While training for the Sydney Marathon, I missed a few of my weekday runs. Of course, coaches say that no one is perfect when it comes to following any training plan, nor do we need to be, but I know how important it is to try to get as close as possible to checking off workouts. My only goal going into Sydney was to enjoy the experience, and I wanted to feel trained enough that it wouldn\u2019t result in a total suffer-fest.<\/p>\n
When I fretted over a missed run<\/a> one evening, a friend said something that really got me thinking: \u201cDidn\u2019t you walk like five miles today?\u201d I checked my Apple Health app, and indeed, I had. I actually often rack up around that total walking mileage (or more!) just living and commuting in New York City.<\/p>\n But is walking five miles throughout the day equivalent to running five easy miles<\/a>? And on the flip side, if I walk five miles and do my five-mile easy run, is that too much? To find out the answers\u2014and to understand how walking and running differ\u2014I spoke to a run coach and an exercise physiologist.<\/p>\n How Walking and Running Differ Physiologically<\/p>\n \u201cEach zone of training is trying to maximally elicit a certain adaptation,\u201d says Jason Machowsky<\/a>, RD, CSCS, a clinical exercise physiologist, registered dietitian, and strength coach who cofounded MasterMyRun<\/a>, a one-on-one coaching program.<\/p>\n Zone 2<\/a>, which is typically a brisk walk or easy run, focuses on building your aerobic capacity. Zones 3 and 4 go above that, and you start to go beyond your lactate threshold<\/a>, he says. Zone 1, which is an easy walk, is more like a warmup and may not be sufficient to promote significant aerobic adaptations, he adds. (Walking in zone 2 is a more potent way to improve your aerobic capacity compared with zone 1.)<\/p>\n While both easy and brisk walks are still good for you, they\u2019re not going to have the same effect on your physiology as a run\u2014even an \u201ceasy\u201d one.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t get high-intensity exercise<\/a> by walking, and that\u2019s a big miss because you need that type of work to improve fitness: Indeed, a study<\/a> published in the European Heart Journal found that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was three times as efficient as walking alone at improving fitness.<\/p>\n There are also differences when it comes to form<\/a>. If you\u2019re going to run, you have to practice actually running, if for nothing more than strengthening your stride mechanics<\/a>. That\u2019s the principle of specificity: \u201cYou need to do something directly to a certain extent to get better at it,\u201d Machowsky says. \u201cPractice allows you to see what works best for you and improve.\u201d<\/p>\n Can You Substitute Walking Miles for Running Miles?<\/p>\n Because running is more efficient at building the fitness you need for the marathon, Machowsky doesn\u2019t typically advise swapping runs for walks too often. However, there are a few cases when it does make sense, such as the following:<\/p>\n Your Total Training Mileage Is High<\/p>\n Running 40-plus miles per week is different from running closer to 20 miles, Machowsky points out. If your mileage is on the higher end, swapping some of your easy runs for walks\u2014especially if you\u2019re feeling particularly fatigued<\/a>\u2014won\u2019t necessarily affect your progress, he says.<\/p>\n In other words, four miles of walking out of 40 total miles (rather than 20) \u201cis a much smaller percentage of your overall training volume<\/a> that\u2019s not going toward the intensity level that you want to be doing,\u201d Machowsky says.<\/p>\n Your Goal Is to Conserve Energy for Quality Workouts<\/p>\n Another consideration is how often you\u2019re walking instead of running. \u201cIf you\u2019re doing it occasionally, then I think it\u2019s totally fine, especially if you\u2019re able to keep up with the key training runs,\u201d says Machowsky, including your tempo runs<\/a> and long runs<\/a>. In fact, he says, it can actually be helpful to dial back (a.k.a. walk) an easier run if your goal is to be better prepared for a quality workout<\/a> the next day.<\/p>\n You\u2019re Injured\u2014or Extra Sore<\/p>\n This is where my personal use case comes in! The reason I missed those training runs is because I was dealing with some right-calf tenderness that set off a pre-injury alarm bell. \u201cIf someone is dealing with an injury or is super sore, it\u2019s never worth pushing into significant discomfort,\u201d Machowsky says. \u201cThe risk-reward of forcing a workout and then getting injured means you\u2019re laid up a lot longer than just taking a lower-key day or even a whole day off, or just doing some mobility work<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cConsistency is what wins races versus trying to force anything too fast and getting hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n So, if you\u2019re injured and have clearance from your doctor or physical therapist\u2014or you\u2019re just more sore than usual after a workout\u2014swapping an easy run for a walk could make a lot of sense, he says.<\/p>\n How to Substitute Walking Miles for Running Miles<\/p>\n \u201cThe purpose of an easier walk would be to recover a bit better<\/a> and to not put as much demand on the body versus creating a functional equivalent [to running],\u201d Machowsky says.<\/p>\n While there\u2019s no hard-and-fast rule, he wouldn\u2019t advise walking more miles than the run distance. So if you had a five-miler planned, you can sub in a five-mile walk\u2014or less. \u201cSome coaches may suggest doing longer duration to make up for the lower intensity, but that inherently takes care of itself because it will take longer to walk the same distance,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n You can also consider a run\/walk<\/a> versus a straight walk to get closer to the prescribed workout, says Greg Laraia<\/a>, a certified athletic trainer and run coach at Motiv<\/a> in New York City.