The Galloway Approach to a half marathon..

debomommyforhealth

I am training for my first half marathon which is in 10 weeks. I already workout 3-4x/week, including running at a 10.5-11 min/mile, and last week was my first "long" run at 5 miles. I am not fast, and my only 2 goals are: getting to the starting line (avoiding injury during training) and of course, getting to the finish line. With that said, my friend told me about the "Galloway Approach"...walking at times during the half marathon. Apparently, you can get a better time if you take a walking break periodically to prevent overexertion and fatigue. Can anyone tell me if this has worked for you? I feel kind of like a wimp walking, but after running my long run last week, I was sore for days. That doesn't seem good. Either I need to slow down my long run or incorporate some walking into it. I want so badly just to accomplish this, and I already paid money so the pressure is on!! Any advice/feedback is appreciated!

Littlesmile

bump for later... m also having my first HM in 14 weeks so would be interested in knowing ur and other's experience on the same

SweatpantsRebellion

If you were sore for days after your long run, my hunch is that you might have went too fast? I'm following Hal Higdon's plan and he recommends the long run being at a slower pace than your regular runs. I'm an absolute snail - much slower than you are. My training runs during the week are around a 13 minute mile pace. My long runs are around a 14 minute mile pace. Yes, that's right, someone could probably speedwalk past me!

I think it's really up to you. I debated using Jeff Galloway when I decided to train for my half, but in the end I knew that I wanted to run my half with no walking. That's just my personal goal. So that's why I went with Hal Higdon. That being said, I've had to take a few breaks due to overexertion of my knee. My knee is right as rain now, but I wonder if that wouldn't have happened if I'd chosen to go the Galloway route. I think either route is good. I think it just comes down to what you personally want to accomplish.

sakamanojr

I have run 9 half's and there is no shame in having to walk. I had to do it a couple of times.
How fast did you run your long run in relation to your normal pace. I try to be at least 60-75 seconds slower so my body builds endurance.
Send me a message with any questions as you progress with your training and good luck
Saka

debomommyforhealth

Thanks! I guess my biggest fear is injury. I tend to over do things. I ran cross country in high school and always started out too fast and the last half mile always killed me. I also dislocated my knee cap last February, and still have a little discomfort from time to time, but losing weight has helped. Also, I probably should have started training earlier, but I in decent cardiovascular shape, so I think 10 weeks isn't too unrealistic as long as I take it very easy. I ran my first 5 mile long run at a 10.5 mph pace (way too fast for me who has never run over 3 miles at that pace). So, today, I ran my 3 mile run at a 12 minute mile pace and felt like I could have kept going (even in the heat!). I am guessing my long run on Saturday (6 miles) will be around 13-14 min/miles and that is okay. I have only 2 goals: making it to the starting line (injury free) and making it to the finish line. If I walk a little, as long as I finish!

pdworkman

I generally run/walk at a 4:1 ratio (four minutes running, 1 minute walking). That's how I trained, and that's how I ran my HM. It worked for me! Some days, like today, I just feel so good and energetic that I skip over some of my walking intervals. If I am trying to recover from an injury, I may move it to 2:1 or 3:1.30. Whatever it takes to ensure that I am not hurting when I get home.

nyy03

I used this method for my first marathon 2 1/2 yrs ago in San Fransisco. Time wasn't the greatest but I finished. Now I can run a half marathon with only stopping for the occasional water break. Good luck.

Run-walk-run ratio should correspond to the pace used (Runners).
8 min/mi—run 4 min/walk 35 seconds
9 min/mi— 4 min run-1 min walk
10 min/mi—-3:1
11 min/mi—2:30-1
12 min/mi—-2:1
13 min/mi—-1:1
14 min/mi—30 sec run/30 sec walk
15 min/mi—30 sec/45 sec
16 min/mi—30 sec/60 sec

For the marathon I ran 5 min then walked 1 min. It was tough at first as I too felt silly walking after 5 minutes, all I can say is try to stick with it.

runningmommycrosland

I read a book by Hal Higdon on training for half marathons, and he suggests walking some. There's no shame :-).

montana_girl

I've used the Galloway method for the last 4 of the 6 half marathons I've run... and my time has improved with each race. The last half I did in April, I did a 5:1 ratio and finished in 2:21, which was 16 minutes faster than my previous race time.

