How often do you walk?

When people walk with me, the conversation often leads to the question of how much walking I do a day/week.  Honestly, the answer I give is "Some".  My standard formula is that I walk about 2-3 miles minimum, 3-4 days a week, but one of those days must be what I call a Hill Day.  One weekend day is devoted to what I call my Long Walk.  I make sure to rest two days per week.  Let's break down what all this means.

Two to three mile walks are just that.  If I do just 2 to 3 miles, I push my pace to my max and I incorporate jogging into these days.  Consider them speed days.  I also know that I am not a strong runner at this time.  The combination of walking and jogging is smart for me.  I have no guilt over how far I can jog verses walk.  I am trying, and doing better all the time.  

Hill days are routes that I take specifically so that I can work on going up and down hills.  One thing I have noticed is that I try to incorporate some inclines towards the end of my walks so that I can work on them at a tired state as well as while I am fresh.  These walks are usually in the 3-4 mile range, and usually mid pace.  I only dedicate one day a week as a hill day, but that does not mean that walks are always flat the rest of the time. 

My long walks are just as they sound, long.  They are always a minimum of 5 miles.  This past week I have done two long walks, a 7.5 mile on Sunday and an 8 mile on Tuesday.  Typically I only do one long walk per week.  When I first started walking, I kept my walks fairly flat.  Now that I am more accustomed to walking, I keep adding hills to my long walks to better prepare myself for what I will find at various races I will do in the future.  Long walks are also a time for me to work on pacing myself during the long distances.

A word on my work with my pacing and negative split.  This basically means that I walk the first half of my long walk at a slower pace than I walk my second half.  By doing this, I conserve energy to finish strong at the end.  I also do not burn out as quickly as I will not have used up most of my energy at the beginning by starting out too strongly.  Pacing also means that I won't go out strong doing a 12 minute mile to do the next mile at 27 minutes.  Clearly I did something wrong if that happens.   

During my first half marathon I learned a few things.  At Mile 5, bananas are a good boost of energy for me.  So are wild blackberries growing on the side of the road, but I don't have that luxury here at home.  At Mile 8 or 9, I also need a small boost.  From here, as long as I have consistent access to water or some electrolyte drink, I am good to go til the end.  During my long walks, I try to be prepared for these things.  I carry water with me, but typically do not need it until well into Mile 3 or 4.  I bring some sort of fruit and/or goo (the frosting flavored bathtub caulk I mentioned a few posts back) to give me a little boost.  Walking a half marathon at my weight burns an estimated 2,300 calories!  Taking in some calories during the walk helps a person keep going since the body can really only store so much energy before it starts burning other things, like muscle.   

Let it be known though that even on days I do not walk, or even on days that I do, I am still active.  I frequently bike to get places as I am really limited on income so gas is quite the luxury.  I will walk somewhere if I have the time to spend doing so and count that as my walk.  I was invited to join a friend at the gym today, so I swam, did weights, and the elliptical, all after doing a 5k this morning.  I get out with Chewy any help her practice whatever sport she is playing at the moment.  I am not so active that I never sit down, but I do like to get moving when possible.