Whether you’re aiming for a 16-minute or 8-minute mile pace, utilizing a balanced run/walk interval structure makes for more efficient workouts, better fitness progression, and stronger race performances. It’s not necessarily how fast you’re going, but the intention behind your intervals that dictates your training and racing success with the run/walk method. Your walk breaks shouldn’t feel like a casual stroll through the park, nor should your run intervals translate to an all-out sprint effort.
With the Runner’s World program, How to Master the Run/Walk Method, you’ll learn how to best manage your efforts, organize your intervals, and track your sessions. From nailing your interval durations to finding your preferred training tracker, you’ll discover how to implement the run/walk method consistently into your routine—and start seeing results in your fitness and race performances. In Runner’s World’s How to Master the Run/Walk Method: Tracking Your Intervals, we’ll teach you: While you can use either time or distance to log your run/walks, we recommend starting with time-based intervals, especially if you’re new to running or the run/walk method.
You’ll split your running and walking intervals into specified periods of seconds or minutes, rather than distance logged. If you’re using a training plan such as Runner’s World Start Running or Run Nonstop plan, you’ll gradually increase your run time while shortening your walk time until your walk breaks disappear altogether. But with the run/walk method, you’ll always have walk breaks built in, and you’ll adjust your run interval based on your current goal or race pace.
Notice that no matter your overall pace, you can allot 30 seconds of walking. It’s an ideal interval duration for reaping the recovery benefits of walking without significantly affecting your pace. As your pace increases, the larger your run-to-walk ratio will become, translating to more time spent running.
For example, you may run for two minutes and walk for 30 seconds to hit a 9-minute mile, but when your goal is to shoot for an 8-minute mile, you’ll run for longer (four minutes) to hit a quicker pace. Instead of focusing on a specific number or pace, use feel to guide your walk intervals. Be intentional with your walks, keeping them brisk but allowing your heart rate to drop and your muscles to enjoy some recovery.
Your walk effort should feel significantly less intense than your run portions. You should feel like you’ve got someplace to be, but you shouldn’t get into the race walking motion that you would see in the Olympics,” says Chris Twiggs, chief training officer at Galloway Training. As you get faster as a walker, you’ll take some of the pressure off of having to run faster to stick with your goal pace.
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