As many of you may know I am a runner. I started running as a way to lose weight, get fit and most of all to prove to my 6th grade P.E. teacher that I could run. Once I ran my first race I was hooked. I love the challenge of running, and though not every run is filled with joy, I do have to say it is my passion.

When I laced up my first pair of running shoes well over three years ago, I started like many new runners do, and that is with a walk/run program. Most people do not have the endurance or stamina to run a long distance right off the bat, but with time and patience one can eventually go from a walk/run to running a good three miles in a matter of weeks. However, many experts are now advocating adding walk breaks into your runs to help not only with your endurance, but to help with your recovery.

Four months ago I registered to run the Chicago Marathon. While having run well over 60 races ranging in distances from a 5K to a half-marathon, I have never taken on the challenge of running, much less training for a run of this distance--26.2 miles. As I was reviewing my training schedule with my running coach, we formulated a plan. We decided to return to what many believe to be a backwards approach to training and that is a run/walk method.

Trust me when I say I was very reluctant to do this type of training. It had been years since I had incorporated walk breaks into my runs. While I have read it works well for many, I felt at first that this was a step backwards.

In doing so, I discovered it did not set me back! Jeff Galloway, one of the country’s premier advocates for this type of training, has been teaching this method for many years. He has had such great success with his program that he now leads clinics all over the country to help running coaches teach this run/walk method. He even has had clients who have qualified for the Boston Marathon using this training technique. And others are starting to echo the praise of Galloway’s training program.

I started integrating walk breaks into my long runs well over 6 weeks ago and I am stunned to see my pace per mile is basically the same as when I do an all-out run. BUT, the most important change I have noticed is my recovery between my runs is so much faster. And as a master runner--anyone over age 40 is considered a master runner--it is even more important to allow for better recovery between your runs so your risk for injury is lessened.

So each Saturday morning I head out the door with my Garmin strapped to my wrist set to a 5:1 run/walk ratio. In other words, I run 5 minutes followed by a brisk 1 minute walk only to pick back up to a 5 minute run. I do this for the entire duration of my training run and it is truly amazing how great I feel when I am done. Just remember that you want to incorporate the walk breaks early on. Do not wait until you get so tired before you start incorporating your walk breaks. This must be a schedule you follow from the onset of your runs. And if you are looking for more guidance, one of our members just created a SparkTeam for those using Jeff Galloway’s training technique. I hope you will check it out.

And don’t forget today is National Running Day so get out and run if only for a few minutes.

Knowing that you can still be a runner while throwing in some nice walk breaks in your training, would this encourage you to start a running program? Do you use walk breaks in your own training? Do they help keep you motivated? And if you do not, do you think this will be something you would ever consider?