How a Run-Walk Strategy Might Help Your Marathon

I am a runner of half marathons and I feel adrenaline as I read this article. Today was New York City Marathon, I plan to participate next year in 2017. It will be my first full marathon. I am grateful for this article.

I've used a similar strategy and it worked impressively.

The longest competitive race I ever ran was some years ago. It was a mere 5 miles, but it had a major uphill to the finish line plus I am definitely not a runner (fast-twitch, anaerobic sprinter, maybe; slow-twitch, aerobic distance runner, no way).

But I'd recently read a fascinating article in a martial arts magazine by author-adventurer-karate black belt C.W. Nicol about his experiences as a national park warden in the mountains of Ethiopia -- at some serious altitude.

Nicol advised that if you're still getting acclimated to such conditions, but you need/want to run, use a "scout's pace" (a traditional method of military scouts and messengers) -- run 50 paces, walk 100, run 50, etc.

Non-runner that I was (although fit and active), I trained my best for the 5 miler and used the scout's run-walk-run strategy.

To my great surprise, I came in fifth of about two dozen people. I finished behind the serious runners but ahead of the regular joggers who ran the whole way.

Not bad!

When I started running in 1977 I was in my mid-30s. Walking during a race came naturally to me, even if it was against all those unwritten rules. I did not have a formula. When I walked during a race, I picked out a point where to run again - something like 10 light poles later, etc. I found that I was refreshed and could run at my pace again. I noticed that I passed many runners that earlier whizzed by be. I was also able to lower my times considerably. So I said to myself, "They can finger-point all they want. I'll keep on running the way it feels right."
I have enjoyed close to 40 years of injury free running, including the marathon.
I chuckled when the first suggestion, and then an actual plan, appeared stating that walking may be beneficial and not so weird after all.

Philippides' goal was to get from Marathon to Athens as quickly as possible. Nobody knows whether or not he chose to get there quicker by walking now and then but I am guessing that as a professional he knew what he needed to do (whatever the choice was) and did it.
The marathon is a distance/time event. The distance is set - it is up to the racer to get there in his/her best time. If that involves some walking to get there faster then why be upset?

No mention of Jeff Galloway? American marathoner who has been teaching this method for decades? I don't run marathons but when I use walk breaks of 30-60 seconds, my overall running times are actually better than when I run straight through. No slowing down toward the end. Read the science behind it.

I have run numerous marathons & I hate the person who runs past me only to stop an walk in front of me over and over again. I have to sprint full speed to get away from them. Pleas stop this annoying behaviour or maybe just stick to a 10k.

Ran NYC Marathon in 2005 till I hit the wall at about mile 18. Finished the race "running" but was barely moving. Walked long enough to have a few sips of water at just about every mile marker in my 2nd marathon (NYC 2007) and finished in the same sub-5:00 time but with no pain (about the same amount of training). Walked the city afterwards with wife and friends. The difference was dramatic!

Most folks participating in marathons (foot races, etc.) today are nowhere near qualified to truly compete. They do not compete; they pay money to "finish" the race, get a t-shirt, and for some, a tattoo later on when drunk and talking up one's 10+ minute average pace (more often the IronMan path - sad).

Think about it: the average walking pace of an individual is 3 MPH. The usual cutoff time for a marathon-distance race varies from 6ish hours to 8 or so (London); the NY marathon site claims that a "13:45-per-mile pace" is necessary (or the streets, roads, etc., will be open and the aid stations gone). Do the math.

Point? That a rather brisk walk will get many through a marathon. Run a mile or three of it and your walk can include a coffee. But it won't be a competitive action. So my question is and has been, what's the point? You've accomplished a long walk or a very slow run. Yea?

Why not a 5K? 10K? Because the perception is that completing a marathon-distance in any (legal) manner is a bona fide Accomplishment and, worse, it is More Than running a 5 or 10K (or, they snicker, a piddly 100 m race; the ex-drunk in me, who started running in his 40s, invites you to test those arrogant beliefs; go down to the local track and find some old dude like me; you may win, but it will be no walk in the park).

No, it is not. Save your money. Enter a 5K. Try to be fast; try to be competitive. The t-shirt is just a nice, and you will have earned it, not just purchased it.

Please keep in mind the legacy of the marathon. Pheidippides , who ran back from the battle of Marathon to the gates of the Athens, reported the victory of the Athenians and dropped dead.

