Jeffing your way to the finish line.

Without a doubt the worst thing about getting older is you get slower. Some people who are blessed with amazing running genes don't but most of us do. I found myself most definitely in that place in the last few years. I usually don't care about how fast or how slow I am but It was beginning to get to me a bit. I just could not make any progress despite working away at it. I was starting to think I would just have to accept that i would never get any faster or stronger, and resolved to just enjoy what I could do. But then I found Jeffing! For those of you who don't know Jeffing is a run/walk method which combines running and walking in the same run session. Jeffing is an affectionate term that recognises US Olympian and author Jeff Galloway, who is a firm advocate of the run-walk method.

My understanding of it is that most people will at some point on their run end up having a walk. Be it up a hill, on a long stretch but usually it is when you are tired. The idea behind Jeffing is that you walk before you are tired and store up energy. When you start to Jeff (if you have never run before) it is wise to build up. You could start by walk/run/walking say 60 seconds walk then 30 seconds running but gradually you should aim to switch that around to run/walk/run. My preferred timing is 90 seconds running and 30 seconds walking. Jeff Galloway's book goes into great detail about it all, which if I am honest I gave up on the technical stuff but what I did glean was that 30 seconds walking is the best interval as it is enough for you to get your breath back but not too long that you will start to cool down. I tried 60 seconds and 30 seconds and found that I wasn't running enough to get anywhere fast, the 90/30 split works well for me. What I find is that I have a pretty regular pace if I am jeffing. For example when I ran in the New York Marathon with Mark we jeffed the whole way. And I pretty much sat around 14/15 min mile pace (with the exception of when I was sore - found out afterwards i ran it with two broken ribs!) for 26.2 miles.

I use an interval timing app (F.I.T. Fitness Interval Timer) which I can set the timing on and it beeps away at me when I have to stop and walk/run. This loud beep can be a bit annoying so if I am in a busy race I will put it on my headphones so only I can hear the beeps, but out on the trails I just let it beep away. When I returned to Hawkshead this year to take part in the Lakeland Trails Coffin Trail 10km (aka 7.5 miles) I challenged myself to climb the coffin trail, 1 mile of very steep ascent, in less time than I had on previous occassions. I decided to Jeff it up and trained on really steep hills in Sherriffmuir. I decided to swap the timing around for the hill and did 30 seconds running 90 seconds walking and it worked I managed to take 2 mins off my previous best time by jeffing my way up it. It takes a while for Jeffing to get under your skin and for you to stop beating yourself up that you are walking. Once you trust the method, and really get that, despite you stopping and walking as the rest of field runs away from you, you will catch up with people it becomes a real joy. Most people run off quick at the start and then end up walking, meanwhile you are gradually working your way to the finish line in an even paced way. You will catch people up, just trust that this will happen. I have seen my pace with jeffing going down from 13.5 minute miles to 11.5 (when I put the effort in). Jeffing isn't about running slowly, it is about evening your pace out. It can work for someone who is running 15 minute miles to someone much faster. It is about conserving energy. Much as I would love to be able to still run the whole way, I am realistic in the knowledge that I can't. However, Jeffing has definitely improved my pacing, my speed and has made me feel more like a runner again.