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Another way to approach this is to use the same test and use the VO2max figure "as if" it was correct. It won't be right, but doing training at paces set to this pseudo-figure will be an effective method of improving oxygen uptake.

At the end of the video they are walking at about 6 minutes per kilometer (6.2 miles per hour).

@@ianwhatley7310 Thank you Ian.

Thanks! I hope it is useful to you.

Recovery pace varies between individuals. It depends not only on fitness but also race walking skill. It is certainly possible to race walk at slow speeds and is a useful skill in 24 hour races.

They finished 11th (Tori) and 13th (Jesi) in the US Olympic Trials in Oregon over 20Km. Thanks for your support and encouragement.

@@ianwhatley7310 That is awesome!

When we train on a treadmill, we use a 1/2% grade. This compensates for the lack of any headwind but does not affect the mechanics of race walking. The risk with higher grades is that they may alter the athlete's mechanics and teach them poor form. Most races are on generally flat courses or on tracks.

Thanks Mike. Great seeing you at the Olympic Trials.

And getting faster all the time!

This is a better test than simply eyeballing someone's form and guessing if it will pass muster with trained judges. If you limit your lifting to 40ms or less, you will rarely get called for loss of contact.

Reasonable comments, Mark, thanks. For those who don't have a "decent judge" on hand when they train, this method of estimating is a useful training tool to check for excess lifting. 8 frames LOC at 240 fps is 33 ms of flight time, which is still below the visible threshold. This does bring up a good point that lower frame rates make LOC estimations less reliable. My camera can only record slow motion at 240 fps and play back in slow motion. I wonder if there is a way to playback 240 fps at a higher frame rate to allow viewing as a regular velocity race walk? I shall ask amongst my tech savvy athletes.

Hi Mark. I have heard some debate about hyper-extension of the knee. A few judges call it as bent although the leg lands straight and then continues into hyper-extension. The ongoing angle change gives the illusion (especially at 3 or 4 steps per second) of a soft landing.

Somewhere between art and science! Fascinating.

Individual biomechanics, race pace, the surface, perceptual differences-- just some of the reasons I stress that you should test shoes before purchasing them even if you feel self-conscious race walking up and down the aisles of your local sports store.

Thank you. Please share this and let's build a race walking boom.

Thanks for the kind words. I am enjoying the growth of race walking in Kenya. I grew up in Birmingham and watched the medal winning effort in the the Commonwealth games last year.

Some of her form is due to the immersion effect of growing up with parens who were training for and competing in international races. I estimate about 4 years of practice plus attending her first Olympic Trails race at the age of 10 months! The lower back and hip complex is the core of good technique. If you can stretch and strengthen this portion of your body, you can better position the landing leg at each step. Good luck and let us know how you progress.

Good question. I recall this is about 4:48 per kilometer, but I can't find a note to confirm this.

@@ianwhatley7310 Hii, how to increase our race walking pace? My pace is 8 min/ km

Thanks for your encouragement. A great person for coaching help is Dave McGovern. ruclips.net/user/DaveMcGovern

Improving VO2 Max is more difficult if you are already well trained. If you are just starting out on a rigorous training program, you can increase VO2 Max. I have found the Daniels' Running Formula tables work well for racewalk coaching. If you only use figures from 5Km upwards to set Vdot (racewalkers don't have a sprint gear and their pace versus fitness is distorted at shorter distances), his charts of optimal training paces for easy workouts, VO2 Max, threshold and speed work are excellent.

90 minutes for 20Km is only slightly slower per Km than threshold velocity, which is likely about 4:24-25 per Km. Economy pace for this athlete would be 44-45s per 200, 4:03-4:06 per Km for VO2 max, and base/recovery 5:28-5:24 per km. How slow is too slow to be useful for base work? That is an excellent question and probably varies a lot between individuals. If they are hitting an exercise heart rate above 60% of their max heart rate, there probably is benefit. If they are going this slowly because of tiredness or resdiual soreness from training, they might be better served by a day of cross-training (bike, swim for example) or a day of rest.

The word 'walking' covers such an array of speeds that you shouldn't worry about comparing yourself with others. You are on an adventure for fitness and--walk, jog, run, bike, whatever--this is going to make you feel better physically or mentally as well as improve your health. Good luck and keep going!

@@ianwhatley7310 thanks pal