Run/Walk harder??

chayleah

I have been doing couch to 5K and I am up to 25 minutes of running. I can cover a little over 2 miles in that time. I signed up for a 5K and was reading that some people do run/walk intervals and tried it on my last run (10/1). It seemed soooooo much harder. When I run normally the 1st mile is terrible and then I find my rhythm and the 2nd mile isn't so bad. The longer intervals just made the whole thing feel like doing that 1st mile over and over.

Anybody else find that running straight through is easier that run/walk?

jenlipe

If I give up at the end of the first mile to walk a little I have a difficult time getting going again. So I bargain with myself to get to the end of the second mile and then I can walk. Usually by the end of the second mile I can always go the third mile.

I have only been running a month.

lmarshel

I find it much harder to start back running if I slow down to a walk. Try just slowing down your run to catch your breath, and then pick the pace back up. You might also try increasing your distance slightly each week. If you're running in the neighborhood, just pass a few more streetlights or a few more houses. You don't have to increase by miles to gain distance.

omma_to_3

I switched to the Galloway method due to injuries. At first, I agreed with you, but after I got used to it, that is no longer the case. The walk break brings my heart rate down (and much more quickly than it used to come down!) and allows me to run faster/harder the rest of the time. I end up the same speed, or faster, but can go longer distances.