American Olympian Jeff Galloway mastered the R,W,R technique long, long ago in the 1970s.

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/about/

"Jeff Galloway" on @Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Galloway?wprov=sfsi1

To exclude a reference to his achievements and enormous following in the article is absolutely disappointing. Recent studies only further illustrate Galloway's status as an elite runner and inspiration to runners around the world.

Thanks for my below finishes, sans injury.

New York Marathon 2001, finisher: 4:31:59
Seattle Marathon 2005, finisher: 4:18:21

/bzw

Encouraging!

I am sorry, but marathon is a running event. This is embarrassing to have new generation of "runner" walking. I don't care if an 100 year old finished a marathon walking. I respect more for those who hike more than 26.2 in a mountain than being in a spot light with goofy photos. Walking-Jogging is embarrassing - people should train for this supposedly challenging and honorable event.

after I hurt one of my knees by over-training for the nyc marathon in 1986, a friend suggested we try Galloway's run/walk. starting in 1991, I successfully ran my last 21 marathons doing his run/walk. it works!!

For years I struggled with trying to qualify for Boston. I finally stuck with a run/walk (12 minute run /2 minute walk) method and cut 28 minutes off my fastest time and got my ticket to Boston 2017!!!

Can we please make all those people who run in place at street lights read this article?

The experiment they talk about here used very little walking: 1 min for every 1.5 mi run. At a 10 mm pace, that's a min of walking for 15 mins of running, for a total of about 17 mins of walking in the marathon. That's about a mile of walking and 25 miles of running.
It was refreshing to hear the lead researcher admit the experiment was basically a failure. The walking did not preclude an elevation of toxic enzymes in the blood. This is the first I'd even heard of that happening. I wonder, if you recover quickly from a race, if it means you had less stress on your heart.

Why would it not be expected that cardiac enzymes would decrease several days after the marathon. Those enzymes indicate break down of heart muscle, which would not be expected to continue days after the marathon.

Back in 2012 I started training for a half marathon after not having run for 22 years. My training group used the run-walk method--run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute. At first I was upset at the idea of not running the whole way. Then as an experiment I ran the same 3-mile course twice, a week apart. The first time I ran all the way. The second time I ran 3 minutes, walked 1 minute. To my surprise, my times were identical. An added benefit was that when I tried to run the entire time, if I had to walk part of the way it was almost impossible to start running again. With the run-walk regimen, I learned to run after walking. I'll never go back to all running again (and I've run 4 half marathons since then).

Don't embarrass me. I'm trying.

OK, I will try this method for my next marathon: I used to deride the run/walk method, but after reading this story and a few other stories, notably one that Grechen Reynolds wrote in 2009 in which several people were quoted as saying that they actually finished their marathons FASTER (and one of them BQ'd), what the heck do I have to lose. My fastest marathon finishing time was about 3:55 and change; if I can bring that down 10 minutes, that means a BQ for me. :)

I used to be embarrassed with my "slow" half-marathon pace & then I hit my 50s and discovered that my slow pace was still better than most people much younger than me. I don't do marathons - no interest, sounds too hard & painful- but I love the 1/2 marathon and at the Toronto Marathon & 1/2 Marathon there was a pace group. 10 minutes running, 1 minute walking - extremely well executed. I joined in and had my best pace in several years. NO fatigue or soreness. One guy yelled at us "To get off the road" if we were going to walk (we all raised our left arms and counted out with the pacer indicating we were moving from run to walk mode); after we passed him during the next run cycle, I never saw him again -
It's called a MARATHON because of the distance, not the pace - I envy those running a sub 8-minute mile but it's still a MARATHON (or 1/2 marathon) using the walk/run method.

It wasn't until the humility of some failing bodily systems that I swallowed my false pride and adopted a walk/run method out of desperation. I "resigned" myself to walking intervals from the start of my run and did not attempt to just run until I couldn't any longer.

And something shocking happened. I loved it. I got faster. My endurance started to return. I didn't hurt. I still got my "runner's high." The scenery of my surroundings became stunningly beautiful.

I cannot recommend this enough. Although I approached it from a place of physical necessity, I think this could be an excellent entrée into the sport for 'non-runners' who are find the idea of running without breaks completely daunting. Really, try it. It could change your life.

