After 18 months in Rwanda, my athletic conditioning has changed. Rwanda has a very high altitude. Even at its lowest point, the Rusizi River, it is 3,117 feet above sea level. That is much higher than 33 feet of New York or the 43 feet of Oakland. While this elevation does not meet the qualification for “high elevation,” my body was affected by it. Running in Rwanda felt similar to running in Mexico City. It was hard and it wasn’t fun.
Additionally, the hills of Rwanda added to the challenge. They don’t call it “the land of a thousand hills” for nothing. Each run essentially because a series of hill repeats. This lead to my average pace slowing down significantly. In Rwanda, I was running an average pace of around 11:00 minutes per mile, much slower than my slowest average pace pre Peace Crops of anywhere between 9:30 to 8:30.
This summer I plan to run the Subway System Challenge as a way to train and bring the fun back into running. Due to the Coronoavrius Outbreak, I am not traveling for a traditional marathon. The New York City Subway system challenge allows me to work toward training goals by “running” the 245 miles of route track between its 472 stations. By the end of the summer (Tuesday, September 22, 2020) I will have:
Run 245 miles. One of the best way to increase speed is to gradually increase distance and push your speed—without overdoing it. This will be done by weekday runs, then one-weekend long run that gets progressively longer each week.
One speed workout each week. Speed workouts help develop endurance, speed, and stronger legs and lungs. Speedwork also helps keep exercise regimes from getting stale.
One yoga workout per week. Yoga loosens tight muscles, builds strength, and most importantly is relaxing and helps recenter which is especially important during this tumultuous time.
By doing these things I will get up to my goal pace of 8:30 minutes per mile and bring the joy back into running.
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