Should You Run and Walk Your Way to a Marathon?

Ask any running purist about walking breaks and you might get the impression that taking any time away from running means that you’re weak. In fact, some people can be so obsessed with running that they’ll attempt to stave off breaks completely, instead choosing to slug it out and build their endurance. But is this really the best way to train as a runner, and is it healthy for you in the long-term?

Recent press coverage has tested this kind of thinking by investigating the possibility that a combination of walking and running is really the best way to build the right running muscles for a marathon. But why is this, exactly? How on earth can walking a little help you run your best? Shouldn’t you try to run your hardest?

As it turns out, the combination of walking and running might give your muscles the kind of rest they need during a workout. Running is a constant, pounding exercise that can do a lot of damage to your knees if you don’t do it properly. For older people, this kind of nonsense can mean a lot of damage to their joints and simply leads to painful trips to the doctor or a lot of pain medication.

But running doesn’t have to be the realm of the young and the able-kneed. Instead, the combination of walking and running has offered a lot of people the opportunity to build up plenty of endurance while not putting undue stress on their legs. With walking breaks in between stints of running, your muscles will have a chance to recover in the short term.

There is also a possibility that walking gives your entire cardiovascular system much-needed rest. If you’ve ever run for an hour or more at a time, you know the kind of stress that constant running can put on your system. Taking frequent walking breaks to catch your breath help your heart keep up with the exercises your body is undergoing.

Many people advocate running and walking as a way of training for marathons that exposes you to less injuries, helping you to still build muscles. Many people opt to walk for sections of their marathon, and in fact have noticed that their times have improved as a result of walk/run training instead of strictly running training.

Is walking and running the best way to go? Try it out for a few weeks; you might have an answer to an even more important question: is running/walking the way to go for you?

Photo Credits: basegreen

Originally posted 2009-07-24 05:08:18.

This post involves:

cardiovascular system, earth, endurance, exercise, exercises, heart, joints, knees, legs, Marathon, marathons, medication, muscles, nonsense, pain medication, purist, stints, undue stress, workout

... and focuses on:

Marathon, Running

Posted by Bike Swim Run on December 15, 2009 in Marathon, Running. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.