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>>Male Presenter: This talk is brought to you by Googlers for Optimize Your Life, Google's
campaign to build the happiest and healthiest workforce on the planet. So, Jeff is a former
US Olympian in the ten thousand meters. He's written numerous books, notable "Jeff Galloway's
Book on Running", and is a frequent writer for "Runner's World" magazine."
He's a life-long runner and believes that everyone is capable of a successful running
career. Today, Jeff will briefly talk about his experiences, will answer your questions
in pursuit of running injury-free. I had the unique opportunity to attend the Galloway
School in Atlanta, Georgia, in high school--a school founded by Jeff's father, Elliot Galloway.
Both of Jeff's sons were classmates of mine, which had the distinct advantage of having
Jeff Galloway as one of your track coaches.
[laughter]
Not a bad deal. During my senior year, Jeff helped our track team reach some really amazing
goals. Personally, running a sub-five mile and sending a number of people to the Georgia
State finals. So, it was a really, really good experience.
As you can imagine, Jeff has lots of stories to tell from running with Steve Prefontaine
and Frank Shorter in the '72 Olympics in Munich to his more recent ventures, hosting all kinds
of running programs all over the world. I know I'm not alone in saying Jeff is a truly
inspirational person who cares deeply about healthy living and running injury-free. His
unique run/walk/run training programs have helped thousands of people complete running
of all distances. He's one of the most humble people you'll ever meet. [chuckles]
And I'm really glad that we were able to bring him here today. So, please join me in welcoming
Jeff Galloway to Google.
[applause]
>>Jeff Galloway: OK. I'm on a little bit of a string here. Is this OK?
>>Female #1: Yeah, great.
>>Jeff Galloway: Great. OK. Yes. I was on the Olympic team in 1972. And a lot of people
accuse me of being the Forrest Gump of running because before running was anything at all,
I was out there and I had already gotten hooked on it.
But I will tell you, there are worse things to get hooked on. As a 13-year old, I was
a fat kid. My dad was in the Navy. I'd gone to 13 schools and I'd been able to slink out
of doing regular physical activity due to a lot of excuses. And then reality hit when
my father got out of active duty in the Navy.
And we went to a school that required boys to go out for athletics after school. I'd
gotten to know some of the other lazy kids in school. So, I asked them what they were
gonna go out for during the winter. And most of them were choosing winter cross-country.
I said, "That can't be easy."
And they said, "It is because the cross-country coach is the most lenient in the school. And
all you have to do is lie to him. Tell him that you're gonna run in the woods and you
can go out and hide in the woods."
[laughter]
Two hundred yards is all you have to run. So, I did that for two days. And as fate would
have it, on the third day, an older kid that I liked came up to me and said, "Galloway,
you're running with us today."
Well, I had my strategy all set up. I was gonna reach the edge of the woods, grab my
hamstring, and say, "I'm injured. I can't go on." But they started telling jokes and
then they started telling gossip about the teachers. And I just found myself lured on,
day by day, to go another half mile.
And even--. The two things that I discovered right away, I felt better even after the worst
days, the most exhausting days, than I used to feel all week long. There was something
going on up in the brain that I liked and I liked a lot. Secondly, the friends I was
meeting were the first real friends I had ever met.
And we argued with one another. We shared experiences. We really got to know one another.
Fifty-three years later, we're still the closest friends. And the fact is that there's a lot
of things that go on in mind, body, and spirit when we run that don't occur in most other
activities in life. I'm here mainly to help you.
I want to be available for any questions. If you do not understand my Atlanta accent,
John can come up and translate. But seriously, if you'd like anything clarified right on
the spur of the moment, simply raise your hand. I'm here for you. Barbara, who's hiding
out in the corner over there, we do a lot of clinics together.
We just came up from Carmel. And I have to tell you that it was extremely unlikely when
I started running in the '50s and '60s that there would ever be retreats for running or
these massive events that you have today. And I'm very proud to say that I am partially
to blame for that.
And I'm accused of that all the time because of run/walk/run. So, I'm gonna tell you a
bit about run/walk/run, how it came to be, and then the principles behind it. And then,
I can apply any solutions to problems you're having by using that as one of the methods.
