Better Running Through Walking
see first reply. This what I have been doing lately since I started back walking. I think I get a better workout doing this for now.
June 2, 2009
Well
Better Running Through Walking - The New York Times
By TARA PARKER-POPE
I am more couch potato than runner. But not long ago, I decided to get myself into shape to run in the New York City Marathon, on Nov. 1, just 152 days from now. (Not that I’m counting.)
To train for my first marathon, I’m using the “run-walk” method, popularized by the distance coach Jeff Galloway, a member of the 1972 Olympic team. When I mentioned this to a colleague who runs, she snickered — a common reaction among purists.
But after interviewing several people who have used the method, I’m convinced that those of us run-walking the marathon will have the last laugh.
Contrary to what you might think, the technique doesn’t mean walking when you’re tired; it means taking brief walk breaks when you’re not.
Depending on one’s fitness level, a walk-break runner might run for a minute and walk for a minute, whether on a 5-mile training run or the 26.2-mile course on race day. A more experienced runner might incorporate a one-minute walk break for every mile of running.
Taking these breaks makes marathon training less grueling and reduces the risk of injury, Mr. Galloway says, because it gives the muscles regular recovery time during a long run. Walk breaks are a way for older, less fit and overweight people to take part in a sport that would otherwise be off limits. But most surprising are the stories from veteran runners who say run-walk training has helped them post faster race times than ever.
One of them is Tim Deegan of Jacksonville, Fla., who had run 25 marathons when his wife, Donna Deegan, a popular local newscaster and cancer survivor, began organizing a marathon to raise money for breast cancer research. When Mr. Galloway volunteered to help with the race, Ms. Deegan asked her husband to take part in run-walk training to show support.
“The only reason I did this is because I love my wife,” said Mr. Deegan, 49. “To say I was a skeptic is to put it very nicely.”
But to his surprise, he began to enjoy running more, and he found that his body recovered more quickly from long runs. His times had been slowing — to about 3 hours 45 minutes, 15 minutes shy of qualifying for the Boston Marathon — but as he ran-walked his way through the Jacksonville Marathon, “I started thinking I might have a chance to qualify for Boston again.”
He did, posting a time of 3:28.
Nadine Rihani of Nashville ran her first marathon at age 61, taking walk breaks. Her running friends urged her to adopt more traditional training, and she was eventually sidelined by back and hip pain. So she resumed run-walk training, and in April, at age 70, she finished first in her age group in the Country Music Marathon, coming in at 6:05.
“My friends who were ‘serious’ runners said, ‘You don’t need to do those walk breaks,’ ” she said. “I found out the hard way I really did.”
Dave Desposato, a 46-year-old financial analyst, began run-walk training several years ago after excessive running resulted in an overuse injury. He finished this year’s Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, Mich., in 3:31:42, cutting 12 minutes off his previous best.
“I run enough marathons now to see everybody totally collapsing at the end is very, very common,” he said. “You wish you could share your experience with them, but they have to be willing to listen first.”
Another unconventional element of walk-break training is the frequency — typically just three days a week, with two easy runs of 20 to 60 minutes each and a long run on the weekend. The walk breaks allow runners to build up their mileage without subjecting their bodies to the stress of daily running, Mr. Galloway said.
Many runners take their own version of walk breaks without thinking about it, he says: they slow down at water stations or reduce their pace when they tire. Scheduling walk breaks earlier in a run gives the athlete control over the race and a chance to finish stronger.
While I’m planning to use run-walk training to complete my first marathon, I’ve heard from many runners who adhere to a variety of training methods. So later this week, the Well blog will have a new feature: the Run Well marathon training tool, with which you can choose any of several coaches’ training plans and then track your progress.
Besides Mr. Galloway, plans are being offered by the marathoner Greg McMillan, who is renowned for his detailed training plans that help runners reach their time goals; the New York Flyers, the city’s largest running club, which incorporates local road races into its training; and Team for Kids, a New York Road Runners Foundation charity program that trains 5,000 adult runners around the world.
The Run Well series also gives you access to top running experts, advice from elite runners, reviews of running gadgets and regular doses of inspiration to get you race-ready.
So please join me, the coaches and other running enthusiasts every day at the Well blog, nytimes.com/well, during the next five months of training. For me, this is finally the year I’ll run a marathon. I hope it will be your year too.
