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Walking time trials
This is an excerpt from Walk Your Way Fit by Sarah Zahab.
The time trial is a great opportunity to assess walking fitness at any point in time (table 10.6). It can be any length of time you choose. If you tend to walk speedy for short distances, aim for a 5- or 10-minute time trial. If you enjoy longer walks, try a 20-minute time trial to establish baselines and measure progress.
Start your timer and walk as fast as you comfortably can for the desired time. Plan to reassess at regular intervals. Bimonthly or a few times annually would be reasonable intervals to measure progress. More frequent assessment would likely not show results of regular training. Ideally, reassess at similar intervals using the same conditions: same route, same terrain (e.g., sidewalk, track, trail), same time of day, fasted or not fasted, and so on. For women, assess at the same time of month because energy tends to fluctuate with individual infradian rhythms.
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