Jeff Galloway was a member of the 1972 Olympic team and broke the U.S. mile record in 1973. As an accomplished runner, he now promotes the Galloway Marathon Training Program.
Galloway has discovered that the majority of runners will record significantly faster times if they allow themselves to take walk breaks and then do not slow down at the end of a long run. By using the Galloway method, marathon runners are able to pick up speed during the last 2-6 miles of the race. Other runners often spend their last miles slowing down and struggling to finish.
Galloway believes that a long run should be broken into shorter running and walking segments. Walking uses different muscles than running. By varying muscle use from the beginning of a long run, leg muscles conserve resources and keep a spring in your step. Continuous use of the same muscle group soon leads to fatigue. Walking and running shifts the workload back and forth between different groups of muscles.
Allowing yourself to take walk breaks also helps decrease the amount of time needed for recovery. You cause less damage so your muscles have less to repair. Early walk breaks cut down on your muscle fatigue during a long run, and later walk breaks help prevent muscle overuse.
To properly practice the Galloway method, you must start taking walk breaks before feeling any signs of fatigue. Walk breaks should last for about one minute at a pace that allows you to feel strong at the end of your run. It takes time and variation to find your ideal ratio of running speed to walking speed. You should vary your ratio of running to walking breaks to vary your workout and allow for condition changes such as speed, incline, weather, etc.
To learn more about the Galloway method and see recommended running/walking ratios, visit Jeff Galloway’s website.
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