Saturday, July 4, 2015

That 30 Second Walk Thing

It felt great to get out for a run this morning!

It has been pretty hot here the past few weeks and I knew if we were going to run today it would have to be early.  So, we got up, had a few sips of coffee, ate a banana on the way out the door and headed toward the water... there is always a nice little breeze coming up from the ocean.

I normally use the run/walk method for my day to day runs unless I am wearing a heart rate monitor. Sometimes I use a 9/1 interval, sometimes a 10/1. But lately I have been reading about Jeff Galloway's new run/walk philosophy which is keeping the walking breaks to 30 seconds rather than a full minute.  His reasoning is that after 30 seconds of walking we tend to slow down too much.

Now, I am not really that focused on speed because I tend to be a very slow runner anyway. But hey, I wouldn't mind improving that, even at this late stage in my running career. So, I decided to try the 30 second walk today to see if made any difference in  my speed or the way I felt.

Today I used a 9:30/:30 interval.... run for 9-1/2 minutes then walk for 1/2 minute.  Which is just long enough to snap a picture and get a sip of water, I have discovered!




I love this route along the Strait to the cruise ship terminal and back.  Well, I should say I love the outbound half because it is mostly downhill... which makes the return trip mostly uphill.  I do run that inbound half slower for sure! But it is a lovely view, and I do love an ocean breeze.



So how did my time compare to the last time I did this run, using the 30 second walk break instead of the whole minute?

The last time I did this same route, which is 4.36 km long, was 14 days ago and it was a similar warm morning.  I used a 10/1 interval and it took 15 minutes for the first half and 17 minutes and 50 seconds for the second half.  Total time 32:50.

Today I used a 9:30/:30 interval and it took only 14 minutes for the first half and 18 minutes and 30 seconds for the second half. Total time 32:30.

So I started out faster but slowed down more the second half, finishing 20 seconds faster overall.  I felt better after I finished this time, I do know that for sure.

I think that this 30 second walk is something that I will continue for a while. I can see that if I really want to improve my speed, that I should likely shorten the run interval and run faster during that time, then walk for the 30 seconds, and repeat.

How about you?  Are you concerned with speed on your day to day runs?  How do you work at getting faster? 

Do you use a run/walk interval at all? 



12 comments:

  1. I have to use the run/walk because I am an awful runner!

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  2. This is very interesting and haven't really researched much. While I was marathon training (for leisure not for a race) there was a lot of run/walk days then full run days. I find it much easier to pace myself when I run/walk.

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  3. This sounds like a great program! I'm not a super speedy runner, either, but I do speed intervals on Tuesdays following the Run Less, Run Faster program and have seen a BIG difference in my speed.

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  4. Lots of the moms in our running group use this method and swear by it. Glad it's working so well for you. Have a great week

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  5. I also tried the 30 second walk breaks but it's not for me. I have allergies and trouble breathing sometimes so I need longer to catch my breath in between running. I also found that I started out faster with this method but then slowed down a lot during the second half.

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  6. I don't know much about Galloway. I find that when I stop I can't get going again. To get faster, I hit the track. As a coach, I think that's one of the only sure fire ways to get faster. You have to push yourself. I love working out at the track, it hurts while you are doing it, but it feels great after and to see the improvements are awesome!

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  7. I almost always run using intervals. Galloway is the man!

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  8. Next week the twitter chat I co-host Monday at 4pm EST where we bust common #fitmyths is talking about running! Fleet Feet is sponsoring us! Hope you will join, looks like running is one of your passions!

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  9. Love that running route!! :) I didn't realize you live in Victoria!
    I don't run/walk but I do intervals once a week during marathon training to get faster. Usually a 10 minute warm up followed by 1 minute sprint/1 minute recover run for 30 minutes, then a 10 minute cool down run. Intervals and temp runs are the best ways to get faster!

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  10. Hmm I've been seeing more information about this technique. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks for sharing, what a pretty place to run!

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  11. I tried a run walk interval several years ago but couldn't get passed the mental block. It's ridiculous but true.

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  12. Interesting about the 30 seconds! Perhaps I will try that on my run tomorrow. I did a workout on Monday with 30 min. walk breaks but those 30 seconds really fly by ;)

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