So I definitely support the Gallawoy method! But everyone is different with different goals, so find an approach that works for you and stick with it... and tweak it as necessary. Took about 4 training periods before I figured out what worked (and didn't work) for me.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do! :flowerforyou:

ksellen1

New to the site and looking for people to help me get back into running mode! I ran my first and only 5K two years ago. I'm out of shape but know I can get back in. I am considering training for my 1st 1/2 in October. If I can't make that happen, the next step down is a 10 mile, but once you've gone 10...what's another 3.1...right?

nermal6873

I have a few friends who have run a half using he Galloway method and one friend who ran a full. They all recommended it so highly that I'm going to use it when I start training for my half

ekdennis

I am following an app I downloaded that incorporates walking. I started out run/walking a 3:2 ratio and by the end of the 14 week training, I think it will be a 4:1 ratio, but I am not sure.

godblessourhome

i have completed 5 half marathons, 3 using the galloway method. i love it! i have another one coming up in august as well. it took running from something that i hated to something that i could tolerate. i highly recommend it.

krisiepoo

I've run 2 1/2 marathons now... the first one I ran without walking and the 2nd one I walked... I ended up with the same time for both of them... I ended up running slower when I didn't walk because I was so tired.

Crazy how it worked out, LOL... my next goal is to beat those times and I"m actually training to walk/run instead of just running and walking when I'm tired.

vwbear

I started running in January (for the first time in my life!), and I trained with a group from my gym using a run/walk method for my first 5K. I ran my first 5K in April, and was so psyched that I ran a second one on Memorial Day. I wanted to keep up the running, but was worried that I wouldn't keep it up without training with a group, so I joined the Galloway training group at my local running store. I'm running at a different interval than I ran the 5K's at, and I think a better one for me. I'm still reading the book that we are provided wiith, and the explanations of the run/walk/run method make sense to me. I've been able to avoid injuries, and although the goal seems huge to me at times, I believe it's entirely doable. That said, although I'm definitely a fan of the Galloway program, everyone has to find a program that works for them. Good luck to all!
PS: When I bought my first running shoes in January, I rememerr the sales woman saying "Just wait until you train for your first half marathon." and I probably looked at her like I thought she was out of her mind, but look at me 6 months later!

recruiter57

Thanks! I guess my biggest fear is injury. I tend to over do things. I ran cross country in high school and always started out too fast and the last half mile always killed me. I also dislocated my knee cap last February, and still have a little discomfort from time to time, but losing weight has helped. Also, I probably should have started training earlier, but I in decent cardiovascular shape, so I think 10 weeks isn't too unrealistic as long as I take it very easy. I ran my first 5 mile long run at a 10.5 mph pace (way too fast for me who has never run over 3 miles at that pace). So, today, I ran my 3 mile run at a 12 minute mile pace and felt like I could have kept going (even in the heat!). I am guessing my long run on Saturday (6 miles) will be around 13-14 min/miles and that is okay. I have only 2 goals: making it to the starting line (injury free) and making it to the finish line. If I walk a little, as long as I finish!

It sounds like you are doing the right thing. I too am following the Galloway program. I'm using the app which makes it really easy. I'm doing a 10k in Oct and then a 1/2 in Dec (rock n roll in Vegas). So far in my training, by using following the program, I've felt that I wanted to keep going, both short and long runs). Keep it going!

mmk137

one of the training programs I found was a 4:1 interval. run 4 mins, walk 1, for the entire half. And you can get it done in 2 1/2 hours (less even, depending on pace)

krisiepoo

one of the training programs I found was a 4:1 interval. run 4 mins, walk 1, for the entire half. And you can get it done in 2 1/2 hours (less even, depending on pace)

Galloway increases the run time based on your time to run a mile. I'm currently around an 11.5/12 min mile so I do the 2:1. The people who run faster are upped to 3:1, 4:1 and so on