Chapter 10:
I’ve personally heard from tens of thousands of runners who said that the only reason they started to run was by using my Run Walk Run® method. When you reduce the amount of running enough, with the right amount of gentle walking to recover, almost anyone can run without aches, pains, or debilitating fatigue.
The human body has evolved as an extremely efficient walking machine. Running requires a lot more resources and builds up stress on the system and on weak links. One anthropologist who studies ancient man told me that we were probably designed to run non-stop for about 200 yards—to get away from predators, jump over obstacles, etc. We can adapt to run very long distances—but at a great cost: dramatic increase in energy reserves, pounding of body weight on feet and joints, increase in core body temperature, and much quicker muscle exhaustion.
When strategic walk breaks are taken from the beginning of a run and in the right ratio for the individual, the legs, feet, and joints can continuously adapt. Fatigue is erased, energy resources are conserved, body temperature is managed, and weak links don’t get overused.
The Run Walk Run® method is a cognitive strategy
As you focus on each segment of running and then each segment of walking you activate the conscious brain. This allows you to gain control over the emotional subconscious brain, and activate positive attitude hormones.
Change somebody’s life for the better!
Thousands of veteran runners have mentored beginners into running by using this method. By encouraging a novice to use this program, you can improve the quality of life: better attitude, more vitality, more focus, etc. Not many people have the opportunity to improve the quality of someone’s life—it is empowering.
Run Walk Run® bestows the same joy of running as derived from running non-stop for almost everyone who has reported on this.
The right formula of Run Walk Run® has allowed older or heavier runners to start running for the first time in their lives without pain—and continue to improve and increase distance.
Many of these challenged runners have been able to finish half marathons or marathons within 6-9 months of taking their first steps.
My book Running Getting Started is a good training resource for beginners. It has a 6-month program with support information for beginners (available autographed from www.JeffGalloway.com).
Goals produce results
When beginners have a goal written on a calendar, they are more likely to stay motivated and get in the workouts that transform body and mind into an active, positive organism. Goals activate the executive brain that can override the subconscious emotional brain when one is not motivated or is under stress. At the end of this chapter you’ll find a 5K training program that has been very successful in not only getting runners and walkers across the finish line but also the line from sedentary to active.
There is no one pattern for everyone. Each was born with different abilities and weak links. Don’t try to keep up with a friend when you are feeling significant fatigue or pain.
Walk first! Gradually increase the length of a gentle walk to 30 minutes.
Whether walking or running, use a relatively short, gentle stride.
When starting to run, walk gently for 10 minutes at the beginning and the end of your Run Walk Run® segment.
On the first day of running, run gently for 5 seconds and then walk for the rest of the minute. If there are no problems, continue alternating 5 seconds of running with 55 seconds of walking for 5-10 minutes.
Use a running stride that is short, with the feet low to the ground and a light touch of the foot. This is sometimes called the shuffle. For more information, see the chapter on running form.
NO HUFFING AND PUFFING! Slow down and walk more to breathe normally.
Take a day off before you do the Run Walk Run® again. Gentle walking on this off day is generally OK.
It’s important to do the Run Walk Run®, in some form, every other day if you want to maintain the adaptations of running.
During each successive Run Walk Run® workout, continue to use R5sec/W55sec and increase by 3-4 additional minutes until you reach 30 minutes.
If desired, reduce the walk warm-up and warm-down to 5 minutes each.
Some may want to stay at R5sec/W55sec—and this is fine. Most beginners maintain this strategy for 2-3 weeks.
To increase the running portion, do R5sec/W55sec for the first 20 minutes and then shift to R10sec/W50sec for the last 5-10 minutes of the workout.
To continue shifting to the R10sec/W50sec, gradually add 3-4 minutes of this ratio to the end of each workout, while decreasing the same amount of minutes of R5sec/W55sec, until you are doing 30 minutes of R10sec/W50sec.
There is no goal for reaching any specific ratio in any specific period of time. Each person can decide how much to run and how much to walk on any given day.
One can continue to move up to R15sec/W45sec, R20sec/W40sec, R30sec/W30sec, or any ratio that is comfortable by gradually increasing as noted above.
If you are huffing and puffing—even at the end of a workout—you either ran too fast or increased the running portions too quickly. Back off a little bit.
