FEATURES

The Run/Walk Method...

Saturday, 23 May 2015 00:10

APPLE DUATHLON - Today's Apple Duathlon was awesome! A great prelude to Nationals in two weeks. Words and photos coming soon. RESULTS.

Depending on your goals, a run/walk method could get you to the finish line faster—and in greater comfort.

By MacKenzie Lobby Havey (triathlon.competitor.com)

For some triathletes, the idea of walking during the run portion of a race is out of the question. You’d rather shamble along with your last ounce of energy and fall across the finish line than walk, right? New research suggests that you should give yourself a break, showing that in longer races like a half or full iron-distance, walk breaks might be a good idea.

For the study, German researchers looked at what differences might exist between runners who used a run/walk strategy in a marathon (running for a minute and a half and then walking for a minute) and those who simply ran the entire race. They were interested in not only who was faster, but also who felt better upon crossing the finish line.....

Statistically speaking, there wasn’t a significant difference between the times, but, the run/walk group was just a few minutes slower than the run-only group. With that said, the run/walk group reported less fatigue and muscle pain at the end of the race. There are a number of reasons why this is significant. Namely, less pain suggests those runners likely enjoyed the experience more and will also recover quicker. This is why the famed running coach Jeff Galloway has long preached utilizing a run/walk approach in long races.

Indeed, John Ridgley, a USA Triathlon-certified coach based in Atlanta, has found this method useful in his own training. After getting beat by a run/walk group at the Marine Corps Marathon in the late 1990s, he tried it the following year and finished under four hours. He hasn’t looked back since. He now uses it in Ironman races, as well as instructing many of the triathletes he coaches to do the same. READ MORE