RunningAHEAD - Topic: One minute walk breaks ? (page 3)

Phidippides

posted: 4/6/2009 at 2:53 PM

Quote from Anya_ on 4/6/2009 at 2:49 PM:

I was just going to look down and try to to it every 10 minutes or so.

I recommend you walk for one minute after 4 or 5 minutes of running.......you'll get more benefit like that...

Champions are made when no one is watching

debbiemc19

posted: 4/6/2009 at 3:13 PM

Quote from Anya_ on 4/6/2009 at 11:25 AM:

One of the things I'm worried about is if I stop, I won't be able to start again. I guess I won't know, until I try it.

I will say that it is important to practice run/walk in training if you plan to use it in the race. My sister-in-law ran the first 9 miles of my half with me (I used about a 4:1 ratio until mile 6, then went to 8:1). She hadn't been training with the run walk and it was harder for her to start up again, thus the leaving my brother and I at mile 9. For her it was easier to keep running because that is how she trained. I am very glad to have used the run/walk method in my training and 1st half. I have recently been going to all running in my long runs because they are back down to shorter distances (5-7 miles). But I am going to be ramping up again soon for another half in July, and I plan to use the run walk again. Best of luck, just wanted to point out that you DO have to practice it.

celiacChris

3Days4Cure

posted: 4/6/2009 at 3:32 PM

Quote from xor on 4/6/2009 at 11:10 AM:

Anyway, if you DO go with walk breaks during the race, pretty pretty please pull over to the side of the road before you take that break. Flying Pig and the Twin Cities Marathon are two of my favorite races anywhere, but alas two big memories of those races involve plowing into galloway folks who passed me, got right in front of me, and stopped to walk... causing me to Ole! in one case, and just simply run full speed into the chick in the other case. Sigh.

Thank you for that reminder. Smile

I was taken out in my last half by someone who stopped to walk right in front of me in the middle of the road. I wish I had video of my faceplant. Please pull over-- its a courtesy!

Chris
PRs: 27:26 5k/ 49:52 5mi/ 58:17 10k/ 2:09:24 half/ 5:13:17 Full

Post-Bipolar PRs: 38:35 5k/ 1:09:34 8k/ 1:09:39 5mi/ 1:33:03 10k/ 3:20:40 Half

2022 Goals

Back to 10k

Anya_

posted: 4/7/2009 at 9:42 AM

Quote from debbiemc19 on 4/6/2009 at 3:13 PM:

I will say that it is important to practice run/walk in training if you plan to use it in the race. My sister-in-law ran the first 9 miles of my half with me (I used about a 4:1 ratio until mile 6, then went to 8:1). She hadn't been training with the run walk and it was harder for her to start up again, thus the leaving my brother and I at mile 9. For her it was easier to keep running because that is how she trained. I am very glad to have used the run/walk method in my training and 1st half. I have recently been going to all running in my long runs because they are back down to shorter distances (5-7 miles). But I am going to be ramping up again soon for another half in July, and I plan to use the run walk again. Best of luck, just wanted to point out that you DO have to practice it.

Good advice, and this is what is worrying me. Big time, like I said before, I've always felt if I stop, I can't start again. I wish I had more time to train.

- Anya

debbiemc19

posted: 4/7/2009 at 9:46 AM

If your race is not until the end of May I think you have plenty of time to try out the run/walk method. I didn't mean to make it sound like it would take months to adjust to, just that you shouldn't wait until race day to switch to run/walk. It takes a little getting use to. You can do this! You have plenty of time!

Teresadfp

One day at a time

posted: 4/7/2009 at 9:55 AM

Anya, my friend and I had much less time than you have to practice run/walking, and we had no problem. I thought it would be hard to start again each time, but it wasn't. We were rested enough from walking that it was fun to start running again - really! It was a pleasant surprise to feel fresh even after 10 miles. We did get a little timer that beeped so we would know when to start each time. If you get one, check it carefully, though - ours stopped after 99 minutes so we had to reset it! Not a big deal if you know about it ahead of time, but it caught us by surprise.

