I've decided that, since the average visitor to Disney walks somewhere between 10 and 20 miles a day, it probably compensated for the fact that I was too exhausted to run by the time we got back to the hotel each night. That's how that works, right?
So, what's my excuse for not running Monday or Tuesday? Hmm... I guess I'll have to think on that one.
But I promise I'll run tonight! I've got 3 miles on the schedule for today and 6 miles tomorrow, so I'll be back up to speed in no time!
But, this is the part where I start to explain the run/walk method I've been using.
There's this guy called Jeff Galloway. He's really smart. He realized that people who started running tended to get injured and then quit running because they pushed too hard. So, he revolutionized the run/walk method. You start by running a very short interval and then walking for a long interval and repeat! I personally started by running 10 seconds and walking 50 seconds.
Eventually, you increase the amount of running and decrease the amount of walking. So far, I've sort of been testing intervals until something feels right. The interval that I use the most right now is 30 seconds running and 45 seconds walking, though I'll keep running if I'm going downhill.
But, in general, how does one choose how much they should be running and how much they should be walking? There are two general rules of thumb... The first is to use what's called the "talk test". If you can't have a full conversation with somebody while you're run/walking, then you're going too hard. The second is something called a Magic Mile, which happens to have also been revolutionized by Jeff Galloway.
About once every two weeks, you'll want to run one mile, preferably on a track. And you'll want to run it a little faster than you normally do. That magic mile is going to be your basis for which interval you want to use. Here's a link to Jeff's page with a chart to convert your MM to an interval: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/magic-mile/
Keep in mind that this method assumes you are regularly running on a relatively flat surface. If this is not the case, you may want to consider reducing the run portion a rung or two. For example, my very first magic mile was a week and a half ago. I did it in about 12.5 minutes. That would put me around a 1-1 run/walk ratio. However, since my neighborhood is almost completely hills, I do have to back off from that predicted interval.
In theory, by doing a MM every other week, you're supposed to see improvement each time. (I like improvement!) I'll keep y'all updated every time I do one to see if anything gets better! My goal is to get down to an 11 minute MM, as that equates to approximately a 2:53 half. That would give me time to get pictures with my favorite characters on the race course in November!
So, I'll leave this post in the same place I started it... Disney! It's my motivation to run, and it's definitely my favorite way to spend a weekend.
Until next time... KnitOneRunToo
No comments:
Post a Comment