A couple of years ago when I considered doing my first half marathon in years, a friend gave me Jeff Galloway’s book Running Until Your 100. In it, he advocates for people – especially those 45 years and older – to add walk breaks to their running. When done right, he claims that people of all ages can remain injury-free while obtaining the many benefits of running. Galloway is an Olympian runner and coach that has made it his mission to improve people’s quality of life through running. He is the creator of the Galloway Run-Walk-Run Program and for 33 years he has coached over half a million runners answering an average of 100 emails a day.
Since the Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve seen many people and families taking walks. Of course, we all keep from each other but many of us relish the time spent outside. And this got me thinking about how this is the perfect time for people to try running with a much gentler and enjoyable strategy.
As people get older, they often think they can no longer run or that running is bad for them. In episode 29 of The Healthy Family Podcast, Jeff Galloway explains how his Run-Walk-Run program can help people at midlife and beyond enjoy running without getting injured. It’s also a great way for anyone at any age to start running.
Show Highlights
- Jeff’s personal story about how he got involved in running and how it changed his life including eventually making the Olympic team.
- The benefits of running, especially for the brain and an overall sense of well being.
- Top myths about running as you get older like you can’t run past a certain age or if you have a chronic disease like osteoarthritis.
- How Jeff developed his signature Run-walk-Run program and how it helps runners remain injury-free for decades.
- Why humans were not designed to participate in non-stop running and how adding walk breaks allow muscles to recover and the body to keep resetting itself.
- The early experience many have people growing up have that turns them against running (It usually involves a coach or PE teacher).
- How Run-Walk-Run allows many runners to improve their race times.
- Why most of the advice doctors give their patients about avoiding running is based on misinformation and how that would change if they knew about Run-Walk-Run.
- How to find your perfect pace – and heart rate – with simple techniques.
- The running form mistake most people make and how to get around it.
- Tips for the beginning and avid runner to transition to Run-Walk-Run.
Quote from the show
If you run nonstop, as the years go by there could be problems with the joints and other orthopedic units. Nonstop running is not something human beings were designed to do; we were actually designed to run a little bit and then walk. — Jeff Galloway
Links
Book – The Story of the Human Body
Discover your pace with the Magic Mile
Got a question? Ask Jeff
Duration: 59:32
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Podcast Music: Corporate Uplifting by Scott Holmes
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