For the longest time, I struggled with embracing what I truly needed to stay consistent with running: walking.
Even as I headed to the starting line of my first half marathon, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, I contemplated whether I should stick with the run/walk method that helped me successfully complete my 16 weeks of training. I told myself I could run for the full first mile, so no one in the crowd would actually notice I stopped to walk. But I also knew it was the wrong thing to do because it could throw off my entire race strategy and lead to fatiguing early. As my corral made its way to the starting line, I programmed my Gymboss (a timer app) on my Apple Watch for my predetermined run/walk intervals—80 seconds of running, 40 seconds of walking—and at the sound of a horn, I started the race.
About a quarter mile in, the timer vibrated, and I faced the moment of truth: slow down or keep running? Seeing only one other person walking and everyone else zipping past me, I was worried about falling behind. It reminded me of a time when I used to struggle to keep up with the middle-distance runners in high school because I often stopped to walk on our three-mile easy runs. That’s when I had convinced myself I didn’t belong and had given up on running.
It wasn’t until I spoke to other runners in the Runner’s World office who had success with run/walk that I even considered giving it a try myself. The method helped my colleague, Donna Raskin, make longer distances feel more manageable. I was able to run for five continuous minutes at that point, so I figured, based on my conversation with other runners, that I’d start with running for two minutes and 30 seconds, then walking for 30 seconds. But that strategy didn’t work for me. My heavy breathing let me know I wasn’t fully recovering from my running intervals. Coaches I consulted convinced me to shorten them, which allowed me to run faster without feeling completely exhausted on every run—and get through the half marathon training.
So when the timer went off at my race, I decided to trust my training and ignore the pack in front of me—I started walking. Only when my timer buzzed again did I begin to run.
Thomas Hengge
Health & Service Editor Monique LeBrun on a run with Coach Matt Meyer.
Between miles 7 and 8, I noticed the tables started to turn. I was still running and walking confidently, passing many of those runners who had zoomed by me at the beginning of the race. When I came up on mile 13, another runner, who walked for brief moments too, yelled, “I knew you were saving your legs.”
I crossed the finish line in 3:01:27, feeling great and ready to run another 13.1 miles. After convincing myself at such a young age that I wasn’t a runner, it was liberating. I realized I’d been wrong. It was truly one of the best things that happened to me that day—the other being my 5-year-old daughter getting to witness it all.
Whether you’re new to running or want to qualify for Boston, I cannot recommend run/walk enough. Let us set the record straight about any misconceptions surrounding the method and, as a bonus, show you how it can help reduce pain while running.—Monique LeBrun
Let’s Debunk The Biggest Myths
1️⃣ MYTH → Run/walk is for slow runners.
TRUTH → Walks can help anyone finish faster. Whatever distance you race, it’s important to manage your energy levels from the start so you can make it to the finish without bonking. While fuel plays a role in maintaining energy, equally crucial is how you pace a race.
“There’s a myth that a lot of runners perpetuate about banking time,” says Chris Twiggs, chief training officer at Galloway Training. “The time bank doesn’t exist. The bank that does exist is the bank of energy. When you walk during your run, you are investing in the bank of energy.”
Because you’re walking, you need to make your run intervals faster than your pace during a steady-state run. Let’s say you want to average eight-minute pace for a marathon. Try running 7:40 pace for nine-tenths of a mile, then walk for 30 seconds—that way you still finish the race on pace. “You’re not losing 30 seconds,” says Marc Burget, an ultramarathon run/walker who won the 2016 Daytona 100 (miles). “You’re moving forward, but part of your pace is a walk.” Likewise, if you want to maintain an 11-minute pace, you could do a 40-second walk every three minutes of running at around 10:20 pace.
Generally, the faster your average pace, the longer your run intervals. If you’re aiming for an eight-minute mile on average, you may run three minutes and walk 30 seconds, but if you’re aiming for a 10-minute pace, you may run 90 seconds and walk 30 seconds.
Both experts recommend doing a “Magic Mile” run to figure out your optimal ratios and paces (see below).
You can keep track of your ratio using time or distance. Twiggs uses time, while Burget often pays attention to the mile markers in his races, walking for 15 seconds at the last tenth of each mile. He also ran a 2:42:01 marathon by alternating six-minute runs and 15-second walks. Play around with what works best for you.
When you’re ready to improve your average pace, do another Magic Mile, and then either increase the speed of your run intervals, add more time to the run intervals, or cut down on the time of your walk breaks.
Saba Ahmed
Walks can help you participate in longer, harder races.
2️⃣ MYTH → Only beginners take walk breaks.
TRUTH → The run/walk method can work for everyone. Both Burget and Twiggs run ultras, and ultrarunners typically aren’t new to the running game.
Through a lot of practice and experience, Burget has learned to time his walks to match the location of hydration stops and elevation gain in his ultras.
Always study the details of your upcoming race so your strategy matches the landscape. “Walking hills is smart because we want to do what we can to conserve our energy so that when we expend our energy, we get the most bang for our buck,” Twiggs says. Running up hills during training will help you build leg strength, but in a race, it could decrease your pace (and finish time) because it takes so much effort, adds Twiggs. Without planning, you might waste effort by running up a hill and then walking a descent as you recover.
Run/walk lets you train just as hard and go just as far, all while feeling a whole lot better.
3️⃣ MYTH → Run/Walk will limit your race opportunities.
TRUTH → Walks can help you participate in longer, harder races. Compared to when you walk, your heart beats more frequently when you run to help circulate blood to your muscles so they can get the oxygen and nutrients they need. Break up those runs with walks, though, and you’re giving your heart, muscles, bones, and joints respite, helping you to deposit more into your energy bank, and to race distances that seemed out of reach, Twiggs says.
