I decided to time myself to get some idea how fast I might be able to power walk. Here are my first three day's worth of information.
- On Sunday, I walked an imprecise mile briskly and timed it in 14:40
- On Monday, I walked the same imprecise mile and timed it at 14:15
- On Tuesday I walked at the track with my Garmin for a total of 3.8 miles. My average for the full distance was 14:53, but the real story is in my split paces: 13:34, 14:17, 15:21, and 16:40. For the record, I walked the first mile and a half solo, but had a friend join me for the remainder.
- I cannot power walk and chit chat at the same time. My walking paced really slowed down when I had company.
- Walking clearly uses different muscles than running. My glutes are sore.
- I could *probably* power walk a 5K somewhere in 44 to 45 minutes as long as I stayed focussed. Maybe faster if I really practice.
- I walked on the very outside edge of the track to stay out of the way of the runners. Each loop was just under .3 miles. When running the inner loop, it measures pretty close to .25 miles. Interesting, no?
On Cycling:
Went for another short ride before work. Same 8-ish mile route as Sunday. It took me 20 minutes to get to my turn point and 15 minutes to get back home. That's the difference between having an uphill climb vs. coasting downhill. I wasn't focussed on my speed, just wanted to get some exercise. It was fun!
I'm planning to meet a friend on Saturday at my turn point and we'll go for a longer ride from there.
Walking definitely uses different muscles than running! When I do my long walking treks I am sometimes just as sore as when I did half marathons running, but just in a different way. I am more and more convinced that variation in exercise is a really good way to go.
ReplyDeleteI have a few lady ultra running friends that are also incredible power walkers. These are serious ultra people running 100 milers and up. They practice a lot of power walking as it is a big part of the long ultra races. Normal runners can't keep up with them when walking. But they do specifically train for the walking.
ReplyDeleteThat is some good walking times! I can definitely tell you that I have had my butt kicked in races by some kick ass power walkers!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see just how much having someone to chat with slows you down. I would never have guessed it would be over three minutes in a mile but I guess having an open mouth can create more wind resistance.
ReplyDelete