The Galloway Method and Asthma

I mentioned in my previous post Jeff Galloway's training plans and I really can't stress how much I enjoyed using his plan. Jeff Galloway is famous not only for being an olympian, but also for his run/walk method that has helped hundreds of people enjoy running.

Jeff Galloway

Here's why Jeff says that the run/walk method is so wonderful:

"Short walk breaks, when taken early and regularly, will restore resiliency to the main running muscles and extend their capacity at the end of the run, plus ease fatigue, speed up recovery and more!"

• Restore resiliency to the main running muscles before they fatigue.
• Extend the capacity of the running muscles at the end of the run because you are shifting the workload between the walking and the running muscles.
• Virtually erase fatigue with each early walk break by keeping your pace and effort level conservative in the early stages.
• Allow those with some types of previous injuries to train for marathons without further injury.
• Allow runners to improve 10 to 40 minutes in their marathon compared with running continuously.
• Speed up recovery from each long run.

source

I'd like to add that running intervals usually burns more calories which is always nice. It also makes running for asthmatics so much easier. I ran a half marathon (still can't believe it) in about the same time several other runners who ran continuously did, but I can't go farther than a full mile continuously. So how does the run/walk stuff work? 

Based on your pace goal for the run and how you are feeling choose a run/walk interval that works for you. Here's some ideas of where to start:

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

source

After that just stick to the intervals for your run (from the very beginning before you even feel tired) and watch yourself improve. One important thing to remember is that these obviously aren't perfect times. If you walk really slow or run really fast your time will be way off. Sometimes my 3:2 run is slower than my 1:1. It depends on the day and your speeds. Another big tip I have is don't be married to an interval. For a while I was really stuck on 2:1. Now on shorter runs I try to speed up, and longer runs I allow myself to slow down so that I can finish strong. Also if you're an asthmatic like me, really play around with the intervals. Some days I found it was much easier to run 2:2 vs 30:30 and some days the other way around felt better. Don't get discouraged if you're struggling with it. My final tip is to make sure you don't walk too fast. This is where injuries happen. It's easier to increase your running speed than walking without injury so, really use your walk breaks to walk. Super speed-walking=bad. I personally walk around 3.8mph but everyone is different. 

Now onto his training plans. A lot of half marathon training plans have you running every day. His plans are nice and easy. You have two short "maintenance runs" a week on tuesdays and thursdays. These runs are for 30 minutes. Then on the weekends you have a long run or a 5k alternating each weekend. The long runs get longer each time as well.  I loved his plan for several reasons:

• It was realistic with time available- I felt like I could do 3 times a week, especially if I only had to do short 30 minute runs during the week.
• It made me feel prepared - Many plans stop at 12 miles before a half, and Jeff's goes to 14. This was so helpful because I went into the race knowing I could not only finish it, but I could keep going. 
• The running was easily adaptable for an asthmatic- I feel like many plans I looked at are very focused on pace and speed. Jeff's plan focuses on accomplishing the distance, which is a much more realistic goal for asthmatics. With asthma you can work your butt off and run a 14 minute mile one day and barely try and run a 12 the next. But distance is a goal that is less impacted by your asthma and more by your willpower so it is more fulfilling. The plan also provided plenty or rest so you don't wear yourself out. 

I highly recommend this plan to anyone who wants to run smarter, but even more so for my wheezers out there. So here comes a long list of links:

• The training plan I actually followed
• Jeff's Site
• His 5K Plan
• RunDisney's Jeff Page where there's helpful tips and videos about his method