In 1973, I started my running store called "Phidippides."
And as far as I know, it was the first running store that was purely running in the country.
Anyway, we didn't have much business in 1973 in running. There were very few people running.
It was really a stupid business idea to do.
[laughter]
We didn't really get a regular profit going for ten years. And so, I had to figure out
other things to try to bring people in the store and then have side businesses in running.
So, that's why I started doing our running retreats and running groups. We now have those
in 90 cities around the US.
We also have consultations that we do on a regular basis. And things like Carmel. But
in all of this, what I learned I applied to the next set of advice and the next book that
I wrote on it. So, what I'm telling you today is not based on the type of training that
I used before the 1972 Olympics.
And it's not what I use per se as I tried to get faster. It's the compiling results
from over 300 thousand people that I have advised and had in our various training programs
and retreats. And 90 percent of them have gotten back to me to tell me how the advice
works.
So, I'm very confident that most of you will have some solutions--. I'll have some solutions
for you based on this track record. But in 1973, I was asked to teach a class in beginning
running. And when I convened the class of 22, none of them had been doing any running
for at least five years.
And so, this was true beginners. I knew that I didn't want to run them very much because
I didn't want them to get injured because I wanted them to be customers in my store.
So, anyway, we did a lot of walking. There was one group that was self-proclaimed basket
case physical specimens and they were mostly walkers with a little running.
And then we had another set of young guys that did other sports and they progressed
pretty rapidly and didn't do very much walking at the end of the program. And there was middle
group, too. But at the end of the ten-week class, every one of those folks finished either
a 5 or a 10K.
The biggest thing for me is that there were no injuries. I had never been with a group
of 20 or more runners for ten weeks where there wasn't any injuries. And I realized
that the walk breaks were the buffer zones. They were the shock absorbers to the system.
They allowed the body to adapt.
And from that point on, I used the run/walk/run method. It has evolved greatly since that
time. Today, what I'm finding is the ratios of running to walking will allow your body
to adapt. And therefore, you don't have to crash on the bed or the couch all afternoon
after a long run, or in some cases, a short run.
So, the amazing other factors are quicker recovery and the ability to run faster in
races. In marathons, I've studied this for numerous surveys and found that the average
person who has been running marathons continuously--ten or more-when he or she shifts to run/walk/run,
experiences an average of 13 minutes faster with run/walk/run.
And I'll tell you where it is. It's in the end. If you conserve your resources early,
then you're the one that feels great in the end. You're passing people. And I know it's
tough to have to pass those poor people in the latter stages of a race, but you know,
somebody has to do it.
And I will tell you, psychologically it's better to be the passer rather than the passee.
Now, the other thing I wanted to say very clearly is that I'm not trying to drag anyone
kicking and screaming into run/walk/run. It has many benefits.
It's as close of a panacea as I've found in running to reducing or eliminating injury
and eliminating fatigue and allowing you to have a life outside of just running. But if
you apply the principles that I've come up with and don't even use run/walk/run, there's
still several other major benefits.
But run/walk/run has been the greatest single thing I've found to allow people to keep away
from injury and to reach their goals, and to be strong all the way to the finish. Currently,
our ratios are as follows: At eight minutes per mile, run for four minutes and walk for
30 seconds.
For nine minutes per mile, it's a four and one ratio. Ten minutes per mile is three in
one. Eleven minutes per mile is two and a half and one. Twelve minutes per mile, two
and one. Thirteen minutes per mile, one and one. Fourteen minutes per mile, 30 seconds
and 30 seconds.
We take beginners and we do as I did back in 1973. We will start them out with five
to ten seconds of running and the rest of the minute walking. And what I found is the
body can adapt to that in practically every single case. So, if you have friends that
wanna get into running, suggest that they only take it in small doses first.
And then, the body will thank them. And the mind will thank them, too. And they won't
get overwhelmed. Any questions so far? Yes.
>>MALE #1: [inaudible].
>>Jeff Galloway: I have written a book called, "Fit Kids, Smarter Kids" for that very issue.