While you experiment with run/walk intervals, try to notice how you feel in comparison to runs that don’t include walks. Do you feel like you can increase your typical run distance by a half mile, for instance, or 10 minutes?
In addition to helping you conquer longer distances, the run/walk method might also increase your race options by letting you take part in multiday events, such as runDisney weekends or Philadelphia’s Marathon Weekend, which includes an 8K, half, and marathon. “We’ve seen anecdotally that for millions of runners, this allows them to run races they would not have otherwise considered,” says Twiggs.—Donna Raskin
Run/Walk Your Way to Less Pain
Saba Ahmed
Run/walk intervals reduce the likelihood of experiencing pain by decreasing impact on your joints and muscles.
Imagine you’re on a run when suddenly that nagging quad ache or knee pain flares up. You may ask yourself, “Should I cut my run short or push through?” Instead of either option, consider run/walk intervals. Research suggests the method reduces the likelihood of experiencing pain while you run by decreasing the impact on your joints and muscles, helping prevent long-term injury.
Although running has not been proven to damage the knees, hips, or ankles, it still is a high-impact workout that stresses your joints. Walking puts less stress on those joints while still offering the same benefits as running—contributing to mood elevation, and better metabolic and heart health.
As you probably know, you need to put in some quality time to get the benefits of exercise.
“We know, on average, it takes 30 to 35 minutes of time on feet to get a measurable aerobic benefit from a run,” says Will Baldwin, USATF- and VDOT-certified running coach. However, some runners may not be able to consistently and comfortably run that entire time. Rather than cutting a workout short, the run/walk method breaks up your hard effort so you can hit that “time on feet” goal.
Dustin Fenstermacher
You can keep track of your run/walk ratio using time or distance.
The fact that walking breaks lessen pain without undercutting the positive effects of exercise is also obvious from a study of 42 marathoners with recreational running backgrounds. Researchers found that those who ran the entire race and those who used run/walk got the same cardiovascular benefits and achieved similar finish times, but the run/walkers reported less muscle pain and fatigue after the race. More than 40 percent of the participants who ran the whole race felt “strong to extreme exhaustion” at the finish, while in the run/walk group, less than 5 percent reported the same feeling.
Essentially, when compared to strictly running, run/walk lets you train just as hard and go just as far, all while feeling a whole lot better.—Matt Rudisill
The Magic Mile Calculator
The Magic Mile calculator helps determine all necessary training paces based on your one-mile trial at hard effort. With our tool, you can convert this effort into custom training paces for all workouts and distances. Pencil the Magic Mile into your schedule every one to three weeks to get a barometer of your fitness and training.
You can find the Magic Mile calculator here.
You Can Even Qualify For The Boston Marathon Using The Run/Walk Method
Thomas Hengge
Liz Badley, 43, a runner from Reston, Virginia, turned to the run/walk method in 2007 after her mother had successfully trained for a marathon—injury-free—thanks to the intervals years earlier.
Badley has a condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which makes her joints hypermobile and more prone to injury. She was recovering from both stress injuries and a car accident in 2016, she says, and run/walking helped her come back stronger and with more endurance, leading to a 13-minute marathon PR.
In 2019, Badley shaved off another 10 minutes and nailed her BQ at the Mountain 2 Beach Marathon in California. Alternating between two-minute runs and 20-second walks, she finished in 3:34:58. Later that year, she scored another BQ at the California International Marathon in December, clocking 3:32:40.—Laurel Leicht
Want to Learn More?
Whether you’re already a committed runner and want to switch up your training routine, or have your sights set on a PR that’s feeling just out of reach, run/walk could get you there.
In How to Master the Run/Walk Method, we break down everything you need to know, from interval tracking to training for 5Ks, marathons, and everything in between.
Hosting the program is Carissa Galloway, an internationally recognized fitness and nutrition expert whose father-in-law, Olympian Jeff Galloway, created the original Run-Walk-Run method in the 1970s. She’s joined by Chris Twiggs, training director at Galloway Training, and together they provide the expertise and encouragement to motivate you every step of the way.
Paired with the RW+ Run/Walk Training Plan of your choice, this holistic program, available exclusively to Runner’s World+ members, provides all the tools you need to start—or level up—your fitness.
Monique LeBrun is a health and fitness editor who is based in Easton, Pennsylvania. She covers a wide range of health and wellness topics, with a primary focus on running performance and nutrition. Monique is passionate about creating content that empowers runners to become the best versions of themselves. As an avid runner and parent, she loves spending time outdoors with her daughter, who often accompanies her on weekend runs as her personal mini run coach.
Donna Raskin has had a long career as a health and fitness writer and editor of books and magazine articles. A certified run coach who has practiced yoga for many years, she also loves to lift weights, dance, and go for long walks with her hound dog, Dolly.
Matt Rudisill is an Associate Service Editor who has been with Runner’s World since 2025. A Nittany Lion through-and-through, Matt graduated from Penn State in 2022 with a degree in journalism and worked in communications for the university’s athletic department for three years as the main contact and photographer for its nationally-ranked cross country and track & field teams. Matt was also heavily involved in communications efforts for Penn State football, men’s basketball, and women’s gymnastics. In his role with Runner’s World, Matt has interviewed Olympians, world champions, and countless experts in the field to create service content that helps runners of all ages and experience levels train smarter and race faster. When he’s not out jogging, Matt can be found tweeting bad takes about the Phillies or watching movies.