<\/p>\n To do this, he suggests running for five minutes and then walking for one minute for the same\u2014or a slightly shorter\u2014duration as your planned run. But you could also try a 1:1 formula where you run for two minutes, then walk for two minutes, he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s just a time to let your body decompress, lower your heart rate, and reduce the training load overall,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Does Extra Walking Sabotage Your Training?<\/p>\n The flip side of intentionally swapping walking miles for running miles is unintentionally adding a bunch of walking miles on top of your marathon training<\/a>. As I mentioned, urban living tends to have this effect.<\/p>\n This happens to Machowsky himself somewhat regularly: \u201cThere are some days that I\u2019ll walk seven, eight miles unintentionally just commuting around, and that\u2019s on top of all my mileage from running,\u201d he says. Laraia, too, walks upward of 10,000 steps<\/a> each day, and many of his clients do as well.<\/p>\n Whether these extra walking miles have a net positive or negative effect on your training depends on what your body is used to, both experts say.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re regularly walking quite a bit on top of training, and your body\u2019s used to it, it\u2019ll probably have a neutral or positive impact. But if you\u2019re not used to walking that much and suddenly start walking a dozen-plus extra miles a week on top of your running mileage, that can lead to overtraining<\/a>.<\/p>\n If for some reason a client suddenly had to up their walking mileage during a marathon training block, Laraia would account for that time on feet<\/a>, potentially notching down their running mileage a bit.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s why: Runners \u201cmight not be fatigued cardiovascularly, but there\u2019s been a mechanical load on the body and the system that may not allow them to perform their best for key sessions,\u201d Machowsky says, adding that this can also put extra strain on joints and lead to more soreness<\/a>.<\/p>\n While walking doesn\u2019t put as much strain on joints as running, it\u2019s the cumulative effect that matters, he says. Walking a ton\u2014in addition to marathon training runs\u2014also means you won\u2019t be recovering as thoroughly. Over time, this could contribute to overuse injuries<\/a> like tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, joint inflammation (i.e., runner\u2019s knee), shin splints, muscle strains, and in extreme cases, stress fractures<\/a>, he says.<\/p>\n Another example is when runners are traveling for races. When I was in Sydney, I was walking around eight or nine miles a day while sightseeing. If you\u2019re also traveling for a race, you may experience the same thing. In this case, Laraia would advise skipping the pre-marathon shakeout run<\/a>. You might not be at risk for overuse injuries from just one weekend of more walking, but you may risk starting the race fatigued or under-fueled<\/a>.<\/p>\n How to Avoid Walking Too Much During Marathon TrainingKeep Tabs<\/p>\n No matter what your body is used to, it\u2019s not a bad idea to monitor walking miles in your training log. \u201cWith any sort of unforeseen demand on the body, [it\u2019s important to] acknowledge that it\u2019s occurred and be attuned to your body\u2019s response,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n For example, if your long run<\/a> or tempo run feels significantly harder than usual, consider cutting it short or walking to finish it out. \u201cIt\u2019s okay to occasionally take a down week or a day off based on how the body is feeling, specifically in these types of situations,\u201d Laraia says.<\/p>\n A good rule of thumb is to stay on your feet for the amount of time it would have taken you to run the distance. For example, if you were going to run 10 miles in 100 minutes, you could run eight miles and then walk for 20 minutes.<\/p>\n Pay Attention to Nutrition<\/p>\n Another important factor for those walking quite a bit on top of running is nutrition. \u201cI think one of the biggest pieces in all of this is fueling,\u201d Laraia says. \u201cIf you are walking excessive amounts or if you\u2019re standing all day, you are still burning more than somebody who\u2019s just sitting at a desk<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you\u2019re not fueling yourself enough for all of the above, then you\u2019re putting yourself in the red and you\u2019re probably not going to feel as good tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n As a loose rule of thumb for figuring out your needs, Machowsky says people burn about 80 to 100 calories per mile walked or run. \u201cOf course, things like body size and movement efficiency play a role, and lower-intensity activities such as walking burn a lower relative percentage of calories from carbohydrates versus higher-intensity activities such as running,\u201d he adds. But it\u2019s a good general rule to follow when figuring out how to add in more fuel.<\/p>\n Similarly: \u201cIf you\u2019re training for a marathon<\/a>, you\u2019re very active and on your feet a lot. Don\u2019t be afraid to take a gel with you on an hour-long run,\u201d Laraia says. \u201cIf anything, it\u2019s going to help you for the rest of that day, and it\u2019s also helping you train your gut for what you\u2019re going to do on race day.\u201d<\/p>\n Prioritize Recovery<\/p>\n Recovery, too, becomes even more critical for runners putting in those extra walking miles. \u201cIf you know you\u2019re going to be on your feet all day and you have a hard workout planned, you should be in bed early enough to make sure you get at least seven and a half hours of sleep<\/a>,\u201d Laraia says.<\/p>\n Listen to Your Body<\/p>\n The real key to all this? \u201cListen to your body,\u201d Machowsky says.<\/p>\n Laraia agrees: \u201cJust being aware of how you\u2019re feeling and listening to your body is always my piece of advice for all of my athletes,\u201d he says. This may sound nebulous, but Laraia assures runners that it\u2019s less complicated than it sounds. \u201cIt\u2019s more intuitive than we give ourselves credit for.\u201d<\/p>\n