Newspaper Article

FITNESS FILE / DOUBLE WHAMMY / Even champion runners are recognizing the benefits of running and walking. SIDEBAR: Upcoming Events (see end of text)

John Hanc. Newsday columnist and contributor John Hanc is also the author of two beginners' books on running: "The Essential Runner" and "The Essential Marathoner."

1998

Overview

Nine-time New York City Marathon winner Grete Waitz of Norway, 1968 Boston Marathon winner Amby Burfoot, 1972 Olympian Jeff Galloway and women's marathon pioneer Kathrine Switzer are among a number of outstanding long-distance runners from the 1960s, '70s and '80s who have incorporated both running and walking into their fitness regimens and their lifestyles in the '90s. Galloway, who since his competitive days has become an influential running author and coach, has long advocated a combination of running interspersed with walking (generally speaking, a 1-mile run / 60-second walk) as the best way for beginners to complete the 26.2-mile marathon distance. \"The human body wasn't designed for running continuously for long distances,\" he says. \"By alternating running and walking from the beginning of a run, we can extend our endurance limits dramatically.\" The answer may literally lie in between. In the April issue of Runner's World, Burfoot recommended a combination of running and walking as an ideal way for walkers or runners to build fitness. \"Some walkers simply don't walk fast enough to get any benefits,\" he says. \"It takes more vigorous exercise. If they introduce a few running breaks into their walking, the exercise becomes much more vigorous and healthy and benefit-filled. Runners, on the other hand, sometimes need to slow down, take easy days, recover from injuries. For them, walking breaks are the way to go.\"

• Publisher: Newsday LLC