Walk Breaks Will Make You A Faster Marathoner

Olympian Jeff Galloway is coming to Lawrence this March to celebrate the start of RunWalkLawrence’s marathon training program. Galloway’s advocacy of walk breaks has led some to dismiss his approach as unsuitable for more experienced runners; however, walk breaks can lead to faster times in longer races, regardless of a runner’s level of experience.

Put simply, walk breaks allow you to do things in training and racing that you could not do otherwise.
The longest run in most marathon programs is 20 miles—which is exactly how far most people make it in the race before hitting “the wall.” Galloway’s program extends the long run beyond the race distance, effectively removing the wall; but to do this safely, runners must slow down and use walk breaks.

In the marathon itself, early walk breaks keep your legs feeling fresh, allowing you to race—rather than simply survive—the final 10K; minutes cut off the end of the race more than make up for the time added by short walk breaks taken earlier. (Plus you get to enjoy those final miles, passing runner after runner, speeding up as others are slowing down.)

To learn more about walk breaks and the Galloway method, attend one of the following events happening at Garry Gribble’s Running Sports (GGRS) in downtown Lawrence this March:

Wed., 3/12, 6pm—free clinic: “Improved Marathon Performance” presented by RunWalkLawrence program director J. Jenkins

Sat., 3/15, 8am—free 5K fun run from the store led by Olympian Jeff Galloway

Sat., 3/15, 10am—3-hour running school presented by Jeff Galloway (registration is required; cost is $100 [$50 for RunWalkLawrence members])

Sat., 3/29, 8am—kickoff of RunWalkLawrence’s marathon training program (a chance to get more information and try the program out for free).