I’m starting to think about MdS as a restful vacation with a bit running thrown in. I’m not underestimating the desert...
YMCA trade and Galloway
Liza
I forgot to tell you all what I’m trading the YMCA for use of their Alter G. Their Health and Wellness Director hasn’t worked out the details yet, but I’ll be doing something to support their training program for the San Antonio Rock n’ Roll half marathon in November. (I told them my soul and my first born were off the table.) Neat, eh? The program starts July 9th and they’re using Jeff Galloway’s RUN-WALK-RUN training program. I only have a cursory understanding of the program right now. (You run and walk — and run again.) So I ordered one of Galloway’s many books on inter-library loan yesterday. It seems like the basic premise of his plan is that alternating walking and running prevents injuries. And some runner ran a 2:30ish marathon using the program. Interesting. Galloway himself is coming to the Tripoint Family YMCA on June 24th to talk. I’ve never met an Olympic athlete before, so I will be there. (I think I was at the 1972 Olympics in Munich as a wee tiny baby, but I don’t believe I was passed around to any athletes. Did we see Galloway run Mom and Dad?) Perhaps he’ll sign my boot. (I walk all the time while I’m training thank you very much.)
Here’s what Eliot is up to these days.
Pilsner.
You got to get a glass fermenter. Totally worth it to get the carboy. Will last forever – unlike a plastic one.
(lurker otherwise, but you strayed into the homebrew house)
You have solved my Father’s Day present problem. Thanks!
We only saw mid distance runners at the Olympics. You were having a nice nap in your back pack on Dad’s back! This was the day before the Isreali athletes were killed!
We should talk. Looks like your husband and my husband have the same hobby, and yes, I too will be hitting Austin Homebrew for a Father’s Day present. Actually it’s kinda nice to celebrate a long run later in the evening with a homemade wheat beer. Super refreshing. You should only start being concerned if your husband starts trolling Craig’s List for kegerators, and you no longer are allowed to park in your garage as it slowly becomes a brewery. That’s the stage we are at now…
That’s awesome! A kergerator, eh? I will send you a note for a specific present suggestion. I figure once he masters the beer, he’ll just need ice cream and chocolate making to complete his perfect husband resume.
That run/walk stuff has been around longer than Galloway. It’s something I picked up early in my ultra career (early ’90s). It’s most applicable on courses that are relatively flat (i.e. runnable, in most trail races, your walking breaks are on the steeper ups).
I always settled on a ratio of 25 minutes running to 5 minutes walking (25/5). I heard lots of variations. Seems like the most popular alternative was 8/2. I never tried it… drives me crazy to look at my watch that much and I’d zone out and miss a walking break.
I used 25/5 quite a bit. Races like Le Grizz 50 Mile, but also when building back up after injury hiatus. The rule being that whatever mileage your “long” run (with no walk breaks) is up to, you can double that distance by using a run/walk strategy. For example, one winter, I built up to a long run of 16 miles. The next long run day on the schedule, I ran/walked a 50K. Not like a great race effort, but comfortable enough.
Part of the strategy is to use those walk breaks to get some fluids and calories, like Gu or similar. Might throw in some stretching, too, somewhere out there a ways.
It’s an approach that runners of relatively modest talent can use to stretch out the distance they can (semi-) comfortably cover.
Just my perspective, from back here in the middle of the pack. I’ve never read Galloway, so not sure if what I’ve written is even relevant.
Good luck!
Thanks for that Martin. Totally relevant. It seems like trail runners are protected from the kind of overuse injuries Galloway’s worried about because we’re not running on roads. Still, I agree about walking breaks being important to ultras for the reasons you outlined.