And the biggest single lesson I learned in the research, which was really delivered to
me by a lot of folks at the CDC in Atlanta, who specialize in this area of kids, is that
the brain is the greatest thing where you get the most benefit in kids that exercise.
And the studies are rampant out there showing better learning, quicker learning, a better
head start on things, the unlocking of the circuits in the brain that solve problems.
Mainly because what running does particularly, is it stimulates frontal lobe activity--the
executive brain--and this is true with kids and adults.
And it really does allow for the brain to really grow up quicker in terms of solving
problems. But the key is not to burn kids out. And so, you really have to take small
doses first because kids are able to run farther and faster than they should be doing.
And if you let them go too far, too fast, too soon, they can get psychologically burned
out and later on, not want to think about running again. So, make it fun. Make it playful.
Have rewards. And don't overdo it. And then, you can have a lifelong exerciser that's smart.
And that's real good. I like that. Yes.
>>MALE #2: [ inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: The question is relating to half-marathons and marathons and how you
would use the ratios that I just mentioned. Very appropriate because a lot of people get
confused as to when they should they be using one ratio or another. I try to make it simple.
And the simple rule is whatever pace you're running that day would then determine what
ratio you would be using. For example, if you're gonna run a training run-- it's 12
minutes per mile-- then two and one would be the most ratio that you would want to do.
There are a lot of people that use one and one at 12 minutes and some that use 30:30,
30 seconds, 30 seconds, also. But if you're running a race faster than that at say, ten
minutes per mile, then a three and one ratio, or sometimes a two in one ratio has been the
best way to do that.
And again, when you have a ratio of three and one, you can also do 90 seconds, 30 seconds,
or 60 seconds, 20 seconds. And more and more, folks are finding that they actually run faster
when they drop down instead of going up in the amount of running.
Let me just go over a couple more principles and then I really want to get to any questions
you have about anything, including nutrition, areas of beginners, trying to break through
barriers, run faster in races, or whatever it is that you want to do. I want to get--.
I'll be here for any of you. And if there are any questions about women's issues, my
wife, Barbara, is here. We wrote that book together. And when I edited her stuff on women's
running and the problems that women have, I learned far more about women than I wanted
to know.
But there are a lot of problems that women perceive are deal-killers and they really
are not deal-killers. There are solutions to practically every single problem that I
have ever found in running. Now, the other principles. When you're training for a long
event, the best single training component that will help you more is a long run.
And I found that slowing down on those long runs is crucial if you want to avoid long-term
recovery and also the hitting of the wall and injuries. So, the rule of thumb is that
you should run at least two minutes per mile slower on long runs than you can currently
run in your race.
The Kenyans actually run three to four minutes per mile slower on their long runs than they
run in their marathons. And you know if it's good enough for the Kenyans--.
[laughter]
And this is a dirty little secret that has been around for generations. The Kenyans in
my generation, back in the 70s at the World Class level, were running often ten minutes
per mile when they were racing at five minutes per mile.
And I said, "Oh, that's way too slow." Of course, the Kenyans were whipping my butt.
And I should've been thinking about that. But the fact is that slow, long runs are not
gonna hurt you. They will help you. You'll recover faster and you have much lower chance
of having problems with slower runs.
And whether you take walk breaks or not, a slow run is definitely recommended. Now, building
the long--. Just one second. Building the long run up to at least the distance of your
race has been shown to produce a great deal of improvement if you haven't been doing that.
And marathons? Those who used to run no more than 20 miles in preparation for a marathon,
when they go up to our recommended Galloway 26-mile training run, there's an average of
15 minute improvement. Fifteen minutes from increasing the length of that last long run.
One thing that has surprised me over the years for marathoners, when people go from our 26-miler
and want to improve to say, qualify for Boston or set a personal record or beat that obnoxious
person in their neighborhood that's running faster than they are in a marathon and go
up to 29 miles, there's an average of 11 minutes of improvement.
So, there's a huge amount of improvement out there if you haven't been going these long
distances before the races that you have. Yes, sir.
