Galloway method?

[deannathegeek]

I loved running when I was a non-smoker, and now that I've quit (again) I'm looking at starting back up. Slowly, of course. I've tried the Galloway method before (walk run walk), but I was wondering if anyone else has tried it and if they'd had any success with it or not.

For reference: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/

[Raviv]

I'm not running really anymore because races messed with my immune system and I get anxious in crowds.  So the reward for working my butt off for a month or two was to be in a stress inducing situation and then get sick.  😕  It also completely halted my weight loss at the time, which I know sounds weird but is more common than you would think.  Now I'm lifting weights and hiking or cycling on the weekends, and I find my body and brain both like that better.  Anyway...

When I was running, I found my times were just as good when I alternated walking and running, especially if there were steep hills involved, which is frequently the case where I live.  My times were pretty much the same as they were if I tried to run the whole thing.  You can up your pace a bit and run faster if you take walk breaks every now and then, more than if you have to slow it down enough to continue and not pass out, so it tends to average out.  In the end, I didn't see a lot of difference between the two results except that maybe the walk/run method wasn't quite so hard on my body, which is a good thing.  Live to fight another day, you know.

[Dominique]

I never bought his book, nor followed his method to the letter, but I was aware of it when I started running again 2.5 years ago, and I’ve been following something similar. Worked very well for me. In fact, I’m still doing it for a standard 2 x 8 km trip I do 2-3 times a week: on each leg, I walk for 1 km, run for 1 km, walk for 1 km etc. I’m using Runtastic for that (though I now know exactly where each portion starts and stops). Although I could jog the entire 8 km, I find the walk-run-walk setup more enjoyable, as I can push harder on the running portions. I also want to preserve my joints by not doing too much of running.

[DominicJ]

I know a lot of people have used that method, it didnt work for me.

I picked a distance, 5k, and just added 0.1kph to my speed every week.

[Corney]

No, I've run for over 30 years before giving it up because of pantar fasciitis and patellar-femoral syndrome. I never liked the run walk method, since running is 90% mental and 10% physical.  I started out running less than 1 mile,eventually running 2 marathons and countless 10 k's.  I never in any of my training runs stopped to walk, because to me walking became a cop out, and once you give in to walking it becomes easier to walk the next time.  Set you initial goal low, then gradually increase your distance 10% a week.

[LedMatrix]

Never tried it. But a much praised app called Couch to 5K is excellent.

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@deannathegeek wrote:

I loved running when I was a non-smoker, and now that I've quit (again) I'm looking at starting back up. Slowly, of course. I've tried the Galloway method before (walk run walk), but I was wondering if anyone else has tried it and if they'd had any success with it or not.

For reference: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/

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[Raviv]

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@LedMatrix wrote:

Never tried it. But a much praised app called Couch to 5K is excellent.

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Agree.  There are several out there - Zen Fitness Labs, Blue Fin, Zombie Run, and I think Galloway even has is own series of apps - so it's just a matter of finding one you like and going for it.

To the OP: The only advice I would give is to make sure you allow for a couple of extra weeks in case you have to repeat a week or two, which happens.  And if you think there's a chance you might run a 10K or more, just go ahead and get the app for that distance.  It will get you to the 5K and then beyond it for the same price.

[MikeBee]

I did follow the Galloway method for my first marathon training.  It's great at starting up, since it adds alot of walking.

But about midway through my training of several months, I grew tired of the walking breaks and began running the whole distance. 

So it depends on what shape you're starting out at, what your goals are (just finishing, time goal, keep in shape) and the distance (marathon, half, 10k, etc).  If you're just looking at a 5k, then Couch5k is a good one.

GW also mentions but does not really stress the parts that really help with endurance and time (fartleks, intervals, etc).  So I thought it was light in those areas.

I've since moved on to other training regimes, but I do think GW is a great starting point.