TonyP

posted: 4/7/2009 at 10:26 AM

I have been told by much faster runners that walking up a hill is sometimes the right thing to do because it conserves the energy you will need for the rest of the race. I think eventually the goal is to get to the point that you don't have to walk up any of the hills, (or during the race) but you have to do what is best for your fitness level. As the numbers go...remember you are still moving forward while walking, so you don't lose as much time as you might think. At a 10 min/mile pace, a person who finishes a HM in 2:11 taking no walk breaks, would finish in 2:12:20 with 4 one minute walk breaks, walking at 15 min/mile. Good luck to you!

Anya_

posted: 4/7/2009 at 3:30 PM

Quote from Teresadfp on 4/7/2009 at 9:55 AM:

Anya, my friend and I had much less time than you have to practice run/walking, and we had no problem. I thought it would be hard to start again each time, but it wasn't. We were rested enough from walking that it was fun to start running again - really! It was a pleasant surprise to feel fresh even after 10 miles. We did get a little timer that beeped so we would know when to start each time. If you get one, check it carefully, though - ours stopped after 99 minutes so we had to reset it! Not a big deal if you know about it ahead of time, but it caught us by surprise.

Ok, thanks. I'll try it for sure. Do you start right away, like at mile 1 ? Or wait till you reach like mile 4 or 5 ? I'm such a dork.

- Anya

Phidippides

posted: 4/7/2009 at 3:33 PM
modified: 4/7/2009 at 3:39 PM

Quote from Anya_ on 4/7/2009 at 3:30 PM:

Ok, thanks. I'll try it for sure. Do you start right away, like at mile 1 ? Or wait till you reach like mile 4 or 5 ? I'm such a dork.

Hi again Anya --- You start the walk breaks right away (literally, if you're are doing Run 4 Min -- Walk 1 Min - that means the 5th minute of your race, you walk for one minutes)......through out the entire race..... Big grin

BadDawg once said that he felt a little weird when he started walking in the 8th minute of a marathon but he did it anyway ----- oh yeah -- he qualified for Boston that day...... Remember the whole idea of the walk breaks is for you rest up a little in the beginning so that you have more strength to finish (at the end) -- so you have to start the walk breaks in the very beginning of your race... Wink

Champions are made when no one is watching

Anya_

posted: 4/7/2009 at 3:38 PM

Quote from Phidippides on 4/7/2009 at 3:33 PM:

Hi again Anya --- You start the walk breaks right away (literally, if you're are doing Run 4 Min -- Walk 1 Min - that means the 5th minute of your race, you walk for one minutes)......through out the entire race..... BadDawg once said that he felt a little weird when he walked started walking in the 8th minute of a marathon but he did it anyway ----- oh yeah -- he qualified for Boston that day...... Remember the whole idea of the walk breaks is for you rest up a little in the beginning so that you have more strength to finish (at the end)...

Got it! thanks so much .... What's weird, I still feel crappy from my run Saturday. So, I am anxious to try it again and hopefully I won't feel like that ever again.

- Anya

Phidippides

posted: 4/7/2009 at 3:43 PM

Quote from Anya_ on 4/7/2009 at 3:38 PM:

Got it! thanks so much .... What's weird, I still feel crappy from my run Saturday. So, I am anxious to try it again and hopefully I won't feel like that ever again.

My biggest fear for you is that you are going to try to run too much (even with the walk breaks). I would personally recommend you do something like 4R/1W and remember that Theresa went 2R/1W for her first HALF. You won't loose as much time as you think you will. When I ran the New Bedford Half Marathon, I decided NOT to do the walk/run formally and didn't walk until about the 4th or 5th mile.......somewhere around 9 or 10 I really started sucking bad and began a walk/run of about 5/1 ratio. I ended up finishing up with a time of 2:03...........I still think if I would have started the walk breaks right up from (from the beginning) that i would have broken 2 hrs in the race.....maybe not......but maybe so.....

