It has been a while since my last blogpost. During that time
I have not been idle! I have been training for a marathon (26.2 miles) and continuing with
my racewalking lessons. In total I have had 8 hours of one-on-one coaching in
racewalking and have a pretty good grasp of the basic techniques. I had to slow
down so I could learn the techniques. I have increased my racewalking speed
from when I started but have not yet increased my speed beyond my previous
“speedwalking” pace. Though I am still working on increasing my speed, a huge
benefit to the new technique is that I am able to walk long distances with less
aches and pains. For example, I no longer get a neck ache after a long distance
walk. It takes time and patience to perfect the techniques and I am confident
that with more time, I will increase my speed so I can keep up with more
experienced racewalkers! The process of learning has been very enjoyable.
Race Training and Preparation
I have learned a lot in the last few months about what works
well for training for long distance walking. Though my coach recommended
walking every day, I have found that this works well when training at shorter
distances – of up to 5 or 6 miles - but does not work as well for me for longer
distance training. Training for a marathon requires some very long weekly
walks, increasing from 10 miles to over 20 miles. I have found these long walks
to be very tough on my body and my muscles need extra recovery time. The long
distance walks take many hours of grueling effort – my longest training walk
before my marathon took 6 hours (of non-stop fast walking). Those hours of hard
effort take their toll. Getting enough rest and relaxation are important to
recovery to avoid becoming run down and getting sick. Lots of stretching, nutrition
and sleep are needed to maintain good health. Overtraining can lead to intense
tiredness and irritability. These symptoms are messages from your body that it
needs more rest. It is important to be aware of your body and listen to what it
is telling you. This is more important than what your training program is
telling you. It is best to skip one workout now than to have to skip a whole
week of workouts later because you got sick from pushing yourself too hard.
As I increased my mileage I decreased the number of days
that I walked and I found that this worked better for me. My long walk was
always on Saturday morning so I took Sunday as a rest day. Monday was an easy
day – 3.5 miles at an easy pace. Tuesday and Thursday were hard workout days of
at least 5 miles including hills, tempo-walks or speed-work. Wednesday and
Friday were cross training days (swimming or biking mostly) or rest days. If I
was doing a particularly long walk on Saturday morning, I would take Friday as
a rest day. It was the same plan I used as a runner when training for races and
I found that it was ideal for long distance walking training too.
Nutrition is of huge importance when training for long
distances. Your body needs a well-balanced diet generally and it needs
nutrition (including protein) within 30 minutes of finishing a hard workout. If
you skip the post-workout nutrition or wait too long, the only way your body
can recover is to use protein that is already inside your body and the only
place in your body where protein is available is your muscles. So, in the
absence of a post-workout meal, your body will break down lean muscle for
recovery. This defeats the object of doing all that work to build it up! You
want your muscles to get stronger so you can go further and faster. Focus on
making your body strong, not thin. Athletic bodies come in all shapes and
sizes. It is your strength, endurance and muscle tone that are most important
not your dress size!
If you are walking to lose weight then make sure that you lose
the weight conservatively and sensibly. Do not skip pre or post-workout meals.
Make sure that you eat regularly and have a well-balanced diet. This means getting
adequate protein, carbohydrate and fat in your diet, including lots of fresh
vegetables, and eating at least 3 times per day. To keep your metabolism high
all day, and to stop you getting hungry and overeating, try eating smaller
meals 5-6 times per day. This does not mean increasing your calorie intake. It
means dividing your daily calories between 5 - 6 meals rather than just 3. Very
Low-fat or low-carb diets will not give you the nutrition you need to train for
endurance events. If you are eating sensibly and working out, your body will
burn more calories than it is consuming – this means you will lose weight
consistently and safely.
The Race
After training hard for a few months, I was finally ready to
walk my first marathon - The Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, OH (USA), May 6th
2012 was my chosen race. I can honestly say that it was the hardest (physical)
thing I have ever done. It was also the most rewarding. It was a very
challenging course for a first marathon. The course was very hilly and, on the
day of the race, Cincinnati experienced much warmer than normal temperatures with
high humidity. Instead of the expected 52F/11C at the start and 64F/18C at the
finish, we had a balmy 64F/18C at the start and 85F/29C at the finish! There
were stretches of multiple miles that were hot, sunny and with no shade.
