How do you account for walking?

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Drell Mar 2014 9:41pm, 9 Mar 2014 1,638 posts	0 Drell I have a fairly normal training regime, one long run a week, one intervals, one parkrun... and it all works out nicely, a rest day or easy run after every hard session, so far so normal. But I also do at least one long(ish) walk a week, usually on what's counted as a rest day. 10 miles today, for example. Should I allow for this in my training somehow, and if so how? What do you do? * as far as this site is concerned, at least
Ultracat Mar 2014 9:46pm, 9 Mar 2014 10,682 posts	0 Ultracat I count it as x-training,
Just Fleecing-well Do It Mar 2014 9:47pm, 9 Mar 2014 14,514 posts	0 Just Fleecing-well Do It I don't count it.
Velociraptor Mar 2014 9:50pm, 9 Mar 2014 29,174 posts	0 Velociraptor There's a cross training category for walking. I use that. Or hiking, if it's off-road walking.
Drell Mar 2014 9:52pm, 9 Mar 2014 1,640 posts	0 Drell Yes, I log it as cross training. But should it affect my other sessions? So, if I've done a hard parkrun on Saturday, and a long(ish) walk on Sunday, would doing another hard session on Monday be stupid? Or is it really neither here nor there?
Dvorak Mar 2014 9:53pm, 9 Mar 2014 8,463 posts	0 Dvorak I wouldn't count ten miles of walking as a rest day, as it would be harder than most of my runs. How to allow for it in a plan? Depends on how tired to feel the next day. I'd feel pretty tired - so in fact though long walks are a Good Idea, I tend not to do them and certainly not if I have something planned runningwise for the next day.
Drell Mar 2014 10:38pm, 9 Mar 2014 1,641 posts	0 Drell Hmm. The long walks are absolutely non-negotiable, way more important than training They are something T and I do together, a highlight of the week. So it's really a question of how best to allow for them in the training. A typical week for me at the moment would be: Mon: 6 miles easy Tue: long run - 8-10 miles Thu: intervals Fri: 4-6 miles easy, or rest Sat: parkrun. Sometimes hard, sometimes tempo. Sat or Sun (or both): 6 - 12 miles walk. I'm wondering whether to shift things round a bit to allow for the walks, and if so how.
Canute Mar 2014 11:01pm, 9 Mar 2014 880 posts	0 Canute Walking provides useful adaptations for the distance runner (capillary development; aerobic enzyme development; ability to metabolise fats; strengthening of ligaments) but unlike running, it involves only mild eccentric stress on the leg muscles and tendons. Therefore, like elliptical cross training, it allows you to increase total training volume with minimal damage to leg muscles. However, because it produces different stresses, 10 miles of walking has no precise running equivalent. Nonetheless, I think it is sensible to log it (within Fetch – log it as cross training). As for what effect it has on your training plan for the rest of the week, I think it depends on how well adapted you are to being on your feet a long time. I would normally find a 10 mile cross-country walk about a stressful as a 5 mile easy-paced cross county run.
Lady Sol Mar 2014 11:16pm, 9 Mar 2014 754 posts	0 Lady Sol I log it, but it counts as a rest day for me. Only time it wouldn't is if it was something 20+ or particularly hilly or muddy perhaps. Mine you I am in the Ramblers, so walk 'long' distances frequently.
Drell Mar 2014 11:22pm, 9 Mar 2014 1,642 posts	0 Drell I do these walks regularly, too, and it's pretty (Ok, very) flat round here, but I still often find myself flagging after 10-12 miles. Maybe I'm just not as fit as I think I am! I do get the feeling that a 10 mile walk takes more out of me than a 5 mile run, though not as much as a 10 mile run.