​WINTER UPDATE: MY “HEAVY HEART" SAINT VALENTINE’S 5k & 49 DAY STREAK

My number 1 bib showing progress on Earned Runs Winter challenges. Taken by PKSenagore February 2019. All rights reserved.

MY ‘SAINT’S DAYS’ TUNE-5K RACE IS IN THE BOOKS AND WINTER STREAK CONTINUES. BECAUSE THE 5K EVENT IS COMPLETED, I’VE REACHED THE POINT IN TRAINING AT WHICH focus will turn to the 10K distance. In about a month the second and final tune-up race in advance of the half marathon will be completed on or near St. Patrick’s Day, which officially falls on March 17.  I am following the Earned Runs WALK program, and as schedule completed a personal competition with my Earned Runs bib on February 16.
 
Although it wasn’t my original plan, at the last moment I decided to wear a weighted vest and make it a “heavy heart” race because a 3.1 mile effort seemed not to be much of a test. I have been walking a variety of 1-6 mile sessions, including hills, high intensity intervals, weighted vest, and easy walks since the week after Thanksgiving Day, and wanted to push a bit harder.  

 It’s not that I am trying to get way ahead of the official plan; my distances were ahead of the plan before the start date because my Turkey Trot was an 8K (~ 5 mile) distance, and  training was appropriate for that distance.
 
I didn’t slack off over the holidays and kept my long day mileage roughly at the 4-6 mile mark when possible.  It seemed like I should try to get more out of the 5k tune-up, since the intention was to use it to better prepare for the long race. While wearing the weighted vest,  the goal for St. Valentine’s Day was to complete at least one mile in 15 minutes, because in the upcoming half marathon race, without a vest,  I hope to average 15-minute miles.
 
I came up a tiny bit short; my fastest mile that day was 15:04, the next fastest, 15:10 (average pace 15:18). Yay!  I did better than expected on holding very close to my goal speed over 2 miles! Adding to the challenge that morning, was ice on the path. I covered part of the distance walking on the icy path and part facing traffic on the road, which was narrowed by ice-hardened snow extending from the shoulder.  It was a very decent pace considering the surface conditions! Otherwise the day was cold and overcast but not windy.
 
I used the free Runtastic™ app to measure distance and time, and noticed it also recorded average (124) and maximum (149) steps per minute.  Although the accuracy of these numbers may not be high, they approximated my measurements using a stopwatch on other speed walk sessions, in which the goal was 160 steps/minute.
 
My other Earned Runs challenge this winter is a walking streak, at least 1 mile per day.  It is currently at 49 days. The goal is to reach 107 days (my 2018 Summer Streak number + 1 extra day) which falls on Boston Marathon 2019 Day, April 15. The week after I’ll walk the half marathon, then rest/recover and look forward to working on summer challenges set to begin Memorial day, May 27, 2019.

How  are you doing on your winter goals?

Earned Runs will start posting about SPRING activities soon! 

​RUN & MOVE HAPPY!

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