Another 3-Miler

REWARD
A pair of $79.95 running shoes
when you complete a solo 3-miler
with a time under 35 min*

I'm doing another 3-mile run with Steve tomorrow. Since Sunday, I've done two of my 2-milers with Bill. We did one outside in the noon heat on Monday; today, we bagged it and did the treadmills. I think it's good to hit the treadmill on regular intervals at this stage--sets a consistent pace and gives you some clue about numbers. I have tried (and succeeded) in not pushing myself early on. I've done 5.5 mph for 2 miles on the treadmill. That's 11 min miles; the 1.5 mile time of 16:30 doesn't even meet "probationary" status for the Navy PFT. Oh, well. To hit the "Good Medium" standard, I'd need to increase my mph:

• Good Low / 14:30 / 6.2 mph
• Good Medium / 13:45 / 6.5 mph
• Good High / 12:45 / 7 mph

And as a way of comparing speed, here is a list of minute times and mph:

• 8:00 / 7.5 mph
• 8:30 / 7 mph
• 9:00 / 6.6 mph
• 9:30 / 6.3 mph
• 10:00 / 6 mph
• 10:30 / 5.7 mph
• 10:50 / 5.5 mph

And my two Jeff Galloway running books arrived today. I am going to like these. I read about his Run-Walk method in the New York Times. My issue is this: I gain a lot of self-satisfaction and even pride in the accomplishment of running without stopping. He really makes a good case for taking walk breaks for every level of runner. I find this convincing, but I want to maintain that sense of accomplishment.

The biggest takeaway for me is that my runs (or runs with walk breaks) should grow to 45 minutes. The major fat burning occurs after 30 min. Now, I am not doing this only to lose weight. I doubt I will lose much if any in the short term. I just see this running thing as a sustainable thing for me for the next 20 years.

I imagine that I will tweak his method to fit me. I'd like to keep doing the 2 and 3 mile runs without stopping. Some day, I would like to do 5 miles without stopping; I am contemplating the Crim 8k road race in late August. I know I could finish, especially if I keep up my current every-other-day schedule. It's the day before I leave for Canada for a conference. It would be great to do that 8k in 45-50 minutes. That would be a real sense of accomplishment.

But back to burning fat. I think I want to lose about 15-20 lbs. That would make me give me a normal BMI, something I could work to maintain. That's only going to happen if I work my way to longer walk-runs. And I think that means putting in more time and distance and using the walk breaks. In fact, this Galloway book recommends 3 workouts of 45 min and at least one that goes to 90 min. I think I could do that. Right now I am getting into it and getting my body used to running. I think I could tolerate the longer walk-runs.

And I am thinking of a reward for myself: a new pair of running shoes when I complete the 3 mile route by myself in under 35 min. That might take me a few tries. But the shoes at the top of this post, the Mizuno Wave Nexus 3, are a good bargain. Now that I am running with my orthotics, I'll bet I can get away with a general off-the-shelf shoe.

*I think the 3-miler should be solo because I need to be able to keep myself positive without a running buddy; now, I will probably need a running buddy most of the time forever. But I want to meet this 35 min goal by myself.