Readers might want to try track middle distance running and even sprints. A track has some give to it, sparing a lot of the soreness endemic to long road races. Pacing is critically important, no walking needed and these shorter races are just as challenging as a marathon, although in a different way.

That is exactly how I have finished most of my marathons, walking is always an important component especially in the second half. While I am able to run an entire half marathon at a 9 minute/mile pace, my marathons are mostly in the 10:30-11 minute/mile with a walking interspersed between every mile for miles 16-23 while saving some energy for the last 3 miles. I have noticeably less knee pain and better recovery doing the run/walk. So what does this study say about long term damage to the heart for non-elite runners like me who run a couple marathons every year?

THE MARATHON is a RACE it is not a walk in the park ! THE MARATHON is named so aptly because its NOT supposed to be easy....GRANTED, you put the time in, train accordingly, eat properly, hydrate effectively and you will finish. I am NOT an advocate of walking...it's NOT what the marathon is all about.

I completed my first marathon in April using run-walk-run. I completed in less than 4 hours and had a very short recovery. I've run around 30 miles a week ever since and always used run walk run.
This isn't just for beginners. I run around half marathons in the 1:40 range (which puts me winning small local races) and I walk 30 seconds every four minutes. The only Boston qualifier in my small area I know also uses this method.

When I was running regularly, I completed 2 half marathon races a year apart (2003 & 2004) with very similar results - 1:46 =/- 30 seconds. At that time, I knew a lot of runners who deliberately trained using a 10 minute run and 1 minute walk strategy; they reported improved times and much less fatigue when they raced with this strategy. I would not suggest using this strategy in a race unless you've trained with it and are used to it as it can disrupt your rhythm. I think that different strategies work for different people - for me it was continuous running for as long as I could. In 2003, I got to the 16 km point of the race and felt physically unable to continue running - I forced myself to walk as best I could for ~ 500 metres and then I was able to start running again; in 2004, I trained much less diligently and managed to run the whole race without incident. Different strokes for different folks.

Boom. That is exactly how I trained for and power walked/ran the Dublin Marathon as a benefit for the Arthritis Foundation. Along with reducing the risk of injury, I was able to accomplish my goal: "to dance across the finish line." Because my pace was slow and steady I wasabi able to really enjoy the historic and beautiful scenery.
As a doctor of the Psychology of Hunan Movement: Kinesiology, and veteran Fitness Professional, I appreciate and thank you for another excellent, encouraging, and validating story.

This technique is known as the Osler method, refined by Tom Osler in the '70s. The original context was for ultra-marathons, but it is applicable to marathon and medium length distances. One of the key concepts was that you have to use the run/walk cycle right from the beginning. This is the hardest part for many because for the first ten miles, you feel great - why walk? But if you wait until you are tired to start walking, it's not effective. If you run/walk, you may incur some derision from other participants, who view walking as evidence of poor training or lack of competitiveness. That happened to me in several marathon races before the technique was widely known. I would hear comments like "I guess he didn't know how to train" from runners who passed me while I walked. It was common for me to pass the same people on the run, and then get passed on my walk - back and forth - for many miles, until eventually those continuously running would fade while my overall pace remained steady.

The idea of walking strikes me as a variation of a tried and true strategy that benefits all marathoners, from the slowest to the fastest. The biggest reason that marathoners drop out and overtax their bodies tends to be going out too fact. Almost every marathoner benefits by aiming for negative splits. When you go out at a relatively slow pace, you avoid early exhaustion and injury. Generally, around the 10k mark, you speed up to your expected average pace. That allows you to finish faster, passing the competition, which is an incentive to keep going. At the marathon distance, negative splits take a lot of discipline, and most end up with even splits. But even a steady overall pace is far superior to burning out early. I always found walking demoralizing but going out slow just seems smart.

I do the 9 minutes of 5mph and then walk for a minute. Worked great. No injuries or knee pains. As pointed out the recovery is much faster.

Why is the NYTimes so obsessed with running? It is not a great "starter" sport for people who want to get into shape, it concentrates impact on a limited number of body joints and it leaves getting into many sports that people might enjoy unmentioned in the wings. The point is to elevate heart rate safely for 30 minutes or longer, and continuously increase the beneficial effects by increasing the effort. There are a lot of options out there. Get people focused on options and pursuing the underlying principle instead of evangelizing a "run or nothing" position.