Run 1 Mile - Walk 1 Minute?

[MapleGirl]

One of my co-workers is a seasoned marathoner and coach. He suggested that for my first half-marathon I plan to walk for 1 minute after I pass each mile marker. He said that my race time will be better than if I try to run the whole thing because I'll be able to recover and keep up my pace for the whole race.

What are your thoughts on this?

Anyone else do this?

 

[timmac]

I would modify the suggestion slightly, that instead of doing it at mile markers, do it at water/aid stations. This will not only help you to recover just a bit along the way, but will also ensure you get your fluids down. Assuming the course is reasonably well organized, you'll have this every 1.5-2 miles. I highly recommend doing this.

 

[dislvr74]

Hi!

I've done 5 half marathons using the Galloway method of running intervals. There are several people here who do the same thing and should have some great advice for you. I've experimented with several different ratios and I'm currently running 2 minutes/walking 1 minute. I can do 11:30 min miles at that pace. I had hoped to get to a point where I could r10/w1 or r4/w1, but I hated it and I really wasn't much faster.

Long story short, I firmly believe in walk breaks.

 

[StitchAttack]

The only way you will know if this works for you is to try several long runs during training using a run/walk and several long runs running the entire time. Some runners swear by this method, but for others it doesn't work well.

Even if you don't finish the race any faster using a run/walk, you will probably feel much better at the end of the race if you walk for short portions of it every mile and finish strong, than if you run out of gas at 10 miles and have to walk the last 2-3 miles when you are completely exhausted.

 

[tiberius]

I can tell you from my own experiences that I typically walk 1 minute for every 5 to 10 minutes I run, and I have timed myself that I do run faster over a long distance using the run/walk method. I also find that I recover more quickly as well.

 

[Duanerice]

I walk through every water stop for about 1 mintue. Not only is it safer but I just can't run and drink from a cup. But I can run and chew gum

Enjoy,
Duane

 

[MapleGirl]

Thanks everyone. I like the idea of walking through the water and first aid stops. I hate trying to drink while I'm running! How far apart are they in the Disney half?

 

[dsnyfan21]

I think they are about every mile and a half or 2 miles apart. Once the race route map is up it will show where the water stops are.

Tracy

 

[bounceliketigger]

I'm so glad you asked this question--I was wondering the same thing. I've tried the run/ walk @ home & walked 30 seconds after each mile. I averaged 8 1/2 min/ mile doing this on a 5-8 mile runs. If I let the walk go beyond 30 seconds though, I just couldn't get the gas going again & wound up walking too much.

So, in the TOT 13K I ran the whole time, just to see if I could. I just found myself thinking "well, I ran this far, might as well keep going". I finished in 88 min, so 11 min/ mile, which is quite a bit slower than the 8 1/2 - 9 min. at home.

Now I'm training for the Princess 1/2, so I think I'm going to try the run/ walk. A good friend who's a marathon runner suggested this too, saying you'll find your average pace will get much faster.

We'll see!

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

It really does work. You'll find you can enjoy your event more too.

 

[jessily]

I'm a big believer of the walk/run method. I trained to run my first half and didn't incorporate any walking. It seemed to work well for me during training. I had a bad race day though and wasn't able to keep it up after about mile 9. I struggled to walk/run the rest of the race and came in later than I expected. For my 2nd half marathon I ran 4 minutes/ walked 2 minutes from the beginning. Around mile 10 I was feeling good enough to reduce the amount of walking I was doing. I came in 18 minutes faster than my first half marathon, felt a lot better, and recovered a lot faster.

I highly recommend it

 

[jam217]

Last year for Goofy I did that for the marathon portion with a pace group. It worked well.

 

[Ronda93]

I started running early this year. I've been doing my longer, weekend runs as an R10/W3. My theory is to run the first 10 minutes of every mile and then walk out the rest. I've been getting faster and get about two to two and a half minutes of walking. It gives my heart rate a chance to recover. My longest run so far is five miles. This is my plan for the Donald.

I shoot for for speed (ha!) on Tuesday with R3/W1, but don't believe I can sustain that pace beyond 4-5 miles. Nor would I want to. I spend the rest of the day KNOWING I ran hard that morning.

However, I do find that my calves will begin to tighten up at the end of the walk periods. I feel like I start running again just in time.

I want to finish the WDW half marathon. I think walk breaks give me the best chance to do so. Plus I get to stay for a few days after and want to enjoy the parks.

Ronda

 

[cewait]

One of my co-workers is a seasoned marathoner and coach. He suggested that for my first half-marathon I plan to walk for 1 minute after I pass each mile marker. He said that my race time will be better than if I try to run the whole thing because I'll be able to recover and keep up my pace for the whole race.

What are your thoughts on this?

Anyone else do this?

We should call this the CEWAIT plan. Go for it. In a race its the easiest way to build in a walk. Do train using the interval as it can be stressing if you run shorter intervals. It's at the advnaced end of the Galloway plan but very doable.

You may also want to walk aid stations. I tend to not walk the aid stations unless taking on a gel.

 

[ironz]

I do a variation on this, too....really helps me maintain a more even pace throughout the event, and I recover better. and get less injured in training.

Experiment and you will find the ratio that works best for you. I tend to run about 5-7 min/walk a minute. I've been doing this for years, so my body pretty much knows just when that walk minute is up and it is time to start running again. Some people do find it difficult to run again after walking...I think I have just trained my body to get used to it.

Do a search for Galloway and run/walk. You'll find lots of info.


ALSO----to ALL the run/walkers----be sure and try to get closer to the side of the road in a race (esp a big one like WDW) when it is time to start your walk breaks. I know I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but I almost came to blows one year in the 1/2 marathon by trying to get around a group of 4 people who were walking abreast, on one of the on/off ramps...at mile 1/2 of the race. They clearly had started in a corral they shouldn't have been in, and had NO concerns for the athletes behind them, with no way to get around them (on a ramp to an overpass there is no ground off the edge of the road to go around).

 

[wdw4us]

during this year's 1/2 I had a group of three women, 2 young and 1 older obviously their mother. They were jogging and literally dragging her through EPCOT. Yelling coming through. I looked at them and thought, your dragging this old lady slower than I'm walking and you want me to step aside? I moved let them "pass" then went around them well before the end. 2 across is acceptable, beyond that, make some rows in the narrow sections.

denise

 

[Spartan7]

I do not have experience on marathon distance, but on the Army Ten Miler trials at Fort Benning I would walk or slow down to the extreme at the water points (Every 2.5 miles). I still made a 69 minute ten mile on rolling hills in July (82 degrees/high humidity) and was selected for the Fort Benning team. So I would say, yes. It really works.

Although I never caught my breath until the end!

Happy Racing!