Well
Better Running Through Walking - The New York Times
By TARA PARKER-POPE
I am more couch potato than runner. But not long ago, I decided to get myself into shape to run in the New York City Marathon, on Nov. 1, just 152 days from now. (Not that I’m counting.)
To train for my first marathon, I’m using the “run-walk” method, popularized by the distance coach Jeff Galloway, a member of the 1972 Olympic team. When I mentioned this to a colleague who runs, she snickered — a common reaction among purists.
But after interviewing several people who have used the method, I’m convinced that those of us run-walking the marathon will have the last laugh.
Contrary to what you might think, the technique doesn’t mean walking when you’re tired; it means taking brief walk breaks when you’re not.
Depending on one’s fitness level, a walk-break runner might run for a minute and walk for a minute, whether on a 5-mile training run or the 26.2-mile course on race day. A more experienced runner might incorporate a one-minute walk break for every mile of running.
Taking these breaks makes marathon training less grueling and reduces the risk of injury, Mr. Galloway says, because it gives the muscles regular recovery time during a long run. Walk breaks are a way for older, less fit and overweight people to take part in a sport that would otherwise be off limits. But most surprising are the stories from veteran runners who say run-walk training has helped them post faster race times than ever.
One of them is Tim Deegan of Jacksonville, Fla., who had run 25 marathons when his wife, Donna Deegan, a popular local newscaster and cancer survivor, began organizing a marathon to raise money for breast cancer research. When Mr. Galloway volunteered to help with the race, Ms. Deegan asked her husband to take part in run-walk training to show support.
“The only reason I did this is because I love my wife,” said Mr. Deegan, 49. “To say I was a skeptic is to put it very nicely.”
But to his surprise, he began to enjoy running more, and he found that his body recovered more quickly from long runs. His times had been slowing — to about 3 hours 45 minutes, 15 minutes shy of qualifying for the Boston Marathon — but as he ran-walked his way through the Jacksonville Marathon, “I started thinking I might have a chance to qualify for Boston again.”
He did, posting a time of 3:28.
Nadine Rihani of Nashville ran her first marathon at age 61, taking walk breaks. Her running friends urged her to adopt more traditional training, and she was eventually sidelined by back and hip pain. So she resumed run-walk training, and in April, at age 70, she finished first in her age group in the Country Music Marathon, coming in at 6:05.
“My friends who were ‘serious’ runners said, ‘You don’t need to do those walk breaks,’ ” she said. “I found out the hard way I really did.”
Dave Desposato, a 46-year-old financial analyst, began run-walk training several years ago after excessive running resulted in an overuse injury. He finished this year’s Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, Mich., in 3:31:42, cutting 12 minutes off his previous best.
“I run enough marathons now to see everybody totally collapsing at the end is very, very common,” he said. “You wish you could share your experience with them, but they have to be willing to listen first.”
Another unconventional element of walk-break training is the frequency — typically just three days a week, with two easy runs of 20 to 60 minutes each and a long run on the weekend. The walk breaks allow runners to build up their mileage without subjecting their bodies to the stress of daily running, Mr. Galloway said.
Many runners take their own version of walk breaks without thinking about it, he says: they slow down at water stations or reduce their pace when they tire. Scheduling walk breaks earlier in a run gives the athlete control over the race and a chance to finish stronger.
While I’m planning to use run-walk training to complete my first marathon, I’ve heard from many runners who adhere to a variety of training methods. So later this week, the Well blog will have a new feature: the Run Well marathon training tool, with which you can choose any of several coaches’ training plans and then track your progress.
Besides Mr. Galloway, plans are being offered by the marathoner Greg McMillan, who is renowned for his detailed training plans that help runners reach their time goals; the New York Flyers, the city’s largest running club, which incorporates local road races into its training; and Team for Kids, a New York Road Runners Foundation charity program that trains 5,000 adult runners around the world.
The Run Well series also gives you access to top running experts, advice from elite runners, reviews of running gadgets and regular doses of inspiration to get you race-ready.
So please join me, the coaches and other running enthusiasts every day at the Well blog, nytimes.com/well, during the next five months of training. For me, this is finally the year I’ll run a marathon. I hope it will be your year too.
