I Tried the Walk-Run Method at a Major Marathon, and the Results Were Surprising

However it’s also possible that the strategy can enable you higher your time too. Galloway himself clocked his best time of two hours and 16 minutes within the event on the 1980 Houston Marathon when he took a 15-to-20-second walk break every two miles. As for me, this method helped me shave 11 minutes off my previous marathon time.

What are the downsides of the walk-run method?

Though there are tons of wonderful advantages of the run-walk method, it also comes with some drawbacks. For one, folks—like me—who’re used to nonstop running may struggle at first to search out their rhythm, though Galloway believes that eases the more you do it. I discovered the switch between running and walking a bit distracting during some training runs, though it didn’t trouble me through the race.

What’s more, the plan will be psychologically tough to keep on with early within the race, while you’re feeling fresh and raring to go, and everybody around you continues to be running. That’s something I handled in London, when literally everyone was passing me during my first handful of walk breaks and I needed to reign in an urge to maintain up with the pack.

How will you put the walk-run method into motion?

Like we mentioned above, there’s nobody set method to break up your run-walk intervals—one of the best pattern is the one which works for you, says Hamilton. The important thing, though, is testing it out during your runs before you are trying it during a race.

That got here in clutch for me: During an 18-mile training run, I attempted a ratio of three and a half minutes of running to 30 seconds of walking, and located that the high frequency of walk breaks made me feel like I needed to sprint after I finally began picking up the pace again. That ended up seriously fatiguing my muscles, and I finished the run in a slow, painful shuffle. If I had tried that specific run-walk ratio within the race for the primary time, my experience in London might have been drastically less fun. (As an alternative, I selected to go together with a 30-to-60 second walk after each mile, which felt really doable.)

In an effort to achieve success, says Hamilton, “You might have to embrace the undeniable fact that you’re not attempting to ‘make up’ for the walk break within the run segments.” I reminded myself of this several times on race-day morning, as I knew that left to my very own competitive devices, I might most actually push the pace through the run intervals and leave myself exhausted.

Relatedly, don’t worry about speed-walking during your breaks, either. The goal isn’t to do a “power walk,” says Galloway, as an elongated stride, especially one which isn’t natural to you, may cause more fatigue and much more injuries, he says. Just walk normally and comfortably.

For those who’re using the walk-run method in a race, start out with a more conservative ratio so you may preserve muscle power, says Galloway. Then, in case you’re feeling good after a few third or halfway through you may adjust your game plan then. In the course of the last third to fourth of the race, you may make further adjustments and, in some cases, stop your walk breaks altogether—that’s what I did after mile 21.

On the etiquette front, in case you’re running in a crowded race, signal to the people around you that you simply’re about to take a walk break by waving your hand as you progress over to at least one side of the road, says Galloway. This can reduce the possibilities of you catching the runners directly behind you off guard by suddenly slowing your pace. Then before you begin running again, go searching to be sure that you’re not going to be cutting across or starting right in front of somebody, he adds. “It’s all courtesy.”

Lastly, in case you’re apprehensive in regards to the stigma of walking during a running race–which I of course was, until I noticed how much it was actually helping me—know that “there’s no shame” in slowing down, says Hamilton. Just remember this: Nonetheless you select to finish a distance doesn’t change the undeniable fact that you made it to that finish line.

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