I'm a Believer

My marathon buddy has had some nagging injuries these last few months, but being the competitive runner that she is, she’s not giving up the marathon.  She did a little bit of research into the Jeff Galloway Run Walk Run method, and decided to try it.   She told me about a few of the benefits of the Run Walk Run method, which I’ve captured here directly from Mr. Galloway’s web site, http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/

Principles behind Run Walk Run

• Continuous use of a muscle will result in quicker fatigue

• The longer the run segment, the more fatigue

• Run Walk Run is a form of interval training

• Conservation of resources

• Quicker recovery

• Less stress on the “weak links”

• Ability to enjoy endorphins

• Reduce core body temperature

Walk breaks

• Speed you up: an average of 7 minutes faster in a 13.1 mile race when non-stop runners shift to the correct Run Walk Run ratio – and more than 13 minutes faster in the marathon

• Give you control over the way you feel during and after

• Erase fatigue

• Push back your wall of exhaustion or soreness

• Allow for endorphins to collect during each walk break

• Break up the distance into manageable units

• Speed recovery

• Reduce the chance of aches, pains and injury

• Allow older or heavier runners to recover fast, and feel as good as in the younger (slimmer) days

• Activate the frontal lobe – maintaining your control over attitude and motivation

Well, what’s not to like?  Especially considering that, in the long run (literally) you won’t lose that much time.  I tried it on a 20 mile run, and am thrilled with the results.  In previous long runs where I pretty much ran continuously, walking only to fuel, I ended up with about an 11 minute mile pace.  On my 20 miler, I ran four minutes and walked one.  For the first 10 miles my average pace was 10:12.  As the miles wore on I did find myself both running more slowly and walking more slowly, but even then the overall pace for the 20 miles was 10:58!  And while I was still quite tired after the run, I wasn’t sore. 

I’m a believer!  Thank you, Jeff Galloway!