Category Archives: 10K Walking Program

Hal Higdon’s 10K Walking Program Recap

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Hal Higdon’s 10K Walking Program Recap

Since today is the last day of Hal Higdon’s 10K Walking Program, I figured I should do a brief recap of the various things that happened along the way. First and foremost, as you can see from the list below, I hurt myself a lot. That is, I’ve already got my money’s worth out of the Large ACE Reusable Cold Compress with “soft touch fabric” I purchased near the beginning of this program.

  1. Right ankle
  2. Left foot
  3. Left knee
  4. Right shoulder
  5. Left hamstring
  6. Left hip

Due to the above minimal to moderate injuries, I ended up taking seven more days of rest than Hal recommended:

The worst injury award goes to my suspected metatarsalgia which continues to plague me even on short walks to the store. Hence the reason I recently switched to alternative forms of aerobic activity such as rowing on an ergometer, biking on a recumbent, and running on an elliptical.

But, it hasn’t been all bad. Heck, I even won a race! Plus, I got to celebrate my 52nd birthday by running (on an elliptical cross-trainer) for 52 minutes and had at least one smoking fast walking outdoors day!

Do I blame Hal (shown in the picture above) for all the bad stuff? No way. I just obviously need more basic conditioning with the focus on strength, muscle balance, and flexibility before I take another one of his programs outdoors. Plus, of course, my left foot issue needs to go away before I can even think about walking fast or running again.

So, what I am going to do now? Great question. For the next 56 days I will continue rowing, biking, running, and strengthening at the gym. See my Training page for more information.

February 2, 2013: Day 55, Row

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Row

This was day 55 out of 56 of Hal Higdon’s 10K Walking Program which called for rest. Instead, I rowed on a ergometer for 30 minutes.

Time: Morning

Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3

Row (ergometer): 30 minutes @ level 1

Note: Felt good, felt strong. Averaged 66.4 watts. Remember to wear gloves next time. And although this was my first time on one of these machines, I seriously enjoyed it and highly recommend the ergometer as an alternate cardio blast! :-D

February 1, 2013: Day 54, Strength

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Strength

This was day 54 out of 56 of Hal Higdon’s 10K Walking Program which called for rest. Instead, I lifted weights.

Time: Afternoon

Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3

Strength: Using novice guidelines and the Legs, Back, Chest, Arms template found at ExRx.net: One warmup set per exercise using 50 percent less recorded weight for 12–15 reps. After warmup, one set of 8–12 reps per exercise to volitional fatigue. Once 13–14 reps has been achieved, increase weight 2–10% for next workout.

  1. Lever Seated Leg Press: 15 reps @ 210 pounds
  2. Lever Lying Leg Curl: 15 reps @ 55 pounds
  3. Lever Standing Calf Raise (plate loaded): 14 reps @ 10 pounds
  4. Cable Straight Back Seated Row: 13 reps @ 85 pounds
  5. Lever Bench Press: 15 reps @ 70 pounds
  6. Barbell Upright Row: 14 reps @ 30 pounds
  7. Barbell Curl: 12 reps @ 40 pounds
  8. Cable Pushdown: 11 reps @ 30 pounds
  9. Sit-up (arms crossed): 17 reps
  10. Hyperextension (arms crossed): 16 reps

Note: Felt good, felt strong. No issues detected. Had quite the afternoon delight.

January 31, 2013: Day 53, Run

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Walk/Run

This was day 53 out of 56 of Hal Higdon’s 10K Walking Program which called for a 30 minute walk. Instead, I ran on an elliptical cross-trainer for the prescribed amount of time.

Time: Morning

Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3

Run (elliptical): 30 minutes @ level 1

Note: Felt good, felt strong. No hip issue detected. Lots of sweat! :-D

January 28, 2013: Day 50, Strength

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Strength

This was day 50 out of 56 of Hal Higdon’s 10K Walking Program which called for either rest or an easy walk. Thus I chose weightlifting.

Time: Afternoon

Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3

Strength: Using novice guidelines and the Legs, Back, Chest, Arms template found at ExRx.net: One warmup set per exercise using 50 percent less recorded weight for 12–15 reps. After warmup, one set of 8–12 reps per exercise to volitional fatigue. Once 13–14 reps has been achieved, increase weight 2–10% for next workout.

  1. Lever Seated Leg Press: 23 reps @ 190 pounds
  2. Lever Lying Leg Curl: 12 reps @ 55 pounds
  3. Lever Standing Calf Raise (plate loaded): 16 reps @ 0 pounds
  4. Cable Straight Back Seated Row: 12 reps @ 85 pounds
  5. Lever Bench Press: 13 reps @ 70 pounds
  6. Barbell Upright Row: 12 reps @ 30 pounds
  7. Barbell Curl: 9 reps @ 40 pounds
  8. Cable Pushdown: 9 reps @ 30 pounds
  9. Sit-up (arms crossed): 15 reps
  10. Hyperextension (arms crossed): 15 reps

Note: Finally feeling the after effects of Saturday and Sunday’s elliptical-thon. That is, things felt a bit tight in my left hip. But, other than that—okay I also felt a few hot spots on the walk home—all went well.

January 27, 2013: Day 49, Run

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Walk/Run

This was day 49 out of 56 of Hal Higdon’s 10K Walking Program which called for a 90 minute walk. Instead, I ran on an elliptical cross-trainer for an hour.

Time: Morning

Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3

Run (elliptical): 60 minutes @ level 1

Note: Averaged 6–7 mph with a total distance of just over 6.50 miles. Lots of fun and tons of healthy sweat. I am seriously loving the elliptical trainer! :-D

January 26, 2013: Day 48, Run & 52nd Birthday!

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January 26, 2013: Day 48, Run, 52nd Birthday & Movie

This was day 48 out of 56 of Hal Higdon’s 10K Walking Program which called for a six mile walk. Instead, I ran for 52 minutes on an elliptical cross-trainer in celebration of being born 52 years ago today.

Time: Morning

Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3

Run (elliptical): 52 minutes @ level 1

Note: Averaged 7 plus mph with a distance of over 6.25 miles. Yet another fun sweat fest. Felt good, felt strong. No bodily issues detected.