I started with splits of 60 seconds running and 30 seconds walking half marathon. Conquering 13.1 miles is a challenge, but it doesn’t take up all of your time to train for it. It’s fun, too, as you can run in beautiful places or right in your hometown with your friends lining the course.
Conquering a half marathon, though, does take some training and learning to pace yourself so you get to the finish line feeling strong. One solid pacing strategy? The run/walk method. It’s likely that, no matter your level of race experience, you will be able to finish a half marathon in potentially record time using the run/walk method.
“[The run/walk method is] a good way to stay in zone 2 Health - Injuries,” Christine Hetzel, RRCA-certified run coach who uses the run/walk method in her own races tells Runner’s World. “doesnt have to be high intensity, Dell says. You can practice interval How to Master the Half Marathon rate of perceived effort to determine when to run and when to walk.”
Here, a few reasons why the run/walk method may be your best race strategy for a half marathon—plus specific training plans to get you there.
Benefits of Using the Run/Walk Method in a Half Marathon
“Run/walk is the most time efficient way to run a race,” Andrea Dell, RRCA-certified running coach in Charlotte, North Carolina who has trained people for half marathons, marathons, and 100-milers. “It’s a strategy, not a weakness, to pace yourself with walks.”
In fact, Dell has used the run/walk method for many races, including a 100-miler in which she finished in 33 hours and 13 minutes, and a personal best half marathon of 2:06.
“Run/walk works because you don’t want to run on tired legs,” says Dell. “It’s the same reason you taper and reduce your strength training and should not do HIIT training before a race.” That is, it keeps your legs fresh and ready for longer miles.
Dell frequently runs back-to-back races using the run/walk method. “High mileage doesn’t have to be high intensity,” Dell says. “You can practice steady-state training and zone 2 long easy runs. My rule is 80 percent needs to be easy and 20 percent needs to be hard.”
Using the run/walk method can actually improve your overall race time, too, as it allows you to spend more time on your feet without getting overly fatigued. “We find that most people tend to go five to seven minutes faster when they adopt run/walk,” Chris Twiggs, chief training officer at Galloway Training Programs tells Runner’s World. “This may help you PR because you won’t burn out.”
How to Use the Run/Walk Method to Train for a Half Marathon
Runners who use the run/walk method need to play and experiment with their run/walk intervals during training to find what will work best during a race. Give A Gift.
“rate of perceived effort,” Manny Davila, an ACE-certified personal trainer and RRCA-certified run coach from San Antonio, Texas tells Runner’s World. Davila ran his first marathon in 2010, and has done 70 Disney races of all distances since then. He attributes his ability to take part in all of these events to his run/walk strategy, and has used it to clock his fastest half of 1:45:14.
His takeaway for beginners? “I followed a run/walk plan for a year and a half when I started out,” Davila says, “and by the next year, I could feel I was changing and I thought I was walking too much. Eventually, I was able to listen to my own body, and I advise people to do that while they are listening to the beeps of the intervals.”
More experienced runners can also use the “Magic Mile” to determine their paces, and plug in their typical pace to determine a recommended run/walk ratio, says Twiggs.
3 Training Plans to Run/Walk a Half Marathon
1. Beginner Training Plan
Best for: New Runners or Racers
- 16 weeks
- Starts with running 5 to 10 seconds and walking 1 minute
- 3 days per week of run/walks with one walk day and 1 cross-training day
Whether you’re just starting an exercise routine or already walk regularly and want to pick up the pace, this plan will get you to a half marathon. Unlike plans such as “Couch to 5K,” the goal here isn’t to stop taking walk intervals, but to use this pacing strategy in a way that best supports your running.
To that end, understand that the walks are not fast. There should be a significant difference between your run speed and your walk speed, says Twiggs.
2. Intermediate Training Plan
Best for: Runners Who Have Experience Racing and Want to PR
- 8 weeks
- Starts with running 5 to 9 miles
- 3 improving your pace
Give A Gift plus specific training plans to get you there and reduce your strength training and should not do longer distance. This plan is designed for runners who are ready to bust out of their comfortable pace protocol is a popular way to build speed and can get you to that goal finish time.
