The 298 Km Walking and Running Challenge

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The 298 Km walking and Running Challenge is now ten days old and I’ve managed to run or walk the required distance every day. Yesterday rather than walk I decided to run despite the rain. As a result, a pair of my hiking trousers are now nicely covered in mud. I walked through two puddles near home hoping that most of the mud would wash off the shoes and it seems to have worked.

While writing this blog post I see that I need to run at least once a week for six months to get a running pace. It’s a shame it can’t take the data from activities like Strava does. It says “as you get faster your speed goes up and your pace goes down”. My problem is not with speed or pace. It’s with technique. I’m still trying to get my knees not to suffer when I run.

I can walk and cycle without pain, but running is uncomfortable, I need to work on the quality of my stride but that’s a topic for another time.

The weather is finally better. When I checked the temperature my watch said that it’s 16°C outside, which means that my conventional walks can start taking place again. I often walk ten-kilometre loops on the roads around here.

During my walks I listen to podcasts. Today I listened to Episode two of the FIFDH series by Histoire Vivante. They have a week of interviews with those who work on this event. Today it was about the film discussions they organise, and their role, as well as the films and their impact on the world. I also listened to How Corona Closed down Italy by The Guardian.

Oscillating Between 9 to 10 Kilometres per day.

During most of this challenge, I have not been on my summer walks but rather on smaller Ingress walks. I get the appropriate amount of steps, but the workout is different. Yesterday when I ran I hardly played Ingress, in part because of the rain but also because I was focused on simply reaching my 5km goal. Today the weather would have been good for cycling but I preferred to take a rest for my legs to recover.

Pelotons

A group of cyclists
A group of cyclists

During my walk I also saw three pelotons of cyclists along a stretch of road. There is a gentle gradient on this road so it is a good taster of what other gradients have to offer later on. I’d like to cycle in a group. So far my experience of cycling has been a solitary one. It would be an interesting experience. It would be different from a critical mass or other less energetic events.

I am now 100 kilometers into my 298 Kilometre challenge with about three weeks to go. At this rate, I will achieve the goal.