Mr. Jeff Galloway — best-selling author, Olympic athlete, Runners World columnist, and creator of the Galloway RUN-WALK Method — has a brand new book: Galloway’s 5K/10K Running ( available September, 2007).
Kelly Jad'on: You’ve written several books about running, and you were a 1972 Olympic athlete. What was your race?
Jeff Galloway: I made the team in 10K meter run and was an alternate marathoner.
How did you begin running?
As a 13-year old kid, I was fat and sedentary. In school we were required to participate in a sport. I chose winter track conditioning because I heard it was the easiest. Fortunately, after hiding out in the woods for part of practice, I fell into a group of kids who liked to run.
What is the Galloway Run-Walk method that teaches almost anyone how to complete a marathon?
In 1974, I began to teach a community class on beginning running at Florida State University. No one in class had run for at least five years. I divided the participants into groups: beginners — walking with breaks, more advanced — running with walking breaks, and the most advanced group, fewest walking breaks. All finished either a 5K or a 10K race without injuries. This is rare. The walk-breaks allowed them to remain injury-free. Walk-breaks need to come before people become tired. More than 200,000 people over the years have successfully used this method.
I have also designed a whole system, incorporating a “magic mile,” which is a timed mile. The time is converted to a slow training pace; when followed this means no injuries should occur.
Is running good for anyone?
Practically anyone can walk and run. Our ancestors had to run and walk to survive; it was their means of transportation to the next food supply. The constant movement and migration in small groups developed the human traits of teamwork. They were long distance athletes; we are genetically endowed to be able to run.
Psychologically studies have shown that brain development due to aerobic activity, makes the thinking process more direct and efficient; running enhances the ability to use the brain better. Runners have the highest positive attitude traits and the least amounts of depression. Other studies have shown that physical or chemical changes occur after beginning running. You just feel good.
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