Get to Run, not Got to Run

To cut to the chase, a mix of walking and running has been used for years to complete long distances. It's simple logic, walking is easier, so walking bits makes the overall task easier. Early marathon winners mixed in walking.  

Thomas Hicks, the winner of the 1904 Olympic Marathon, famously walked to survive.  The 1904 marathon in St. Louis was held in 32°C heat on dusty, unpaved roads. Hicks’ victory is notorious not only because he walked parts but because he was kept moving by a team of trainers who administered a near-lethal cocktail of strychnine (rat poison - then a legal stimulant), egg whites, and brandy. 

History aside, what really matters with endurance challenges is getting the work done, completing! Since Hicks, we have evolved our marathon-running approach. We have banned doping and thrown out the idea of alcohol to help marathoners. Its energy gels and electrolytes in a pair of supershoes nowadays. But the best way to prepare for any long-distance run is to maintain consistency in your training. Walking some of your runs makes this more possible.

Recently, completing an endurance run session or race using this walk/run method has been coined "Jeffing it!"

“Jeffing it” comes from the late Jeff Galloway, a running coach and former Olympian who created the Run Walk Run method in 1973. Originally for beginners, Jeff later applied it to seasoned marathoners. More recently, Jeff Galloway has been referenced by other coaches who use his method, and the modernised term “Jeffing it” was born.

This is the kind of approach I like as a coach (and athlete). It's simple, effective, and sustainable. I see everyone who is using the method get far fewer injuries, much more consistent running, and, actually, really good performance times, too.

The idea is simple

Run. Walk. Repeat.

That’s it.

The run portion is at a maintainable pace. You control the effort early rather than doing intervals and struggling at the end. There is no need to prove anything in the first mile and no complete fade in the last. The walk is a progressive stride, not a saunter.

Non-stop running builds fatigue. Jeffing manages it so you can keep going in the moment and show up week after week to do it again.

Why it works

• Lower injury risk, so you miss less training.

• More consistent training so you are better prepped on the start line.

• Easier to stick to and motivate, so you look forward to the run (A key race tactic).

• Better recovery. Less fatigue in the first place.

How to do it

Keep it simple to start. Run until your breathing picks up. Then walk. Reset. Go again.

If you prefer structure:

• 1–2 min run

• 30 sec walk

Short, regular walk breaks are the key. They keep the overall effort under control and stop things from unravelling later in the session.

Build on it gradually, for example:

• 4-6min run

• 90s walk

or

• 8-9min run

• 1-2min walk

Race using the method you practice with - See where you get with training. But don't ditch your approach on race day. Dial in your pacing plan in training. If your final training run was a 9-minute run, 1 min walk, then do that in the race. Just the same as, even if you are not Jeffing it, you would still normally aim for a pace or HR zone in a race. The 3hr non-stop marathoner aims for an average of 4:17/km. The 3hr Jeffer might aim for 12x (14 minutes at 04:10/km with 1-minute walk).

The time spent walking is often only slightly slower than ultra-running. Walking makes it much easier to take on fuel and hydration.

Final thought

Jeffing isn’t a hack. It is a smart way to train. If running has ever felt too hard, too much, or just not for you, Jeffing is often the way in. And for a lot of the athletes, it’s the thing that finally makes running work.