6 months ago
Excellent article! Thanks for sharing this! I just heard of Jeff Galloway this past week but really didn't know the story or history of him and his training method. I really like the idea that an Olympic team member would advocate a run/walk training method. I particularly liked this part: "Taking these breaks makes marathon training less grueling and reduces the risk of injury, Mr. Galloway says, because it gives the muscles regular recovery time during a long run. Walk breaks are a way for older, less fit and overweight people to take part in a sport that would otherwise be off limits. But most surprising are the stories from veteran runners who say run-walk training has helped them post faster race times than ever."
I was thinking running a mile straight was all I was going to be able to do, that long-distance running was not even an option for me. That was all I could do at the beginning of this year 2009. It was my hope that I would be able to run 3 miles straight by the end of 2009 but I didn't think it would be possible since it took me a year just to run a mile straight! Here it is June 7, and I'm getting close to running 3 miles straight without stopping. Yesterday, I ran 2.5 miles straight without walking for the first time. I'm aiming to run 3 miles straight by end of June. I was using Jeff Galloway's training method to get this far, without knowing it...and it works!
After I reach the goal of running 3 miles straight, my next goal is to be able to run 5 miles. I think Jeff Galloway's run/walk training method will get me there. Wouldn't it be a hoot if I could do that by the end of this year, 2009?
I was thinking running a mile straight was all I was going to be able to do, that long-distance running was not even an option for me. That was all I could do at the beginning of this year 2009. It was my hope that I would be able to run 3 miles straight by the end of 2009 but I didn't think it would be possible since it took me a year just to run a mile straight! Here it is June 7, and I'm getting close to running 3 miles straight without stopping. Yesterday, I ran 2.5 miles straight without walking for the first time. I'm aiming to run 3 miles straight by end of June. I was using Jeff Galloway's training method to get this far, without knowing it...and it works!
After I reach the goal of running 3 miles straight, my next goal is to be able to run 5 miles. I think Jeff Galloway's run/walk training method will get me there. Wouldn't it be a hoot if I could do that by the end of this year, 2009?
6 months ago
I cannot run a mile yet but I certainly am trying each time I walk and it has been improving. I hope to continue improving.
6 months ago
I've been using the run/walk method for years, and that's one of the things I really like about the USA Fit program that has programs all over the U.S. I'm a coach in the Katy Fit branch of USA Fit, and I started out in Houston Fit over 10 years ago. We have groups in the program that run different paces, and they each have the name of a color. For example, the slowest group (which I'm in) is the Red Group. The Red Group has sub-groups, a continuous running group, a 10/1 run/walk group (run 10 minutes/walk one minute - over and over again until you finish), a 5/1 run/walk group, a 3/1 run/walk group, and a 1/3 run/walk group. This year for the first time Katy Fit will have a 7/1 run/walk group when the marathon training program starts up again in July to train for the Houston Marathon in January. I started out in the 10/1 group 11 years ago, and when we were running in long races we would eventually pass a lot of the continuous runners, and we would be having a good time laughing and talking while most of them were looking pretty serious and some of them were really struggling. As I've aged, I've switched to a 5/1 group, and I'm not sure if I'll coach a 7/1 or a 5/1 group when the season starts next month. I wouldn't do a long distance run any other way, and I sure don't think I'd be competing in full marathons at the age of 71 if I wasn't doing a run/walk! Also, it sure doesn't seem as boring when you stop and walk every so-many-minutes instead of doing one looooooooooooooooong continuous run!
6 months ago
Thank you, TornadoWoman for your testimony and confirmation that the run/walk method works and is more enjoyable than struggling to run for hours straight! I just thought it was mind-boggling how anyone could run 26 miles straight without walking. The running purists are true die-hards. But I can't see running and completing a longer race any other way than doing it the run/walk way. It still counts. You still cross the finish line. Even on the Biggest Loser, both Ron and his son Mike walked the whole marathon and it counted! I gotta give you a high 5 and say good for you!! You inspire me!
6 months ago
Thank you gymratgirl!
6 months ago
I've never run in my life but I started the Jeff Galloway 'getting started' training program here in Jax a week ago. He says they have a 98% success record and I'm determined to make it through. I hope to be able to move onto the half marathon training later in the year.
5 months ago
