Cancelled Race Shouldn't Mean Cancelled Run

Because of the crazy cold temps and the absurd amount of ice, sleet, and snow our area has gotten this week, this morning's scheduled 5K/15K race at White Rock Lake was cancelled.

So we slept in, and then I grudgingly hit the treadmill - even though I was really not in the mood.  I completed my standard 10-minute warm-up walk and then started in on the first mile.  I figured that if I could just get going, I'd lose that "blah" feeling and get my 4 miles done as quickly as possible...

Yeah...that didn't happen.  After finishing the first mile, I pooped out, and decided to walk the remainder.  Looking back, I'm not happy that I didn't just tough it out and run the whole way, but at the time, just power walking the rest of those miles felt like an accomplishment.

So even though a cancelled race shouldn't mean a cancelled run, today it did.  Oh well...

Today's stats:

• 4 miles; 1:02:59 min; 15:45 avg. pace

What Counts as Mileage?

Someone on a message board I was reading the other day asked the question: What walking counts towards your mileage log? 

Some people answered that they don't count warm-up/cool-downs.  Other people said they don't count anything other than "training miles" - those specifically laid out in a training plan.  Their answers made me stop and evaluate what I count towards my own mileage.

I count everything I can measure on my Garmin or where I know the exact distance from a map or the treadmill.  I count my pre-run warm up walks, my actual run/walk training mileage, and any walks I get in that I wouldn't do in the course of a normal day (such as the ones I occasionally squeeze in over lunch).  If my training calls for 3 miles, I do a warm-up, and then my 3 mile run/walk.  I separate out "what's what" here on the blog, but as far as total mileage, it all gets lumped in there.  I don't count cross-training mileage on the elliptical or bike, and I don't wear a pedometer so I don't count my routine/normal/day-to-day steps.

Based on what I'm seeing from others, I'm sort of doubting my way of logging miles.  My theory is that is I had to work to make my legs cover those miles, so why wouldn't I count all of them?  Am I wrong?

Today's stats:

• 10 minute walking warm-up
• 2 mi run; 0:25:55 min; 12:58 min/mi avg
• 40 minutes resistance band strength training

New Interval

Switched it up a little today.  Changed from a 1:1 run:walk interval to a 5:4.  Instead of run 1 minute then walk 1 minute, it's now run 1:15 and walk 1.  It's a great way to build up a little more endurance over the coming weeks, and shave a little time off my average pace.  It's only 15 extra seconds per run interval, but I felt every one of those extra seconds towards the end of tonight's run, and don't have much to show for it since I was on the treadmill!  :o(

Today's stats:

• 10 min warm-up walk
• 3 mi; 0:39:22 min; 13:07 min/mi avg pace