anyone knows anything about walking the first minute of every mile during IM marathon?
I think one of the pros does it?
anyone tried this? a friend suggested I do it, I am willing to give it a try.
If you plan on walking…Walk the aid stations. Cool off, drink up and take in calories.
I use this strategy in my marathons. It really helps keep my legs fresh and reduces the chance of any serious pain from surfacing. However, with much more training and experience, I don’t see myself continuing to utilize this. I am still more of a newbie and nowhere near a Boston qualifier, so it really depends on your training and level.
I walk aid stations in an IM to give my legs a very brief break and to ensure that I get enough fluids and fuel. It is never more than 10-15 seconds of walking. One thing that I would caution against is that a 30 second or 1 minute walk can easily turn into “Just another 30 seconds” so that if you have any time goals other than breaking 17 hours they will vanish quickly. All you have to do is check the splits at any IM to see how many people spend way too much time walking in the marathon. If you really think a full 1 minute of walking per mile is required then I would suggest that you slow down a bit on the bike and make back a lot more time by running more of the marathon.
Wife has done 4 marathons using Jeff Galloway’s program: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/marathon.html
Worked great for her and she stayed injury free. Lots of runners use the same general approach…makes good sense.
ok thanks, my last marathon was 317, planning on 310 in NYC.
never done full IM, will see in LP
If you can run 3:17 open, I wouldn’t think you’d want to penalize yourself by walking for 26 minutes of your IM marathon. Plan on walking the aid stations between miles 14 and 20 if you need to, but run the rest.
In both my IMs, I’ve planned on not walking, but found my body needing a short break to hydrate and fuel up in the second half of the run. I allowed myself to walk 3 or 4 aid stations. But, by the time I hit the last 10k, my mind was prepared to suffer through the last part without walking.
FWIW, I ran the Austin marathon in 3:18 this year and ran a 3:52 at CDA with very inadequate training. If you’ve trained well for LP, I suspect you can run between 3:40 and 3:50 with a 3:17 open in the books.
Good Luck.
I did more or less this, but don’t think I will next time. I found it was very difficult to get moving again–my legs were stiff and I didn’t have the same rhythm I did at the end of my run period. On other hand it was mentally a lot easier, it gave me a way to break down the marathon into manageable little goals. It was way easier to just get to my next walk break than to think about the fact that I had 17 miles left or whatever. Ultimately I think my walk breaks slowed my running though, so I’ll probably try to do it without in the future.
In my first IM - just a couple weeks ago, I was planning to walk through every other aid station…that quickly turned into every station with body conditions, stomach conditions and even the hic-ups - and I still made my goal time. Walking 20-30 seconds through an aid station will not likely cause you too much trouble. Just listen to your body!
I walked the aid stations during my first IM (Florida) and ran continuously during the second (LP). Off the top of my head my run splits were 4:3x and 4:10ish, respectively. I was in better shape for LP and more motivated for it. Course is harder though so the times don’t reflect the difference in fitness as much as I would’ve liked.
I passed a lot of people that were walking aid stations in LP, saw very few of them again.
I see way too many people start walking as soon as they reach an aid station, then continue walking until they reach the end before starting to run again. If you do plan on walking aid stations, I recommend running to the very last table/section before starting your walk. Then when everyone else is running past, it will encourage you to start running sooner. Also, If you are using the run/walk strategy, make sure you try it out on your long runs so you get used to the start/stops.
Cheers,
@Kid
I usually never stop, even aid stations. Was just wondering about the strategy.
I usually never stop, even aid stations. Was just wondering about the strategy.
I walk through most of the aid stations. (esp. second loop) Not so much as a pacing strategy but, for cooling and drinking strategy. Think about it…ice, sponges, Perform, water, coke not to mention all of the solid offerings. Thats a lot too do! cool yourself down and, take a 20-30 sec walk break. At the end of station. Run!
I believe it more then makes up for it…in the end
I walk through most of the aid stations. (esp. second loop) Not so much as a pacing strategy but, for cooling and drinking strategy. Think about it…ice, sponges, Perform, water, coke not to mention all of the solid offerings. Thats a lot too do! cool yourself down and, take a 20-30 sec walk break. At the end of station. Run!
I believe it more then makes up for it…in the end
same here.
If you want to be nerdy about it, like I would, calculate how much faster you will need to run per mile in order to make up for the walking time and still achieve your goal. Some people “run” the whole marathon, but their “run” is just slightly faster than a brisk walk…in those cases the run/walk might produce a faster time.
If you can run 3:17 open, I wouldn’t think you’d want to penalize yourself by walking for 26 minutes of your IM marathon.
A 26 minute “penalty” assumes that the runner is at a dead stop during those minute breaks. It also assumes that he is unable to run any faster after taking a walk break. Those are false assumptions.
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If the runner stops for one minute a mile he loses 26 minutes.
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If walks a minute per mile, then he only loses 11 minutes, based on a 4 hour marathon pace.
So the question is if a given runner can make up those 11 minutes by getting quite a bit of rest along the way. And I think the answer is probably “yes”.
I do want to add that according to Galloway you get the most benefit from not waiting until you’re tired to walk, but using walking as a deliberately strategy from the beginning.
To Bypasskid, like anything else related to an ironman, don’t do anything new on race day. Experiment with run/walking before your race and see what works best for you.
I think the erroneous assumptions are on your part, but that’s just how I read it.
I think the erroneous assumptions are on your part, but that’s just how I read it.
Well, spending 11 minutes walking (10:25 at 4mph walk to be exact) vs 26 minutes standing is not debatable. Whether someone can actually fun fast enough by run/walking to recover those 11 minutes is another story.
Having done both run-through and walk-through method with the aid stations I recommend a 20sec fast walk at aid stations. In my experience the gain in fueling, hydration and quick freshening of the legs has equalled overall better, faster runs. When others are fading later in the run I have found myself in better shape running strong.
A full minute sounds long. For me, I’m not actually taking a break so much as I am affording myself a bit of time to properly resupply, ice down, etc.
The longer walk breaks are I believe more effective for novice runners and ultra-ultra distances.
I do want to add that according to Galloway you get the most benefit from not waiting until you’re tired to walk, but using walking as a deliberately strategy from the beginning.
He also has recommendations for run distance vs walk time according to the average pace you plan on running. At typical ironman paces, the recommendations would definitely be to run less than 1 mile (more like 0.5 mile) between “breaks”.