'ON TO THE NEW YEAR' FOR WALKERS

Quiet cottages. Taken by PKSenagore November 2017. All rights reserved.

​“ON TO THE NEW YEAR” 2017-18 WALKER CHALLENGE!  Attention, walkers.Runners will be able to build on training gains made during Turkey Trot 2017 preparation, and start 2018 with confidence and a sense of accomplishment if they choose to continue with the “ON TO THE NEW YEAR” 5K PLAN, to be posted November 29, on the RESOURCES page.
 
Extending training through the next month will allow runners to PARTICIPATE in a New Year’s Eve or Day event in good form. It will also encourage adherence to training principles and avoidance of indulgences that reverse previous training gains or worse.  Holiday partying, moderated by a reasonable training plan, can be enjoyed and not result in start of-the year remorse.
 
WALKERS, you will have a similar opportunity to begin the New Year without dread. With the Earned Runs ‘ON TO THE NEW YEAR” 2017-18 WALKER CHALLENGE.
 
This past summer Earned Runs proposed a ‘series sweep’ challenge for walkers.  It was based on the tradition of a sports championship, in which a team that won 4 straight games in a series of (7 potential) championship level contests, without a loss, would win the title in a clean ‘sweep’. 
 
The summer challenge for WALKERS was called the “Series Sweep” based on scientific research that showed there was a health benefit to high intensity interval walking on at least 4 of 7 days a week. See the NOTE below.
 
Taking the findings of this research into account, the 2017 SUMMER CHALLENGE IV was constructed for people who enjoy walking for exercise. It copied the study protocol that lead to improvements in aerobic capacity, thigh muscle strength, and blood pressure. Walkers were challenged to walk high intensity intervals, over at least 30 minutes each day, for 4 of 7 days of the week, for 9 weeks.
 
So, with 2018 approaching, Earned Runs wants walkers to have a structured program for maintaining and possibly improving physical conditioning by offering ‘ON TO THE NEW YEAR’ 2017-18 WALKER CHALLENGE.  Committing to it will provide motivation to start, BEFORE January 1, to become stronger and healthier in 2018. Earned Runs bibs can be used as logs on which to record completed sessions and progress!

************ 
‘ON TO THE NEW YEAR’ 2017-18 WALKER CHALLENGE IV:  Perform the High Intensity Interval Walk (HIIW) Protocol 4 of 7 days each week, from December 3 through 31.
 
HIIW PROTOCOL:
Warm-up: 5 minutes easy walking
 
Cycle 1 High Intensity Interval Walking (HIIW)
First 3 minutes: walk at LEVEL 4 PACE (on a scale of 1-10 in intensity, 10 being highest intensity)
Next 3 minutes, walk at a harder, LEVEL 7 PACE
 
REPEAT Cycle 1 at least 4 more times (for a total of 5 OR MORE cycles),
to equal at least 30 minutes HIIW
 
Cool-down: 5 minutes easy walk!
 
You can do this! Try for every other day at first, as your legs may be a bit sore afterward. The protocol and a calendar are available for download, and also on the RESOURCES page.  

RUNNERS: you can adapt this walking protocol to a running protocol
 
RUN AND WALK HAPPY!
 
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/walk-hard-walk-easy-repeat/?mcubz=0&_r=0
 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17605959
 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25539937
 
NOTE: “In 2004 Dr. Hiroshi Nose at the Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine in Matsumoto, Japan led a team of researchers who studied the effects of a high intensity interval walking program on the fitness and health of older adults.
 
There were 3 groups, averaging 63 years in age, comprised of 60 men and 186 women: 1) non-walking, 2) walking at a continuous moderate level 5 pace (on a scale of 1-10 in intensity), and 3) an experimental high intensity interval group walking at a level 4 pace for 3 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of a harder level 7 pace, for 5 or more cycles. Each group was instructed to walk at least 30 minutes, in total, during these sessions, and to do so at least 4 days each week.
 
In the high intensity walking training (HIWT) group there were significant increases in isometric knee flexion and extension (measures of thigh muscle strength) and in peak aerobic capacity for cycling and for walking, as well as a reduction in resting systolic blood pressure. These were the findings when results for HIWT group were compared with those of the moderate intensity continuous walkers.
 
By the way, the original research paper by Dr. Nose and his research colleagues was published in 2007. A follow-up paper in 2014 showed that middle-aged and older person were able to adhere to this protocol successfully for 22 MONTHS!!!  Although the Earned Runs SUMMER CHALLENGE IV requires commitment, it is do-able by young and old, and a reasonable goal, proven by scientific research!