December Thoughts

Tomorrow is December 1, and I have been running since June. That's pretty cool.

I thought that I'd do my next run in a run/walk/run ratio just for old time's sake. Maybe do 6 miles at a 4:1 ratio. I wonder if I'd shave time off. Here's some math I did about marathon times with run/walk/run:

4 to :35 run walk ratio for marathon

240 seconds running
35 seconds walking
275 total = 12.7% walk /87.3% run

Marathon = 26.21875 miles

22.8889 running
3.32985 walking

Marathon
9 min miles = 3:55:58

Assumption

8:20 running / 11:45 walking

3:10:44 run
:39:07 walk
3:49:51 total

8:10 running / 11:45 walking

3:06:55
39:07
3:46:02

7:50 running / 11:45 walking

2:59:17
39:07
3:38:24

7:30 running / 11:45 walking

2:51:40
39:07
3:30:47

8:02 overall pace

Now, 7:30/M for me would be hauling ass! I don't think I could do that, even if I could take a break every 4 minutes. A 3:30 marathon lasts for 210 minutes, or 1,260 seconds. That would mean 45 walk breaks. I'm sure 7:30 isn't all out sprinting for me, but it would feel like it. Could I do 45 consecutive fast runs with only 35 seconds to recover? Would that be any fun at all?

10K RACE RUN/WALK/RUN STRATEGY

An overall pace of 8:02/M gets you to a 50:00 finish.

A 4 minute/35 second run/walk ratio @ 8:02/M would be:

• 7:30/M run for 4 minutes
• 11:45/M walk for 35 seconds

A 50 minute run = 10.9 run/walk cycles

This means you'd need to run @ 7:30/M pace for 4 minutes, 11 times.

I think this is doable. In other words, haul ass for 4 minutes, then walk for 35 seconds. This is the same ratio I used in the 8K Crim, but I was in lousy shape then.