Many experienced runners often assume that the run/walk method is only suitable for beginners. There’s no way it could help you reach your goals or allow you to run faster paces, right? In reality, it could be the missing piece of your training and racing plan.
Andrea Dell, an RRCA-certified run coach based in Charlotte, North Carolina, believes run/walk has a place in your training—no matter your fitness level or your goals. In fact, she includes some form of the run/walk method in all her runners’ training, because it’s a tried-and-true strategy for tackling longer distances, recovering more efficiently, and even dropping minutes from your marathon time. So whether you’re a couch-to-5K runner, a first-time marathoner, or a seasoned athlete, Dell lays out all the ways run/walk can improve your training and how to make the most of the method.
If you’re a first-time runner or someone following a couch-to-5K training plan, your run/walk intervals might look like 30 seconds of running followed by a 60-second walk interval. If you’re a first-time marathoner or a more advanced runner, however, you might run for four minutes followed by 30-second walks. More advanced runners or those going for long distances might also use run/walk intervals during workouts such as Yasso 800s.
To do it, run 800 meters at the prescribed pace, but instead of jogging between efforts, walk briskly to recover. This walk interval should be double the amount of time of the hard effort, Dell says. While run/walk intervals can serve as a speed workout hack to help you get faster and pace more evenly (more on that below), they can improve your running in other ways, too.
For example, try 90-second run intervals and 30-second walks for extra recovery on an easy run the day after a long run. This reduces the overall stress of the effort, but still gets your legs turning over so you can move through any soreness without stiffening up, Dell explains. You can also use run/walk intervals during your weekend long runs to help you conquer the distance.
If you want to run farther distances, “run/walk keeps your heart rate low for long enough that you can maintain pace for a lot longer than you would expect,” says Dell. This makes it a lot more manageable to tackle a half or full marathon for the first time (or if you’re racing the distance again after a long time away). Dell tells runners that if they can run six continuous miles, they’re capable of completing nine miles using run/walk intervals because the walk breaks reduce the overall intensity and effort of the run.
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