Four 5Ks in 99 Days

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Looking to hit my goal of walking in five 5Ks in 2013. Image courtesy of Sura Nualpradid/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Looking to hit my goal of walking in five 5Ks in 2013. Image courtesy of Sura Nualpradid/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

So far this year, I’ve walked in just one 5K race.  For my New Year’s resolution, I set a goal of five 5Ks.  I’m a bit behind.

There’s still 99 days left in 2013. Time to get into gear.

I signed up for two local 5Ks in October. The first one is in two weeks and the second is the day after my wedding anniversary.

That gives me a couple of weeks to prepare for the October 5th race, focusing on distance and not speed.  Before the knee went wonky on me, I walked 6.5K (4 miles) nearly everyday. So I’m not anticipating any problems. I’m up to 2 miles a day now without any knee pain. I’m planning on increasing my distance to 3 miles by mid-week. Fingers crossed!

There’s a Color Run 5K in Baltimore the Sunday before Thanksgiving that just looks fun. Not familiar with Color Runs?  It’s a paint race. Just wear white at the start of the race and at each kilometer, you’re doused from head to toe in color.  I’ll see if I can convince the hubby to walk with me.  My only concern is the time of the year – mid-November in Baltimore. I’ll need to layer my clothes.

That leaves me finding one more 5K before the end of the year.

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I Want To Run A Marathon… Where Do I Start?

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The training starts now!

The training starts now! Image Courtesy of: Sura Nualpradid and Freedigitalphotos.net

Run Walk, Fat Girl, Run Walk!

I hope by next spring I can run in my first 5K (I’m walking in them now). So yes, a marathon is truly a long-term goal.

Right now I power walk 5 days week, alternating between 4 and 2.5 miles, with the former focused on distance and the latter on increasing speed.  The other 2 days, I walk at a normal pace.

Interval Training Out. Walking Plan In.

I tried interval training a few months ago and it didn’t go well. The training itself was fine. My knees afterward were not. My doc advised that more weight – 60 lbs  – needed to come off before I try running again.

As I tooled around the Weight Watchers site this weekend, I came across a walking guide complete with a suggested training schedule.   With plans for beginner, intermediate and advanced walkers, I could easily tailor the advance walking training to fit my needs.

So What’s The Plan?

My power walking goes from 5 to 4 days a week. Why? Because I’m adding in cardio – aerobics, biking or hiking. Toning is too important to ignore, so I’m keeping my 2 day muscle workouts. I built in 2 rest days and will adjust as I go, but for now the schedule doesn’t seem overly taxing. By mid September, I’m aiming for a consistent pace of 15 min/mile and hitting the 6 mile mark.

The WW suggested plans are in 8-week increments. I decided to build the plan out for the next 4 months. That takes me to January to hopefully start interval training. But for now, I can use the walking plan to build up my endurance, strength and speed.

Sweet!

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