If the thought of starting a running routine feels daunting, you’re not alone. But here’s the good news: there’s a simple, proven strategy that’ll have you pounding the pavement with confidence, no matter your fitness level.
Enter “Jeffing”— an interval training method that encourages people to alternate between walking and running at their own pace.
The technique’s creator, Jeff Galloway, recommends letting your breath be the guide — if you’re huffing and puffing, it’s time to walk.
For beginners, it might look like running for one or two minutes, walking for a bit and repeating the cycle for about 20 minutes.
As you continue, your walking intervals will naturally shrink, and you’ll find yourself running longer and more effortlessly.
The birth of Jeffing
Jeffing isn’t just another passing trend — it’s been around for more than 50 years.
Galloway developed the hybrid approach after competing for the US team in the 1972 Olympic games in Munich. After his time on the track, Galloway began coaching beginner runners and quickly spotted a major problem: too many newbies were sidelined by injuries from pushing themselves too hard, too fast.
That’s when a lightbulb moment struck. Even elite athletes warm up and start slow before ramping up their pace.
Galloway put the idea to the test with a group of 22 beginner runners, who averaged 42 years old. They started walking, running, and walking again, and after just 10 weeks, every single one of them finished a 5K or 10K with zero injuries.
Safer. Further. Faster.
While the run-walk method is a game-changer for beginners, seasoned runners have also embraced it for its injury-prevention benefits and endurance-boosting qualities.
Experts say Jeffing significantly lowers the risk of injury by preventing muscle fatigue and overuse. A 2016 study in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport found marathon runners using the run-walk method experienced significantly less muscle pain postrace than those who ran nonstop.
Galloway, a 79-year-old who says he hasn’t suffered a running injury since 1978, believes his method is simply more natural for the human body.
“According to anthropologists, while humans were designed for long distances — up to 5,000 miles during the earliest migrations — we weren’t designed for nonstop running,” Galloway told the Guardian. “It’s not inherently in our DNA to run continuously, which is why many individuals break down.”
The run-walk strategy also helps build endurance.
“It allows for better management of fatigue, enabling runners to cover longer distances without feeling exhausted,” Kunal Makwana, a personal trainer, told Stylist. “This is especially helpful for those training for longer races.”
And here’s the real kicker: Pacing yourself doesn’t mean sacrificing speed. The same 2016 study found that nonelite Jeffing participants finished marathons in roughly the same time as those who ran nonstop.
According to Galloway’s website, switching to the run-walk method can actually shave off 7 minutes in a half-marathon and a whopping 13 minutes in a full marathon.