>>MALE #3: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: The question is about footwear and the trend currently to go to barefooted
or minimal shoe use as being sort of a superior way to run. Well, a lot of people assume,
due to some of the articles and book, "Born to Run," that this is a new thing.
But I have been running for 53 years and I've seen the fad of minimal shoe, barefooted running
come and go five times. About every ten years, there will be something in the media about
it and people will get jazzed up. Runners will go out and try it. And most times, they
will only do a little bit of it at first and it feels good.
You know, the feet tingle, but it's OK. So then, they go out and do a lot more or buy
a pair of Vibrams and go out in pavement and the foot breaks or the leg breaks. And they
have to take six to eight months off from running. They tell their friends that that's
why they had to take this time off.
So, the trend and the fad goes away and this fad will go away. Now, there are some shoes
that are more minimal that work for a small section of the population. And that's why
there's so many models of shoes today. But I strongly caution the general population
to think that having less heel on a shoe or less sole and less build-up on the shoe is
going to help you because I've heard from thousands already that have been injured by
going into those shoes.
And then, when they shift back to a conventional shoe, the injuries go away. The shoes today
are amazing compared with shoes 15, 20, 30 years ago in how they reduce injuries. And
so, the contentions in some of these articles and books that regular shoes cause injuries
is not supported by the experience nor the prevailing research on that subject. Yes,
sir.
>>MALE #4: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: The surface? Whether--. What type of surface you--? Does it matter?
>>MALE #4: Yes.
>>Jeff Galloway: The question is about the surface and does it matter when you're warming
up or whether you're running on it. Shoes and walk breaks act as shock absorbers even
on the hardest of surfaces. So, I've really not found anything inherently wrong with running
on pavement.
If the shoe is good enough for you and the walk break ratio is right for you, both of
these act as shock absorbers on your system. And on hard pavement, if you don't tend to
like that, then you can just take walk breaks more frequently. And that almost always does
away with the extra pounding.
>>MALE #5: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: That was your question, too? OK, great. Yes.
>>MALE #6: What's your take on post-run stretching compared to [inaudible]?
>>Jeff Galloway: What type of stretching?
>>MALE #6: Stretching after.
>>Jeff Galloway: Just regular stretching. OK. Yeah, OK. The question is about stretching.
What is my take on stretching? I used to be a huge advocate for stretching.
That was before I looked into the research about it. Basically, during my era leading
up to the '72 Olympic Games, nobody in distance stretched. It was not part of the culture
at all. In the mid-70s, a lot of football coaches started coaching track teams and they
had been using stretching effectively for football teams.
And they started incorporating that on the track teams. And stretching became a way of
life for running. But it was an old husband's tale. I looked into the research about ten
years ago on this and believe it or not, there's not a study anywhere showing that stretching
has any benefit whatsoever for distance running.
However now, there are dozens of studies showing that distance runners who stretch have more
injuries. The injuries last longer and the injuries don't tend to heal. So, my children,
I am going to absolve you of all guilt for never stretching.
[laughter]
Anything else right now? Yeah.
>>FEMALE #2: [inaudible].
>>Jeff Galloway: There's no evidence that post-stretching has any benefit whatsoever.
And unfortunately, I hear the negatives. I average hearing from over a hundred runners
a day. And about a third of those are injury problems. And a high percentage are those
that stretch and a high percentage of those are those that stretch after a run.
So, there's inherently beneficial in stretching before, after, during, at night, in the morning,
or any time. And so, without any benefit and a lot of stuff that's out there showing that
stretching has detrimental aspects, I'm gonna just not recommend it.
>>MALE #7: Do you also recommend concurrent strength training [inaudible]?
>>Jeff Galloway: In my book, "Running Until You're 100," I went into several databases.
And one of them was the effects of various types of exercises. And if you collect all
these studies, long-term, on the various exercise modes, running has been studied a little more
than other activities.
But the bottom line is that any exercise we do is gonna tend to be good for us because
it engages circuits in the brain that keep us active and keep working and keep the body
working at better capacity year after year, even into the 80s and 90s. We don't know that
much about the 100s yet.
