than 12 km in 1:28:30.  It was an easy pace but I thought it was a useful session.

8 km Fartlek

I wasn't sure what training I would do today. If the rain had continued I planned to do the longer walk wearing my raincoat but it was fine so it made sense to have a speed session. My route is about 4.5 km long so there wasn't much room for a warm-up. I started before I felt ready and was shocked to see what my heart rate was up to at the end of the first km.  I was feeling a bit of cardio stress so I thought the figure of over 200 bpm might be correct. I'm a bit concerned to see a max heart rate of 246 but I didn't actually feel particularly stressed.

I put the slow first km done to the lack of warm up and was pleased to see a 2:52 for my next fast 500 m. I didn't hear my watch signal the start of the next fast 500 m so my third km was slow. When I turned around at half way I realised just how strong the wind was. My fast legs were increased to 3:05 but I was pleased with my overall time of 51:07 for 8 km especially considering my glutes were sore after my squash coaching yesterday which involved heaps of lunging.

8 km Fartlek