The run/walk method of training is magic! Walking is not a sign of weakness, but a fantastic training tool to boost your energy during your workouts and decrease your risk of injury.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF WALK BREAKS?
- Walk breaks reduce the chance of injury and overtraining to almost nothing.
- Walk breaks help your muscles recover following your runs.
- Regular walk breaks allow those who can only run 2 miles to go to 3 or 4 and feel great!
- Walk breaks help beginners, heavier runners, or those returning from injury to increase their endurance more easily and more quickly.
- Walk breaks allow runners over 40 to do their first marathon, and improve times in most cases.
- Walk breaks allow runners of all ages to improve endurance by helping them run longer while keeping legs strong, efficient, and fresh.
- During walk breaks, the body burns more fat by mobilizing free fatty acid stores.
- With walk breaks, you can extend the length of your workouts and burn more calories.
- Walking eases you into your run when warming up and helps you actively recover while cooling down.
Walk breaks work because you're distributing the workload among a variety of muscles. On each successive walk, you give the running muscles a chance to recover, which helps to decrease muscle fatigue and soreness.
Without regular walk breaks, legs can tire more quickly, which leads to a deterioration of your running form and possible injury. Walk breaks help muscles remain strong enough to sustain good form. This reduces overall wear and tear on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, helping to increase your chance of running injury-free.
Dr. Karey Zufelt obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Davis, graduating with Highest Honors. She received her medical degree from the UC Davis School of Medicine and entered a Family Practice Residency at San Jose Medical Center, San Jose, California. Karey practiced medicine in the area of Women’s Health, her patient population spanning all age levels from teens to seniors. Connect to her by visiting her inspirational site, Running for Women.
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