But they're a growing number. The fastest age group in running today is the over 80
group percentage-wise. And it's really neat to see these folks. Anyway, bottom line is
strength training is not really gonna help your running, but it can help your posture
if you have postural exercises that work for you.
And the ones that I use are the crunch for the front part of the body and arm running,
hand-rolled weights in the standing position. Just like this. Strengthens the shoulders,
the neck, the muscles up and down the spine to provide a backup strengthening support
for the spine.
And when you have the right strength activities for you, it doesn't take much time, but you
tend to stay upright for a longer period of time. And I think that's a good thing. I'm
in favor of being upright. Yes.
>>MALE #8: [ inaudible].
>>Jeff Galloway: Recovering from injury. Yes. My first 20 years, I experienced hundreds
of injuries. About every 20 days, I came down with an injury. And then, in 1978, I decided
that I probably was not gonna run any faster than I had run. And so, I started backing
off the intensity.
I stopped stretching and I found that walk breaks that I had been advising people to
do worked for me, too. And my goal became to run injury-free. And I knew, even as of
that time that the walk breaks were probably the very best way to stay injury-free. So,
with that as my new goal, I decided to take walk breaks on virtually every run.
Well, 33 years later, I'm proud to say I haven't had a single running injury. So, those who
say, "Well, if you run, you're gonna get injured," not true. I'm not alone. I've heard from dozens
of people who've been running for over 40 years. And for most of that time, once they've
put together the right formula, have not had injuries.
So, it is very possible to stay away from that. But coming back from an injury, you
want to do what you can to stay fit while you're injured. Walking, usually, is an appropriate
activity. A few injuries won't allow it.
But I've had a number of e-coach clients that I have actually walked their long runs when
they've had a running injury and they've maintained all the endurance that they needed as one
would get from a long run. So, walking is a good mode. Running in water is another activity
that can keep you in good running shape and allow you to transition back sooner.
Once you start back, it's best to build your walk up to 30 minutes first. And then start
integrating these small amounts of running into each minute of walking. Some people can
come back fairly fast. Some can come back a little slower. I've actually found that
on most of the clients that I've worked with, if they've gotten injured, that they can keep
running as long as they stay below the threshold of further irritations.
So, someone who was doing a five and one--run five minutes, walk one--often can go down
to three and one, two and one, or one and one, and continue their training. As long
as they don't do speed work. Speed work is the single thing that is a deal-killer if
you're trying to heal from an injury.
>> MALE #9: How do you take those ratios to find the best times [inaudible]?
>>Jeff Galloway: [chuckles] The question is about how do you experiment with the various
ratios of running and walking. And for example, he said, "Well, have you ever tried on a three
and one ratio, running for 30 minutes and walking for ten?" Well, I don't recommend
that one because what I found is that you get most of the benefit from a walk break
during the first 30 seconds of that walk break.
And the longer you go beyond that, you tend to slow down more, stiffen up, and you don't
tend to get any more benefit at all. So, the shorter amounts of running and walking have
actually been better. But the way that I suggest experimenting is to devote one day during
the week--a short mileage day--and go out and try different ratios on a measured mile
course.
The first time try one ratio. The second mile, try another one. The third mile, try another
one. And if you do this every week and keep experimenting, you're gonna find a ratio that
works best for you. And you're also gonna have several different variables if you have
problems in a race.
You can shift to another one because you've tried it before. Question. Yes.
>>MALE #10: [inaudible ]?
>>Jeff Galloway: How many days a week? To stay injury-free, it's three days a week.
Three day a week runners have the lowest rate of injury. Although, a lot of folks, including
myself have found combinations of other things such as walk breaks that will allow them to
run six or seven days a week.
And that's what I do and a lot of other people do, too. So, to get the benefit though, I'm
totally convinced now that you can run as fast on three days a week if you include all
the components as you could on more days a week. One of my talented friends put that
to the test.
He trained when he was going through his first year of medical residency on three days a
week, dropping down from seven--World Class runner. And I dropped his mileage from 120
miles a week down to 40 miles a week. And after one full year, he ran a marathon in
2:14--2:14.
