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by
Amby Burfoot
A simple new training technique
can increase your endurance and calorie-burning, decrease injuries and maybe
even help you run faster
Shhhh. I've got a little secret to share with you. You see, I used to be
a fairly fast runner. In fact, 30 years ago this month, I won the Boston
Marathon. And there's a certain amount of honor among Boston winners--a code
of steely toughness, a sort of "pain is my friend" ethic--that we're sworn
to uphold.
Now, about that secret. I wouldn't want anyone to think I've gone soft or
anything but ... uh, this is kinda hard to get out ... I often take walking
breaks during my daily runs.
There, that feels much better. Though I don't know why it was hard to say in
the first place. After all, it makes perfect sense to mix running and
walking.
Think about it:
- When new runners begin a running program, they often start by
following a run-walk routine. They run for maybe 30 seconds, walk until
they feel recovered, then repeat the process for 20 to 30 minutes. This
system has proven successful a thousand times over.
- When world-class runners peak for the Olympics, they concentrate on
"interval" training--the still-unsurpassed method for achieving maximum
results. They run hard for 1 to 5 minutes, then walk or jog very slowly
until they're ready to run hard again.
- When ultradistance runners participate in those seemingly crazy races
of 100 miles or six days (and beyond), they inevitably alternate running
and walking. Which only makes sense. It's hard to imagine any other way to
cover the mega-mile distances.
You, on the other hand, probably view walking as the enemy.
The thinking is: You run, and this is good. You are proving and improving
yourself; you are determined; you are a moral person. Whereas when you walk,
this is bad. You are lazy; you are a loser; you don't deserve to be loved
(not even by your mother).
Mental-health therapists have many words for this sort of inflexible,
perfectionist thinking, and I have one, too. I call it "stupid." (None too
nuanced, but has the benefit of clarity.)
The goal of a workout is not to avoid walking. This bears repeating: The
goal of a workout is not to avoid walking. The goals are to feel better, get
in better shape, reduce tension, lose weight, train for an upcoming race and
so on. Take your pick. They're all worthwhile goals.
And here's the important thing: You can achieve these goals more easily if
you incorporate some walking into your running. I've been doing it for
several years, and it hasn't made me less of a runner. In fact, I used a
heavy dose of run/walk training to get ready for Boston this month.
Run/walk training, which I like to call "R/W training," represents a simple,
commonsense approach to conditioning. It can help you train more (for better
marathon preparation and calorie-burning); it can help you train healthier
(who needs injuries and burnout?); and it can even help you get faster
(through various forms of interval training).
Enough talk. Let's get more specific.
The Galloway Marathon
In recent years Jeff Galloway has pioneered the
idea of walking breaks during marathons. Jeff advocates this
program not only for many first-time marathoners, but also for
those who have previously "hit the wall" and experienced the
crushing fatigue and depression of those last few miles. By
walking early and often, Jeff has found, most runners survive
the final miles in much better shape. They feel better, and they
often run faster.
You can run/walk a marathon any way you want, but the simplest
is to run the first mile, then walk 60 seconds. Run the second
mile, then walk 60 seconds (and enjoy a cup of sports drink).
Repeat 24 more times, then hold your head high and sprint like a
banshee.
The Galloway run/walk marathon has now been used successfully by
thousands of marathoners. Jeff says it's possible to run under
3:30 this way, and we know several runners who did so at last
fall's Chicago Marathon. But fast times aren't the point. The
point is that you can finish the marathon, you can feel good,
you can run strong to the end, and you can admire that gleaming
finisher's medal for the rest of your life.
The Next Step
The Galloway program has made many converts, and
I'm one of them. I've now run four marathons with walking
breaks, in times ranging from 3:45 to 4:30, and I'll run many
more the same way. Walking breaks have added confidence to my
marathoning.
Since I'm a modest trainer these days, averaging 20 to 30 miles
a week, the marathon can easily intimidate me. A few years ago,
I was beginning to dread the thought of running 26.2-milers. Now
I don't even think of the marathon that way. I think of it as a
1-mile run that I just happen to repeat 26 times. Piece of cake.
R/W training has also made my daily training easier. Used to be
that, much as I love running, I sometimes felt too tired to get
out the door. I talked myself out of many workouts: When you're
already tired, why drag yourself out on the roads for 40
minutes?
I don't have this problem anymore. Because I don't run for 40
minutes. I run for 4 minutes, then walk for a minute, then
repeat the process until I've completed 40 minutes. Okay, it's
not the greatest workout of all time, but so what? All I care
about is getting in the workout and feeling wonderfully
energized afterward, which I always do.
A Step Backward
Let's pause for a moment to consider some of the
differences between running and walking. Some are small, others
more significant.
Running and walking do have much in common. Running is basically
fast walking, with this difference: runners "jump" from foot to
foot, walkers don't. When you run, the knee flexes more than in
walking, the quadriceps muscles contract, and you "toe off" in
more or less the same way as the long jumper who explodes off
the jump board.
Because you toe off and jump, you come down forcefully on the
other foot. This is the infamous "impact shock" of running--said
to be two to three times your body weight--that can lead to
overuse injuries of the foot, knees, tendons and so on. Walkers
don't jump, so they are less likely to get injured.
But because you jump, you can cover ground much faster than a
walker and burn many more calories per minute (because moving
faster requires you to consume more oxygen). In other words, you
get a superior workout in less time, which is one of the major
benefits of running.
