For decades, many runners, and even coaches, have assumed that being a runner meant never walking during a training run or race. Even the most accomplished runners would apologize when they walked at a water stop or up a hill. Fortunately, times have changed.
Now, many runners recognize that walking can be a strength, not a weakness, both for training and racing. That’s particularly true when it comes to the run/walk method, a reliable way to support any run goal, including running faster, running longer, or running more often. Incorporating run/walk intervals into your workout routine may also help prevent injuries both while you train and when you push yourself for a long-distance race.
Here’s everything you need to know about the run/walk method and how to incorporate it as a training and race strategy in your run repertoire. Our Runner’s World run/walk training plans are designed for runners of all levels tackling every distance. The plans span from six to 26 weeks, and vary depending on your goals.
To give you a more in-depth look at this training and racing strategy, Runner’s World created How to Master the Run/Walk Method. Paired with the RW training plan of your choice, this holistic program, available exclusively to Runner’s World+ members, provides all the tools you need to start—or level up—your run/walk routine. In 1976, run coach Jeff Galloway, an accomplished runner who competed in the 1972 Olympics for the 10,000-meter race, created the Galloway Method in an effort to keep his runners injury-free.
This training and racing method directed runners to incorporate walk intervals into their runs and is now referred to more generally as the run/walk method. While traditional training plans aim for continuous running, run/walkers maintain a run/walk interval ratio throughout training and even on race day. The walk intervals typically last around 30 seconds (though some may shorten them), and the run intervals may vary depending on your pace.
Also, the transition between the two modes is never a hard stop, but rather a smooth transition between paces. A training key metric of run/walk method is time on feet. Because the strategy inherently incorporates intervals, one measure of progress is to go out for longer periods of time.
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