[emili]

I have been running since July and I started with a jog for1.5 miles around the neighborhood non stop. then when I felt I wouldn't look like a freak, I took to the treadmill so I can keep a steady pace. I started with 2 and slowly added in a quarter of a mile at a time at 6.2 MPH. Then I started to increase my speed and the miles, etc etc. My goal was to go without walking for at least 30 minutes. Now, I run, walk, sprint- anything to keep from getting bored and keeping the heart rate up. On the weekends which is my all cardio time, I run (most), walk (less), sprint (least) 8 miles.

@Raviv- thank you for sharing that about yourself.

[emili]

@MikeBee- what the heck is a fartleak- I am on the floor crying laughing- is that what happens when one runs???

[SunsetRunner]

To;deanna the geek

Galloway is very prominent in the running community.  Yet, personal training is all about YOU.  Mileages and courses are explained as are most things on running.  Yet, how to integrate concepts inot YOUR goals can be confusing.  As an expert, there are few better though.

[Raviv]

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@emili wrote:

@MikeBee- what the heck is a fartleak- I am on the floor crying laughing- is that what happens when one runs???

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Sorry, but your question had me on the floor laughing too!

It's called a Fartlek and it's a LOT less embarassing than a Fart Leak.  It's Swedish for "speed play" and it's basically interval training.

Here's the Wikipedia article on it. Wikipedia - Fartlek page

[MikeBee]

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@Raviv wrote:

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@emili wrote:

@MikeBee- what the heck is a fartleak- I am on the floor crying laughing- is that what happens when one runs???

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Sorry, but your question had me on the floor laughing too!

It's called a Fartlek and it's a LOT less embarassing than a Fart Leak.  It's Swedish for "speed play" and it's basically interval training.

Here's the Wikipedia article on it. Wikipedia - Fartlek page

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Had to laugh at your description.  🙂

Yep, the wiki page goes into a good amount of detail.  Essentially the difference between Interval and Fartlek training, is that for the Interval you would set up ahead of time your planned run distance and time and your jogs (example:  Jog first mile at 9:00/mile, Run second mile at 7:00/mile, jog next mile at 9:00/mile).  The fartlek is less structured (example:  I'm gonna start slow then run fast for about 2 blocks, then catch my breath and jog, then run faster for as long as I can maintain that speed, then jog some more).  Both are great ways to build speed and endurance.

[emili]

@Raviv @MikeBee- well thank you both. for the info and the entertainment!

[madmaxxmad]

I used this to learn to run, and finish my first half marathon.  I'm now starting it again.  I have the watch which actually helps keep the run walk in line.

[shipo]

@madmaxxmad, if you haven't run in a long time I would strongly recommend any of the very good Couch to 5K (C25K) programs out there to get going again.  Once you can run a 3-Mile/5K distance, even if it is at a slow pace, mixing in walking is not terribly productive (unless you're heading up a ski hill); having coached many runners getting back into shape (and self-coached myself in the same situation), I highly recommend you try and stick with Long Slow Distance (LSD) as your training plan.  Basically keep things slow, and if you are feeling energetic on any given day, instead of going faster, run longer; once you're consistently able to run 6-Mile/10K distance at a crack, then start dialing up the pace for say, the few hundred yards/meters, then the last five hundred, then the last thousand..., you get the idea.

FWIW, 2021 is a rebuild year for me as well, due to medical issues (pneumonia in 2017 and COVID in both 2020 and 2021), and injuries (broken big toe in 2018, torn arch later in 2018, a broken leg in 2019, and got mauled by a huge dog in 2021), I hadn't been able to run for nearly 4 years prior to January of this year.  I started running with the whopping distance of roughly a half mile and gradually worked up from there; by early July my average weekly mileage was pushing 30 miles and I'd managed a handful of 10+ mile runs; then a Bernese Mountain Dog put me out of commission until late August, yeah, that was fun.  For the second time this year I am rebuilding, and just this last weekend I managed a 10.17 mile run, at a slow pace mind you, but hey, I'm in my mid-60s, so pretty much everything these days is at a slow pace.  😛