The 17-minute Mile
On Saturday i got up lazily at nine and ate breakfast with my cat on my face, as usual. When it was time for my walk, i decided to do things a little differently.
Perhaps because making my route longer has proven annoying (too few sidewalks, and i hate causing traffic jams as much as i hate walking plastered up against the brick walls that enclose ostentatious housing developments), or perhaps because you all and your incessant running have inspired me, i decided to push myself on pace and keep my safe, sidewalked, 3-mile route. It usually takes me 54 minutes, which means i walk a shameful 18-minute mile.
i decided i could push myself to 51 minutes (17-minute mile) to begin with and then work it back from there. i had to jog in several places, including the last several hundred meters when i should have been cooling down, but i did it. And i felt tired, and hurt. All good things.
Saturday, after dodging a tornado (only in Kansas could your social life be interrupted by a tornado), i went out with a new group of friends... ones i've known about since shortly after arriving here and have just now managed to hook up with... and i felt fine. Loose. Good.
But Sunday morning i was sore! Yesterday my muscles felt fine but the Nebraska-sized blisters on my heels were so bad i had to skip the gym for the first time in months. This is not good... an excercise routine that keeps me from excercising?!?? Help, running friends... i need advice! New shoes? (That rarely helps with blisters, right?) Mole skin? i had a dancer friend tell me to rub deoderant on the blister-prone spots before going on my walks... What do you think?
Good reasons to keep doing this timing thing:
Good reasons to stop doing this timing thing:
So, those of you who have advice, please help me out.
Perhaps because making my route longer has proven annoying (too few sidewalks, and i hate causing traffic jams as much as i hate walking plastered up against the brick walls that enclose ostentatious housing developments), or perhaps because you all and your incessant running have inspired me, i decided to push myself on pace and keep my safe, sidewalked, 3-mile route. It usually takes me 54 minutes, which means i walk a shameful 18-minute mile.
i decided i could push myself to 51 minutes (17-minute mile) to begin with and then work it back from there. i had to jog in several places, including the last several hundred meters when i should have been cooling down, but i did it. And i felt tired, and hurt. All good things.
Saturday, after dodging a tornado (only in Kansas could your social life be interrupted by a tornado), i went out with a new group of friends... ones i've known about since shortly after arriving here and have just now managed to hook up with... and i felt fine. Loose. Good.
But Sunday morning i was sore! Yesterday my muscles felt fine but the Nebraska-sized blisters on my heels were so bad i had to skip the gym for the first time in months. This is not good... an excercise routine that keeps me from excercising?!?? Help, running friends... i need advice! New shoes? (That rarely helps with blisters, right?) Mole skin? i had a dancer friend tell me to rub deoderant on the blister-prone spots before going on my walks... What do you think?
Good reasons to keep doing this timing thing:
- i really pushed myself and got a better workout
- i can set goals for myself to work toward, like getting back to my 15-minute average from before i moved to Kansas, and maybe eventually the 10-minute national average
- It's a way to gauge how fit i am becoming
Good reasons to stop doing this timing thing:
- i became absolutely obsessed with time!, and thought of nothing else... normally when i walk i put my headphones on and spend an hour having elaborate fantasies (which could be fodder for science fiction bestsellers, by the way) or sorting through my life... i've lost that as i mentally subdivide my walk and make sure i am on pace
- These blisters are killer!!
- i will have to be on par or better every time i walk; knowing me, i will not tolerate any backslides and will push myself even when i probably shouldn't
So, those of you who have advice, please help me out.
posted by ellie at 08:18
3 Comments:
Hmmm, well, until the blister heals, you will need moleskin or some of those special blister band-aids.
Where on your foot is your blister? This will help determine what to do in the future to avoid getting a blister....it could be the socks or the shoes. I wear socks that are made of wick-away material to help keep my feet dry. Are your shoes too small? You know your feet swell when you workout.
Your local running store probably sells something specific to help prevent blisters on your feet (instead of deodorant). They also make double layer socks to help reduce the friction on your feet.
I say push through it! It's great to have a goal and something to work towards. And it's also ok to have an "easy" walk, i.e. slow the pace down, every now and then to give your legs time to recover.
i say - set the goals - but don't feel like every day you have to meet them... like lauren said... rest walks are good too...
as for blisters... they hurt!!! i'm all about the socks... if they're old/thin/not good at keeping my feet well padded - they are not okay for exercise.
way to go!! keep up the good work.
keep it up! lauren and rhett are right--recovery walks are a GOOD thing!
i just got new shoes (i was getting shin splints from my old ones), and the running store cut the soles for me to give them more flexibility. i didn't even have to break them in!
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