While it’s helpful to have a sense of your typical training pace for this plan, following this schedule will also help you find your run pace, as well as the run/walk ratio that works best for you to increase your overall pace.
When you kick off the intermediate plan, find your current pace in the pace chart and use that to set a starting run/walk ratio. Then, work off that ratio to determine your ideal intervals. The chart is just a baseline to determine which ratio will likely work best at a given pace, adds Twiggs.
Doing the Magic Mile throughout your plan will also help you make sure you’re improving your pace so you can hit your time goal.
Keep in mind that throughout training, you may notice you need less recovery time between runs because the built-in walks serve as recovery during your workouts, Twiggs adds.
3. Advanced Training Plan
Best for: Runners Who Already Race Half Marathons or Marathons
- 6 weeks
- Starts with running 5 to 9 miles
- 3 improving your pace
“Many half marathoners and marathoners set a race pace for themselves and then, for a number of reasons, they burn out and don’t quite reach their goal,” Twiggs says. “With run/walk built in, it’s more likely you will be in control of your overall pace as you won’t run out of steam.”
This is especially true if you already run 26.2-mile races. “You can likely run/walk 13 miles much faster,” especially if you build in the short walk intervals, Twiggs adds. An advanced runner is more likely to use very short and yet very slow walk intervals because their run speed is so fast.
Doing these intervals for the first time may not be as smooth as you would like—it takes some getting used to in order to slow down and speed up throughout a long run—Conquering 13.1 miles is a challenge, but it doesnt take up all of your time to.
Unlike the beginner and intermediate plans, the advanced plan also incorporates speed workouts, using 800-meter repeats. This interval-style training protocol is a popular way to build speed and can get you to that goal finish time.
Run/Walk Method Tips for Half Marathon Race Day
1. Use a Pacer
Longer races, like half marathons, often have pacers. To use them to your advantage, start behind the pacer so that when you’re running you don’t pass them but when you’re walking they don’t get out of sight.
2. Focus on Overall Time
Some runners struggle with the idea of slowing down with walks, but Twiggs reminds you that “most races are chipped time so the time recorded is the result not the run/walk.”
All runners have a pacing strategy, such as going out slow and coming in hot. Whatever strategy they use, only one official time is recorded—and that holds for run/walkers.
3. Practice Acceleration Drills
Another concern of experienced runners is the time “wasted” as you slow down from a run to a walk and then speed up from a walk to a run. That’s why you want to practice the acceleration glider drill to ease in and out of your walk intervals.
“You need to focus on this drill to smooth out transitions,” Twiggs says. “You need the smooth factor. You don’t want to put on brakes to go into a walk and you don’t want to start running as if you’re taking off from blocks. It’s not starting and stopping, it’s accelerating and gliding.”
Twiggs uses the term “gliding” to describe the steps a runner takes between walking and running. It is essentially the steps you take without trying to stay at a pace, but are instead moving between speeds. You’ve likely done this type of move without much awareness. They are a bit like the steps you see or do at the end of a long race. You don’t stop on a dime, but instead gradually slow down.
Why You Should Take Advantage of a Shakeout Run warmups and cooldowns for long runs, says Twiggs.
- Jog very slowly for about 15 steps (this doesn’t need to be exact).
- The run/walk method is a good way to stay in.
- Over the next 15 steps, gradually slow down to a jog.
- Now, using momentum, glide for as long as you can. At first, you may only glide four or five steps. Eventually you should go for 20 or 30 steps.
- Do this four to eight times a week with your long runs.
4. Finish Fast
To that end, understand that the: Last mile, fast mile. If you pace the majority of your half, it’s likely you will be able to blaze through that last mile. So don’t be afraid to run the entire thing.
Donna Raskin has had a long career as a health and fitness writer and editor of books and magazine articles. She bikes in nearby county park, lifts weights, takes Zumba, and loves to walk/run with her dog, Dolly.