And he was only four minutes behind his PR that was set on a much easier course. And
this isn't an isolated instance. I've heard a lot of people who are thrown off by their
job or something else and they reduce down to three days a week. They assume that they're
not gonna be able to run nearly as fast.
And they go to a race and totally surprise themselves. So anyway, three days a week are
the minimum if you really wanna stay in decent shape. If you wanna run more than that, it's
mostly for the head. But you know, keeping that brain in good working order is a darn
good thing and one of the greatest aspects of my work is that I'm able to look in to
other areas that help running and help us in the rest of our lives.
My most recent book is called "Mental Training." And in that book, I went into how the brain
operates when we're under stress. And most commonly, the subconscious reflex brain starts
generating negative hormones the higher the stress level to make us feel less and less
like exercising or like pushing through barriers.
And of course, we're producing more stress when we have a goal and when we get out and
work hard. So, if you can get into the frontal lobe--the executive brain--and set up a cognitive
strategy, you can lower the stress levels slightly, but then you can start producing
positive attitude hormones that will then change your attitude.
And there are a whole bunch of different mental training techniques that can keep you on that
track.
>>MALE #11: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: The question is about a tempo run that is put in to a marathon training
program, particularly for time goals. Now, tempo is a term that I believe doesn't have
any meaning anymore. And the reason is that if you ask ten coaches the definition of tempo,
you're gonna get ten different answers.
So, I really don't use it. However, there's a race rehearsal segment that I have in my
training that ends up being reasonably close to what I believe Ryan Hall and Pete Pfitzinger
and others term tempo. And that is, you're trying to get yourself to have some segment
that gets up to your race pace so that you know what that feels like on a regular basis.
And I totally agree with that. In our program, we have that segment on a Tuesday. And in
that segment, I ask my athletes to test different run/walk/run ratios at the pace so that they
dress rehearse the race and can figure out what tends to work best for that.
I will say that what becomes sometimes a deal-killer for a lot of people that read my "Runner's
World" article and then ask me questions about tempo work, is that they try in the middle
of the week to have a fairly long run of 13 to 15 miles in the middle of the week when
they're doing hard training on the weekends.
And that often is the deal-killer. So, that is the tempo, so-called tempo, component.
It's something you need to be very careful in doing. I don't like to go more than about
seven miles on the race rehearsal segment that I recommend. Yes.
>>MALE #12: Can you talk a little bit about speed walking and also if somebody is primarily
walking, does it make sense to walk really fast and then really slow?
>>Jeff Galloway: The question is about speed and walking, either during a walk break, or
if you're just walking by itself. The one problem that I have seen over and over with
walking is having too long a stride length. If you have a short stride and walk fast with
quicker tempo, or turnover rate, then that's fine.
But when you lengthen that stride there are a lot of bad things that can happen. So, my
recommendation during walk breaks is that you keep a nice short stride, make it easy
enough so that you recover during the walk break from your running segment. And then,
if you want to work on speeding up the walk by having a quicker turnover rate, then that's
absolutely fine.
>>MALE #13: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: The question is about puking--
and I will tell you that I am against puking.
[laughter]
I'm against death and I'm against a few other negatives that people bring up about running,
but those are the major ones right there. Now, puking is something that is triggered
by several key elements.
First of all, what you ate the day before, the night before, particularly, or during
the day before you ran your run. So, if you're having problems with that, you wanna minimize
what you eat. You still need to eat, but you need to minimize it because if you're under
stress and of course you mentioned these were stressful workouts where they occur, if you're
under stress, then your subconscious brain tries to shut you down.
And one of the most effective ways that it does so is by using your digestive tract in
a negative way against you. And boy, does that get your attention. Now, going into these
workouts with a more gentle pace in the beginning and then using just the last portion to be
the time that you really pick up the pace is a good strategy also.
And if it's in a long run, more frequent walk breaks in the beginning. And a lot of folks
assume that my run/walk/run is really just for those that are running five and six hour
marathoners, but we've had people--over 150 people--I've heard from who broke three hours
for the first time because the use run/walk/run.
