During a recent half-marathon, I was taking a walk break when a man on the sidelines shouted, “Come on! Keep running!”
I was using the run-walk method, a plan that incorporates intentional walk breaks during runs, and this 30-second walk gave me a chance to catch my breath and take a sip from my water bottle before running again.
I knew that, for me, walking wasn’t a sign of struggle. Still, I couldn’t resist letting the spectator know. So I smiled and shouted back: “It’s a STRATEGY!”
Many training plans recommend the run-walk method as an option for beginners — an on-ramp to continuous running. But for me, it has become the key to maintaining a running habit while navigating unpredictable work schedules, pregnancies and parenting. I made the switch to run-walking a decade ago while training for my first marathon, and I have no plans to go back. It has made 20-mile training runs feel doable and has carried me across dozens of finish lines — at the same overall pace as when I ran continuously.
“The misconception is that it has to lead to continuous running,” said Pamela Geisel, an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. In fact, the run-walk method can be a lifelong practice.
What is the run-walk method?
The run-walk method is a training strategy based on the premise that, by walking for short intervals before you get tired, you can avoid some fatigue and tackle longer distances. Because run-walking can be gentler on your body than continuous running, many people find they are able to recover faster in between runs, too.
The method was popularized by the Olympic runner Jeff Galloway in the 1970s. He was in a rut, facing injuries and disappointing race times. He began taking short walk breaks during long runs, and soon found himself feeling stronger — and finishing races faster.
During the 1980 Houston marathon, he took a brief walk break after every mile and finished in 2:16:35, faster than any marathon he’d run continuously. Soon, he began bringing his strategy to the masses; it is now popularly known as the Galloway method. (In the United Kingdom, devotees call it “Jeffing.”)
Over the last 50 years, the method has grown steadily more popular. The London Marathon recently began including pace groups for run-walkers, and some coaches of elite athletes have embraced variations of the method. Chris Twiggs, the chief training officer for Galloway’s platform, which includes a website and app, estimated that as many as 300,000 people have trained using their run-walk programs.
What are the benefits of run-walking?
Though many coaches and athletes swear by the power of the run-walk method to reduce injury risk and speed up recovery, little scientific research has been conducted on the strategy.
One small study of 42 marathoners found that the run-walkers and continuous runners had experienced similar stress on their cardiovascular systems, when measured at the finish line of a marathon, but the run-walkers reported less muscle pain and fatigue after the race.
The run-walk method can be considered a form of interval training, or alternating between higher- and lower-intensity efforts, said Dr. Tamanna Singh, the co-director of the Sports Cardiology Center at the Cleveland Clinic. She compared it to a spin class, which incorporates periods of fast or high-resistance pedaling and easier stretches. Regardless of the specific type of exercise, she said, the strategy has been shown to effectively condition both the cardiovascular system and the muscles.
It can also build endurance. When you exercise at your full capacity, you need to take in greater and greater amounts of oxygen to keep moving, which can strain your heart and lungs and, eventually, deprive your muscles of fuel, Dr. Singh said. During walk breaks, “the heart doesn’t have to work as hard,” she added. This allows you to take in more oxygen, which helps your muscles refuel.
Walking before you feel tired can also help you maintain consistent running form, which may help prevent injury, said Stuart Warden, a professor of physical therapy at Indiana University.
As in Mr. Galloway’s experience, many coaches said that the method had helped their athletes improve their race times. Jim Vance, an endurance coach for elite athletes in San Diego, said the breaks had allowed his athletes to run faster intervals and net a faster pace overall.
Psychologically, run-walking can make training and racing feel less daunting, by promising regular respites. Bobby McGee, an elite endurance coach in Colorado who incorporates walk breaks into his training plans, said his athletes benefit from focusing on one running interval at a time, with each new cycle offering an opportunity to reset.
How to get started
Before you head out on your first run-walk, make a plan for the ratio of running to walking you’ll do.
The Galloway website suggests different ratios based on your fastest one-mile pace — the faster you are, the more running you will typically do in a given cycle. (This online tool offers a more detailed breakdown.) Other groups, such as the virtual Slow AF Run Club, suggest a less prescriptive approach: Choose a run interval that ends before your legs get tired. And if you need more of a break, shorten your run interval instead of lengthening your walk.
But there’s no one single ratio that will work for everyone at a given pace. Coaches recommended experimenting with different ratios until you find what feels right.
During walking intervals, Dr. Warden recommended moving at a brisk pace and keeping your elbows bent and close to your sides so you don’t lose momentum.
Mr. McGee advised using each walk break intentionally: Take the first part of each break for recovery, the next stretch to hydrate or fuel and the last few seconds to reset your mental focus before running again.
Shift your mind-set
For some people, the most challenging element of run-walking is convincing themselves that walking during a run isn’t a sign of weakness. Remember, Mr. McGee said, “this is very much a performance decision.”
If you feel self-conscious, consider a group run-walk, or try run-walking with a friend. Galloway offers training groups in more than 50 cities, and Slow AF can help you connect with other local run-walkers.
If you love to run, choosing to run-walk might enable you to go for longer runs and keep running for more of your life, Mr. Vance said.
“Everyone thinks when you use run-walk that you’re running less,” he added, “but really what it allows you to do is run more.”
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