Despite the high temperatures and challenging, hilly course, it was a fantastic
race. It was very well organized – the best I have ever experienced (though
this was my first full marathon, I have participated in many half-marathon and
shorter distance events) . There were over 5000 enthusiastic volunteers at the
event - which was evident throughout the course. Water and Gatorade were
available at each mile and a medical tent every few miles. There were a huge
number of volunteers and medical personnel riding bikes up and down the course
constantly checking on racers to make sure everyone was OK and reminding
everyone to keep drinking water. In addition to the organized entertainment and
course support, the locals were out in force entertaining us with music,
singing, dancing, words of encouragement and offering additional water, snacks,
ice and the much appreciated hosepipe “hogwashes” for a cool down! Even the
water station volunteers were shouting and cheering and encouraging the
participants. It was quite an experience! I wonder if they realize just how
important those words of encouragement are to the runners and walkers? When you
are hurting and wondering if your legs can keep going at that pace for another
few miles, a friendly face, a cup of ice and a few high fives really lift your
spirits and give you the will to keep on living – I mean walking -- haha!!
I highly recommend this race for a beginner or an experienced
walker – just make sure to set your finish time expectations appropriately.
26.2 miles of hills will definitely slow down your pace if you have been
training mostly on the flat. You never know what mother nature will do on race
day. Typically cold temperature races can be hot, and vice versa. You might get
rain, sleet or snow on race day and have to adapt your pace and expectations
accordingly. I knew the course I chose had a large hill but I was not expecting
hills all the way. I was also expecting temperatures 20 degrees cooler so I
quickly changed my expectations from a specific time goal to being able to
finish within the 7 hour time limit. I met that expectation and in the end was
only 5 minutes slower than my original goal time.
I walked the entire course. I finished in 6:50:05. It was a
very long, hot walk. It was the most fantastic feeling in the world to cross
the finish line.
What’s Next?
Going forward I plan to keep racewalking and increase my
speed so I can compete in more marathons and improve my finish time.
It has been a long and challenging journey realizing the
dream of completing a marathon. Originally I was training to run a marathon. However,
after experiencing multiple unexplained running injuries, a couple of
diagnostic MRI’s revealed some spinal injuries. These injuries had most likely
been sustained more than 20 years ago in a couple of accidents. Being very
active, my body had adapted quite well and for many years they caused me only
minor problems. Long distance running appears to have aggravated the injuries which
resulted in multiple symptoms. In 2011 I
made the tough decision to switch from running to racewalking. It was
psychologically challenging to make the switch from runner to walker. Walking, in
many people’s opinion, is not as “cool” as running. Runners and non-runners can
often be quite insensitive making remarks about being “only a walker” and
comments about “not understanding what runners go through because you are just
a walker”. Racewalking is not “just walking”. Racewalkers and fitness walkers
are athletes and just as deserving of that title as runners. Completing a
marathon is not easier because you are walking. How many runners do you know
who can keep up a consistently fast pace for 6 to 7 hours? Marathon walking
requires a huge amount of athletic endurance – which is not something all athletes
have. Speed and endurance are both admirable athletic qualities. It is not
required to have both. I am on a personal mission to show others that
racewalking is not only athletic, it is also cool. Other athletes could learn a
lot from long distance walkers about endurance!
When training for a long-distance event such as a
half-marathon or marathon, it is important to be aware that the journey is as
important as the destination. It takes commitment and time to prepare for an
endurance event. It is a long journey, make sure it is enjoyable. Don’t push
yourself too hard so it becomes a chore rather than a fun part of your week.
You are training your mind as well as your body. Enthusiasm, attitude and joy
will get you through the parts of a race when your body feels like giving up.
It is your “reserve tank” and if it’s dry, you have no backup plan. The best
thing about your reserve tanks is that it will expand to hold all the
enthusiasm, attitude and joy you can create and all you have to do to fill it,
is to make your journey enjoyable and fun!
Happy walking.
Colleen
