The Power Of Walk-Run

Whether you’re a running newbie or looking to improve your time and distance, adding some walking to your runs can be the secret to success

- Mary Comber

Walk-run plans are the foundation to most successful beginner’s running plans. They’re simple, safe, progressive and you can tailor a walk-run plan to your needs. But even if you’re a regular runner, did you know a walk-run plan is a useful tool for increasing your miles to run a race such as a half-marathon, or increasing your speed? ‘I’m constantly amazed at the power and utility of run-walk,’ says Amby Burfoot, former Boston Marathon winner, running veteran and author of Run Forever (Arena Sport, £14.99) ‘I believe it holds the key to lifelong health through running. I never expected I’d use run-walk for speed workouts. But I’ve done much of my speed training with the run-walk system and enjoyed it more than I ever could have imagined. It feels playful, the way a child runs and walks. It’s also the way elite runners train. Only they call it intervals.’ A mix of running and walking is the evolutionary exercise that homo sapiens perfected, over several million years, explains Burfoot. Early man often jogged and walked for several hours while hunting. ‘Running and walking is our evolutionary endurance movement pattern. It also serves at every stage of life – for the eight-year-old and eighty-eight-year-old alike – and confers extraordinary health benefits to your skeleton, muscles, heart, brain and more. Here’s Burfoot’s advice for adding it to your programme.

FOR BEGINNERS