Don’t hesitate to drop back to an easier ratio if you are not feeling good on a given day. On some days you will need to do this. It is part of the running experience to gain control over your attitude, aches, etc. by walking more and running less on those days.
Enjoy every run. If you are not feeling good, take a 2- to 3-minute gentle walk to catch up, and walk more and run less for the rest of the run.
Smile and enjoy every endorphin.
Time required: 30 minutes on two weekdays (Tue/Thu or Mon/Wed) plus one weekend Run Walk Run® that will build gradually to 3.5 miles.
Who: This program is designed for those who are just beginning to increase distance, those making a comeback after a period of inactivity, etc. The advice is given as one exerciser to another. For medical issues, see a doctor.
Textbook: My book, Galloway’s 5K/10K Running, has additional information for both of these events. You can order this book from www.jeffgalloway.com.
Use a short stride: Whether walking or running, adjust your stride so that it is relaxed and well within a natural range of motion for you. Keep the feet low to the ground. Shorter strides reduce effort and orthopedic stress, allowing the body to adapt naturally to running and walking.
The long one: As you increase the length of the long run every two weeks, you’ll extend endurance limits, improve mental concentration at the end of workouts, and enhance your physiological infrastructure. Longer workouts improve your cardiovascular plumbing system so that you can deliver blood better to the exercising muscles and withdraw waste more effectively. The endurance workout is the primary training component in a 5K program.
Mental focus: As you focus on each workout, your goal on the calendar, and each run and walk segment, you shift mental control into the conscious brain. This overrides the subconscious, emotional brain that will trigger negative attitude hormones under stress.
How to determine pace per mile: Use the Magic Mile (MM) as noted in the chapter in this book.
Example:
MM was 10:00.
Multiply by 1.3 = 13:00
Add 2 minutes = 15 min/mi on long runs.
Note: Slow the pace down by 30 sec/mile for every 5-degree temperature increase above 60°F (slow down by 20 sec/km for every 2°C above 14°C) on long runs.
Maintenance workouts: Usually, the long workout is done on weekends, and the two maintenance workouts are done during the week. The pace of these can be as slow or as fast as you want to go, as long as you are recovering well from the weekend long ones. Beware of fast running as this increases the risk of aches, pains, and injuries.
Rest days: When you go farther than you have gone before, your muscles, tendons, joints, etc. need a recovery period to rebuild stronger. Take the day off from exercise the day before and the day after a long one. On the other non-running days, you can do any exercise that does not fatigue the calf muscle. Walking, aqua-jogging, swimming, cycling, elliptical work, and rowing are fine, but stair machines, leg-weight work, and step aerobics are not.
Warm up: Walk for 3 minutes, then run for 5-10 seconds and walk for the rest of the minute for 10 minutes. Then use the Run Walk Run® ratio that is appropriate.
Warm down: After your workout, don’t stop. Walk gently for the next 10 minutes. You‘re done!
If you are already running more than 1.5 miles, you can start at the length of the long run which matches your current long-run distance during the past 2 weeks in the training schedule below.
Note: At www.JeffGalloway.com you can find a timer that will beep or vibrate to tell you when to walk and when to run.
The schedule:
Week 1—Tues 10 min, Thurs 13 min, Saturday 1.5 mile (2.5 km)
Week 2—Tues 16 min, Thurs 19 min, Saturday 30 min
Week 3—Tues 22 min, Thurs 25 min, Saturday 2 miles (3.3 km)
Week 4—Tues 28 min, Thurs 30 min, Saturday 30 min
Week 5—Tues 30 min, Thurs 30 min, Saturday 2.5 miles (4 km)
Week 6—Tues 30 min, Thurs 30 min, Saturday 30 min (800T)
Week 7—Tues 30 min, Thurs 30 min, Saturday 3 miles (5 km)
Week 8—Tues 30 min, Thurs 30 min, Saturday 40 min
Week 9—Tues 30 min, Thurs 30 min, Saturday 3.5 miles (5.8 km)
Week 10—Tues 30 min, Thurs 30 min, Saturday 30 min
Week 11—Tues 30 min, Thurs 30 min, Saturday 5K Race!
Week 12—Tues 30 min, Thurs 30 min, Saturday 30 min
Week 13—Tues 30 min, Thurs 30 min, Saturday 3-3.5 miles (on to the next goal!)