11.07 km Walk/Run/Walk: Progressive Running and a 4:48/km Finish

Walk/Run/Walk Session: 11.07 km with a Fast Finish

Today’s 11.07 km walk/run/walk session turned into a very productive running workout, particularly considering there was quite a lot of uphill running between 2 km and 5 km. The session lasted 1 hour 11 minutes 27 seconds, with an average pace of 6:27/km, an average heart rate of 141 bpm and a maximum heart rate of 166 bpm.

The first kilometre was deliberately walked as a warm-up before the running started. From 2 km onwards, the pace progressively improved despite the uphill sections, moving from 5:48/km at 2 km to 5:20/km at 3 km and then 5:08/km at both 4 km and 5 km.

Progressively Faster Running

The strongest part of the session came after the initial uphill section. At 6 km the pace was 5:10/km, before increasing significantly to 4:50/km at 7 km and 4:48/km at 8 km.

Finishing the running section with a 4:48/km kilometre after already covering several kilometres, including substantial climbing, was particularly encouraging. Rather than starting too quickly and fading, the session developed in the opposite direction, with the fastest running coming towards the end of the planned running section.

The Walk at 9 km Was Planned

The change in pace at 9 km was completely planned. This is the point where I normally finish the running section, having come off the canal footpath and onto the road. The intention was always to walk from here rather than continue running. The 9 km split was 7:24/km, followed by 9:04/km at 10 km and 9:07/km at 11 km.

A Significant Training Session

The watch recorded 33 minutes in its Extreme zone, 16 minutes Anaerobic, 14 minutes Aerobic and 6 minutes in Fat Burning. Average heart rate was 141 bpm, with a maximum of 166 bpm.

These watch classifications should not be taken too literally, but they do indicate that today’s workout was considerably more demanding than a straightforward aerobic walk. The combination of uphill running, progressive pace and a fast final running kilometre produced a substantial cardiovascular stimulus.

Walk, Run, Walk Structure

The session followed a simple structure: one kilometre of walking, approximately seven kilometres of progressive running and then a planned walking section to finish.

This approach continues to work well because the walking provides a controlled way to accumulate distance while allowing the running sections to be performed with more quality. Today’s session also followed an 8.3 km aerobic walk yesterday, making this another useful example of combining walking and running rather than relying exclusively on continuous running.

The standout statistic from today’s workout is probably the 4:48/km at 8 km. Reaching that pace after several kilometres of running and a significant amount of uphill work shows that there was still plenty of speed available late in the session.