Taking Your First Steps With Jeff Galloway

Winter challenges your exercise program. The colder temperatures keep you inside.

There is something about being outside and a sense of freedom. I spoke to a class of 5th graders, and I mention that there is only one person who stops you from achieving your goals, YOU.

The same statement applies to those reading this who are still sitting on the couch.

In the early years of the AWM/M:M I directed my writings toward competition and speed. Well, with passage time comes the aging process. I noticed the running was slower, so the direction of the writing is slower.

The competition has taken a different direction with a stronger motivation to exercise at a level which feels comfortable. To be honest, the year I ran 3 hours and 4 minutes at the Houston Tenneco Marathon, I was excited.

Last year I ran my 39th Marine Corps Marathon (My 137th marathon) in 6 hours and 59 minutes. I was excited.In looking back, there was a difference: the faster time came with a level of exhaustion while the slower time had the same level of exhaustion. I need to add I was running with three stress fractures which were unknown.

There was a time I welcomed the exhaustion because that was my signal that I had a good workout.

Guess what? I do not feel that way anymore.

I was of the mindset that real runners when in competition run the entire time. One day, the body refused to go fast.

The revised mindset is to run according to how I feel. The beauty is that I enjoy the running more and feel better and now and then I get frisky and pick it up but only a few steps. There is always a fire in the furnace.A favorite author, Angela Duckworth, in her book, “GRIT: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.” She states,

“To be gritty is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. To be gritty is to hold fast to an interesting and purposeful goal. To be gritty is to invest, day after week after year, in challenging practice. To be gritty is to fall down seven times, and rise eight.”

Col. Joseph Murray, the commander of Marine Corps Base Quantico, presents Olympian Jeff Galloway with a plaque during the Hall of Fame dinner hosted by the Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 24, 2015.  (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Timothy Turner/Released)

In putting one foot in front of the other leads me to the 1972 Olympian and Navy veteran, Jeff Galloway.  In 2015 Galloway was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame.

He is pictured at the left with Colonel Joseph Murray who was also inducted in 2015.

One of the greatest contributions to the sport has been the Run Walk Run method for runners at every level. 

You can go to the mall on a shopping spree for hours, but you do not have the time to do a few laps around a track. There is something wrong with the picture. You need to step back and reset.

The following is not an advertisement but your ticket to a healthier lifestyle and something to look forward to when you step back from the competitive days but wish to remain active. Sit back and enjoy the words from Jeff Galloway.

What are the primary reasons people exercise?

The “brain benefits” of exercise show that most workouts turn on brain circuits for a better attitude,  more energy and empowerment to confront and solve problems—better than any other activity.

Endurance running releases a brain hormone (BDNF) that grows new brain cells—at any age.

The physical effects of exercise can calm anxieties, boost vitality, and increase enjoyment of life and happiness–according to thousands of reports I receive every year.

What are some reasons you hear from people for not exercising? 

I don’t have time…Exercise makes me exhausted….Exercise hurts….I’m too old….I don’t have the right heredity for long distance walking or running. But when using my method, each exerciser can gain control over exercise to avoid these negative effects.

What do you hear from those who have started with your program?

“I can’t believe how good I feel–after  every workout–using your ‘Jeffing’ technique”

“Using the Galloway method has taken away my aches and pains,”

“I’m in better shape at 59 than I was at 29–thanks to your Galloway run walk run,”

“Almost gave up running 10 years ago–too many aches and pains. Your method allowed me to enjoy running again.”

“I run faster at age 70 than I did when I was 60–thanks to your method.”

What do you say to the person who thinks they are too old? 

Thousands have told me they were ‘beyond the age for running’ but gave the Galloway method a try. Almost everyone found a run walk run strategy that allowed them to keep running. 

There is a strategy that should allow almost everyone to receive the enjoyment of running or long walks–without the negative effects of non-stop running.

Do you have a sense if there are more females than males taking advantage of the program?

In our Galloway training programs and running events, females make up about 65-70% of the crowd.

Is it best to start off with shorter distances and then progress to where I can do a marathon? 

Having coached over 500,000 to their goals, I’ve found that starting at current fitness level and gradually increasing the long workout (every 2-3 weeks) allows the body to adapt and avoid injury and exhaustion. The minimum between the long weekends is only 30 minutes every other day in my program.

Should I train every day or have a day of rest in between? 

Beginners and those starting over should schedule workouts every other day. It is during the recovery day that muscles improve, and physiological improvements can be made. 

Even competitive athletes can benefit from an easier recovery day between challenging workouts.

Is the program only for those who want to run faster? 

Any level of runner can benefit from my run walk run method. Beginners and those who are starting again can avoid injury and exhaustion. But our surveys also show that former nonstop runners tend to run faster when they find the right run walk run strategy.

Each early walk break can erase most of the muscle fatigue–avoiding a slowdown at the end, a normal effect of non-stop running. 

Is it better to be in a group or run alone? 

The research from over 100 Galloway training programs shows that running in a group motivates members to run more often and enjoy running more. Running with the right group can be fun. 

To avoid injury and increase the fun, pick a group like ours that sets up pace groups based upon current ability and uses run walk run. For those who can’t join a group, on-line programs such as Galloway Customized can bring group identity and support for motivation.

RUN WALK RUN: IT BEGAN IN 1974

A few months after opening my specialty running store, Phidippides, in 1973, I was asked to teach a class on beginning running. Through this class, I saw an opportunity to help non-runners enjoy the benefits of running. Since business was slow at the store, I also wanted to increase the number of potential customers.

During the class, I discovered that none of my students had been running for at least five years. About one-third had done no regularly scheduled exercise during their lifetime. During the first lap around the track, I realized walk breaks would be crucial if I wanted each class member to finish either a 5K or 10K without injury or exhaustion.

As I ran with each group, I focused on breathing rate. The “huff and puff” rule emerged: when you hear huffing and puffing, take more frequent walk breaks and slow the pace.

Throughout the first class, I adjusted the Run Walk Run amounts so that each person felt successful in completing the distance, which gradually increased during one run each week. Most admitted that they started to look forward to each run because of their improved attitude during and afterward.

At the end of the ten-week term was the “exam”: either a 5K or a 10K. Each student finished! When I polled each at the end, I received my best reward: none of them had been injured!

During the next two years, I experimented with various ratios of walk breaks as I worked with beginning runners at my store. In 1976, the Galloway Training Program began. I continued to find that walk breaks could almost eliminate injury.

Many veteran marathoners refused to take walk breaks at first. As the former beginners moved into longer-distance events such as marathons, they continued to adjust to walk breaks and started to record faster times than the veterans. This led to the use of walk breaks in all pace groups.

THE GALLOWAY RUN WALK RUN METHOD

• It’s a smart way to run–by giving you cognitive control over each workout.
• Allows you to carry on all of your life activities–even after long runs
• Motivates beginners to get off of the couch and run
• Bestows running joy to non-stop runners who had given up
• Helps improve finish times in all races
• It gives all runners control over fatigue
• Delivers all the running enhancements without exhaustion or pain
• *For more information about our training programs, check out https://www.jeffgalloway.com/training-groups/

Now, it is time to follow through and make a commitment. What is your next step?

Read more inspiring stories at…. Off and running with George Banker.

George is pictured here with Jeff Galloway. George’s positive outlook on exercise (particularly running) has been inspiring our readers since we were Army Wife Network.

We appreciate all the amazing people he has introduced our readers to over the years.