Champions are made when no one is watching

beatlemaniac

Outside Lane

posted: 4/7/2009 at 7:36 PM

Sorry to jump in but just wanted to thank everyone (especially John A) for the great advice here. I too have a HM coming up in May and just have had trouble getting the long runs in (excuses, excuses). I am considering the walk/run method too (for my HM) and appreciate all the great input. I ran my first HM last year (around 2:20) - probably started out too fast - ended up walking at probably too many points in the last 5 or 6 miles, so I am considering just starting more slowly, trying to stay relaxed, and maybe take some walk breaks in the first half just to keep fresh and see how I feel. I would love to PR over my last year's time. I read Galloway's The Marathon - You Can Do It book but I haven't really tried the method before (intentionally). I found his writing very difficult to follow - and kind of random stream of conciousness type stuff.

See how they run...

GaReb770

posted: 4/8/2009 at 7:22 AM
modified: 4/8/2009 at 7:32 AM

If you decide to use walk breaks in a race, one of the hardest issues I encounter is that at first it will seem like I am running rediculously slow even if right on the pace for each mile. I used to always get caught up in the adrenaline rush and skip the walk breaks until a few miles into the run thinking I really felt good and the run was going to be a piece of cake. Then I paid for it in the latter miles. The other problem if you are running the race by yourself, which I usually am, it's difficult to consciously tell yourself to start using the walk breaks while everyone else around you is running. I ran a 1/2 marathon at Warner Robins AFB a couple years ago and some guy actually patted me on my back when I started my walk breaks in the first mile and said "Don't worry guy, you can make it". Make a long story short I passed him shortly thereafter and finished in 1:47. In that race I did cut out the walk breaks at mile 11 and ran the race the rest of the way. And just as a side note, when using run/walk I always glance to my side and behind me to make sure I'm not stopping in front of someone and move over if need be. Oh, and the gymboss really is great for run/walks.

USAF Marathon, September 19 Atlanta 1/2 Marathon, Nov 26 Breast Cancer Marathon, Feb 21, 2010

Purdey

Self anointed title

posted: 4/8/2009 at 7:45 AM
modified: 4/8/2009 at 7:45 AM

Quote from Jeff on 4/6/2009 at 2:05 PM:

By the way, I think walk breaks are great for many runners.

I used a 29/1 run/walk ratio in a recent ultra. As the race progressed this morphed into a 28/2 and then into a 25/5 at times. I won the event using this strategy. I did not take the lead firmly until the last 1 1/2 hrs when I overtook the last 2 guys in front of me. They had slowed dramatically. They had not taken a single walking break other than to pee. They paid for it. The best ultra runners can manage 12hrs without a walking break. Good marathoners can manage 26.2 without stopping. Most of you probably can. I would not take a walking break in a marathon at the moment. However, I would do if I were running 4hrs +. I guess the answer is: If it helps you to take a walking break, and you feel like doing it, then do it. Do not do it because some unknown on a forum tells you to. Do not do it because some 2:16 marathoner trying to sell books tells you to.

Anya_

posted: 4/8/2009 at 8:51 AM

Quote from Phidippides on 4/7/2009 at 3:43 PM:

My biggest fear for you is that you are going to try to run too much (even with the walk breaks). I would personally recommend you do something like 4R/1W and remember that Theresa went 2R/1W for her first HALF. You won't loose as much time as you think you will. When I ran the New Bedford Half Marathon, I decided NOT to do the walk/run formally and didn't walk until about the 4th or 5th mile.......somewhere around 9 or 10 I really started sucking bad and began a walk/run of about 5/1 ratio. I ended up finishing up with a time of 2:03...........I still think if I would have started the walk breaks right up from (from the beginning) that i would have broken 2 hrs in the race.....maybe not......but maybe so.....

I am really going to take your advice, don't worry. I'm just now feeling normal, if I want to do this, I need to listen and learn. I'm going to try to get a timer thingy this weekend. We have a lot of running stores here. I will keep you posted.

- Anya

One minute walk breaks ? (Read 1760 times)