Today was my last long walk before Heartland. My goal was to do 30+ miles at my race pace. I've decided for Heartland that I will try to maintain 13:00 minutes per mile pace, plus I'll take approximately 35 minutes of breaks at the aid stations. That's 10:50 of walking, with a finish time of 11:25. The cutoff is 12:00 so I think that will give me plenty of time.
My biggest trouble today was going slow! I had a really hard time going 13:00 mpm; I only walked 5 miles over 13:00; I walked one under 12:00 and a lot between 12:00 and 12:30. My overall pace was 12:38 so that's pretty close. At least I know I can slow down and still stay on track.
For the next three weeks I'm going to take it easy. I'm still going to walk 4-5 times a week for the next two weeks, but the walks will be slower and shorter. The last week I may walk Monday, then not at all until Tuesday. This will be my longest taper ever but I think I need it. I was pretty sore by the end of the walk today so I need to get over that and build back my strength.
I hope everyone had successful training or races this weekend.
Distance: 31.1 miles
Time: 6:33:08
Pace: 12:38