Unfortunately, many potential runners never get into the rhythm
of running, because it can be hard work. They set out to run
around the block a few times but find themselves breathless and
bedraggled at the first corner. Not a pretty sight. So they
repair to the sofa and never leave it again.
Or maybe they do try another time, but on this next effort they
decide to skip the running. They walk. It's hard to fail at
walking. But a leisurely stroll, while better than nothing at
all, probably doesn't produce as many health and fitness
benefits. (See "Intense Benefits" on page 50.)
These are the people who need to learn about R/W training.
They're already motivated to exercise; they just have to step up
the pace a little. Which is what a program of running and
walking does. You won't get exhausted and frustrated (thanks to
the walking breaks), and you'll get all the benefits that
vigorous exercise brings (thanks to the running). Not a bad
deal.
And there are many other runners and exercisers who should give
R/W training a try as well.
The Many Varieties of R/W Training
Jeff Galloway has seized the moment with his strategy of
running/walking marathon races; indeed, R/W training has its most obvious
application in long runs. I've been doing this for several years, and it works
great.
I now do many of my long runs using a "9/1" method--that is, I run for 9 minutes
and walk for 1 minute. On a typical out-and-back course, I head out for 60
minutes, then turn back toward home. Two hours, nothing to it. When I want to
increase my training prior to a marathon, I just add another 9/1 segment on the
outbound trip. Now the workout lasts 2 hours and 20 minutes, and I hardly notice
the difference. Two weeks later, I do 2 hours and 40 minutes, and so on. In this
buildup process, I stop at 3 hours.
Lest you think me a complete slacker, I often turn this long run into a tempo
workout on the way back. In the middle of each 9-minute run, I do a 3-minute
pickup at close to my 10-K race pace. Since I do six running segments every
hour, this amounts to 18 minutes of tempo running in the last hour of my long
run. That's a quality day.
If you want to outdo me, fine. Increase your pickups to 4, 5 or even 6 minutes
during each 9-minute running segment. Do six of these during the last hour of
your long run, and I guarantee this: You'll never again think that walking
breaks make a workout wimpy. You'll crawl up your front steps, desperate to
remember where you stashed the energy bars.
There are many other varieties of R/W training. And just as many benefits. Some
physical, some mental, all guaranteed to change (and probably improve) your
running. Here are a few:
Running farther, easier: I've already mentioned this several times, but it can't
be overemphasized. All runners, from beginners to veteran marathoners, would
like to run longer and easier. The R/W system gives you a new tool to achieve
this. Does it come at a cost? Sure. Your overall workout is slower, so you get
slightly less training effect. But most times you run long to build overall
endurance and increase your body's ability to burn fat and calories in general.
A long R/W run does this just fine. (For pacing information, see "How Fast Are
You Going?" on page 50.)
Increased variety. Far too many runners do the same workout at the same pace
every time they run. It's boring, and it's not a smart way to train. An R/W
workout naturally has many small segments, which encourages you to experiment.
Yesterday, for example, I did an hour of 4/1 run/walking, and each 4-minute run
was different. I did everything from 4 minutes very slow to a variety of
4-minute fartlek runs to 4 minutes at a hard, steady pace.
Better speedwork. Same as the above, but with harder effort. An R/W workout is
an offshoot of the classic interval workout, so it's easy to make it a real
gut-buster. Here's one of my favorites, again built on the 4/1 pattern. During
each 4-minute running segment, jog for 1 minute, run hard for 2 minutes and jog
for 1 minute. Then do the 1-minute walk. Repeat this eight times, and you've
come reasonably close to the 8 x 400-meter interval torture that my college
coach loved to inflict on us.
On the topic of intervals: Exercise physiologist Jack Daniels, Ph.D., recently
had two groups of women run three times a week, either continuously or with
walking breaks. After 12 weeks, the run/walk group was more fit. Why? "In
effect, the walking breaks turned the workouts into one big interval session,"
says Daniels. "It allowed the women to go faster overall."
Fewer injuries. Walking doesn't cause as many injuries as running, and R/W
training shouldn't cause as many either. No, I can't prove this, but it makes
intuitive sense. Since walking uses the leg muscles and connective tissues in a
slightly different manner than running, it should reduce overuse injuries.
During R/W workouts, I walk with a deliberately slow, elongated stride. This is
quite a change from my normally short, choppy running stride, and I can feel
other muscles coming into play.
More sightseeing. What's the point of running in some gorgeous, natural
environment if all you see are the rocks and gnarly roots on the trail right in
front of you? Yet that's all many trail runners see, because they're
concentrating so hard on avoiding falls and twisted ankles. Take your new R/W
philosophy to the trails, however, and you can drink in those scenic overlooks
during your walking breaks.
More effective recovery days. This one's easy and obvious. Some days you need to
run slow. Maybe you ran long or fast the previous day. Maybe you've been having
a tough time in the office or at home. You want to run, but you're not exactly
bursting with mental or physical energy. Try an R/W workout. You won't regret
it.
Faster comebacks. You've had a sore knee, a bad Achilles or a nasty, week-long
cold. You're ready to get back into your training routine but want to make sure
you don't overdo it and suffer a setback. A series of progressive R/W workouts
may do the trick. Try a couple of 2/1 workouts, then a couple of 3/1 runs, and
keep building. Listen to your body, and don't run farther or faster than what
feels right.
More quality time. My wife runs, but my teenage kids don't. They do all the
other stuff kids do--soccer, computers, tae kwon do--but probably wouldn't make
it through a steady 30-minute run. They will, however, do an R/W workout with
us. We pick something easy, keep it relatively short, yak like crazy and enjoy
the time together.
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