run-walk system!?

ditpoker

I decided to google "MARATHON" largely because i was interested why 26.2 miles was arbitrarily chosen as THE distance to run. on the wikipedia page for marathon running it mentions that many novices adopt a walk run policy of running to water stations and walking through them while consuming water.

how far apart are water stations, and surely this run-walk policy will just really tire you out by the end?!

any thoughts?

daymobrew

Are you saying that taking walk breaks will tire you out or running the entire marathon will tire you out?
Drinking while walking is a lot easier than doing the same while running. And you'll get water in with less spilling. And breathing will be easier. All-in-all, it is probably more efficient to walk through the water stations.

Jeff Galloway, a running trainer, encourages walk breaks.

ditpoker

i've found that say i do 4miles, that if i jog 4 miles i experience one form of tiredness, but if i were to do 800m, then walk then 800m, then walk, then 800m, then walk etc i would feel more tired... that make any sense?

ditpoker

daymobrew wrote: »

Jeff Galloway, a running trainer, encourages walk breaks.

great website, thanks

Lila

The only thing I can think of is that perhaps you're running harder in the sessions when you take walk breaks. Are you compensating and taking it at an easier pace when you're not planning to take walk breaks? Perhaps it's a subconscious thing.

As regards the water stations I know there were 8 over the course of the Dublin marathon last October. That was my first marathon so not sure if that's standard but according to the London Marathon website "water is available at the three-mile mark and at every mile marker after that".

louthandproud

ditpoker wrote: »

I decided to google "MARATHON" largely because i was interested why 26.2 miles was arbitrarily chosen as THE distance to run. on the wikipedia page for marathon running it mentions that many novices adopt a walk run policy of running to water stations and walking through them while consuming water.

how far apart are water stations, and surely this run-walk policy will just really tire you out by the end?!

any thoughts?

The name, "marathon", comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, who was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been miraculously defeated in the Battle of Marathon. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping, but moments after proclaiming his message to the city he collapsed dead from exhaustion.

There are two roads out of the battlefield of Marathon towards Athens, one more mountainous towards the north whose distance is about 21.4 miles (34.5 km), and another flatter but longer towards the south with a distance of 25.4 miles (40.8 km). It has been successfully argued that the ancient runner took the more difficult northern road because at the time of the battle there were still Persian soldiers in the south of the plain.

In modern times, the choice of distance for different so-called marathon races was somewhat arbitrary. The first modern Olympics in 1896 had a marathon distance of 24.85 miles (40 km). Before the 1908 Olympics, the official marathon distance was exactly 26 miles.

However, since 1908 the well known 26 mile marathon has actually been 26 miles, 385 yards. This is because, for the 1908 Olympics in London, it was decided that the royal family needed a better view of the finish line. The race started at Windsor Castle and organisers added an extra 385 yards to the race so the finish line would be in front of the royal box.

From that point, the marathon distance became 26 miles, 385 yards (41.195 km). The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) adopted the distance as the "official" marathon distance in 1921.

Enduro

Most ultra-runners use some form of run-walk strategy during very long ultra races, such as 24 hour runs. Its a strategy for trying to maintain a good average speed for as long as possible. There are nearly as many strategies as runners. In a nutshell, its a running survival strategy.

Personally, I also think its a good idea to slow to a speed where you consume more water than you spill when going through a water stop, presuming that you intend to take liquids on board.

I've always recommended it as a way for almost anyone to finish a marathon, even with relatively little training (suggesting a run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute strategy).

ditpoker

with the 3mins on 1min off sections you'd be stopping a couple of times a mile. is this from the very outset? or as the marathon progresses? so run a half mile, walk a bit, run a half mile, walk a bit, etc etc etc or is it best to run to water stops?! i suppose this is dependent on fitness and goals for the marathon. I'm a running newbie just looking to cross both start and finish lines, so would the three mins on one min off method work best? and while training should i use the same system or run as normal!?

--amadeus--

The general advice is to train as you intend to race. If you think you'll be run/walking the race then run/walk your training. 3 min run / 1 min walk is quite a high percentage of walking and would probably be suited to someone who is really just out to survive a standard marathon or complete an ultra, most run / walk strategies would be along the lines of walking up any hills, walking through water stations or walking for 1 min at every mile marker. It's really about finding a balance - the more running you do the faster your average speed so the faster you'll finish. Running though is obviously harder and takes more out of you so it's balancing those two that is the trick.

Whatever strategy you adopt you should do from the start of the race, if you wait till 10 or 15 miles in then it's to late and the damage has been done - if you know you will be walking then plan accordingly.

You're still a couple of months away from the race at this stage and if you have been able to run all of your sessions to date then I wouldn't necessarily be planning a run walk just yet.

Enduro

Ditpoker, have a look at the link daymobrew posted. The advice in it seems to be marathon specific, and covers a range of issues.

If Dublin is your target, then you've got plenty of time to train to run the whole marathon start to finish. A walk-run strategy is really for when you're pushing beyond your running limits.