The fastest is a fellow that improved his time from 2:33 to 2:28 and the only thing
he changed was taking walk breaks every mile. So, they have a lot of applicability and keep
your body from getting to that extreme point that causes that shut-down to occur.
And then finally, mental training program that can keep you on the edge that you want,
but keep you from going over that edge. And there are a number of suggestions on our websites
and in the book. And if you have any questions about that, let me know. John.
>>John: I actually have a question on VC from Natasha. Question for Jeff. I'm training for
a 5K and then a 10K and working my way up to a marathon later on in the year. What is
the best way to prevent lower back pain? Also, if you already have lower back pain from running,
what are the best cures?
>>Jeff Galloway: Lower back pain and running. Often I'm finding when I've been able to watch
people run, that the most common reason for that is a forward lean. It puts a lot of stress
on the back and also, it can put stress on the neck, which can also cause pain in the
back overall.
So, upright body posture. And what I recommend is coming out of a walk break, take a breath
before you start running, and imagine that you're a puppet on a string with this upright
body posture. If you do it regularly, walk break after walk break, you're gonna find
that you'll have a subtle behavioral change that will take place over time.
But really try to make the correction more quickly if you feel the back pain coming on.
And I've had a lot of good feedback from people who used to have back pain who have been able
to reduce it or get away from it.
Finally, this arm running exercise with hand-held weights going in this arm running motion has
provided extra strength throughout the shoulders, neck, and back area and has significantly
helped people reduce their back issues.
>>MALE #14: So, what are your thoughts on plyometric exercises, like jump squats, lunges,
stuff like that?
>>Jeff Galloway: Plyometrics, what's my stance on that? You know, there are all types of
exercises that people like to do. I'm going to answer that just purely related to running.
And for distance running, I see no benefit at all.
But sadly, I hear from a lot of folks that get injured and some of them have gotten very
serious knee injuries from some of those squat jumps and things like that. So, there's a
real risk with those activities.
>>MALE #15: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: Congratulations. He has had cramping issues in a lot of his marathons
right around the 15-mile mark. So, I'm gonna ask you some questions. What was the longest
long run that you usually do before these marathons where you have problems?
>>MALE #15: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: Twenty-two miles. OK. Generally speaking, and also what run/walk/run ratio
from the beginning, do you use in those where you cramp?
>>MALE #15: Three and one.
>>Jeff Galloway: Three and one. And what time are you finishing in in those ones where you
cramp?
>>MALE #15: Thirteen minute per mile.
>>Jeff Galloway: Thirteen minute per a mile. OK. If you go a one and one, or better a 30/30,
that should either eliminate the cramps or they're not gonna come on 'till later on--much
later on.
Maybe the last couple miles. But I also recommend in addition to that, moving that long run
up to at least 26 miles, slowing them way down, and running them at 15 minutes per mile.
Now, if you do both of those, you should see a significant time improvement provided the
weather is appropriate.
Obviously, the hotter the weather--. I've studied the effect that hot weather has on
marathoners and it's a 30-second per mile slowdown for every five degrees above 60.
It's significant. And if you don't make that adjustment, it will be made for you at the
end of those marathons.
And sadly, some people wind up in the penalty box, which is the medical tent. And you can
avoid all of that if you will just slow down. But a 30/30 is what my wife Barbara and I
use in our marathons. We are currently running a marathon a month and just enjoying the heck
out of it.
We can recover very quickly, enjoy the evening, enjoy the next day running if we want to.
It's just really a good experience to go down like that. And I think you're gonna find that
that will probably take away the cramping.
>>MALE #16: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: Ice baths. What is my opinion on that? Well, two words: cruel and unusual.
[laughter]
But I will say that soaking your legs in a cool tub of water has been shown to allow
them to speed up the recovery. Now that said, what the evidence is now is that you only
need a 20 degree differential between body temperature and water temperature.
And in most cases, the cool water tap will do that for you so you don't have to go to
the extreme of putting ice in there. If you're in a tropical environment, you may want to
put some cubes of ice in and once you put the water in the tub and just monitor the
temperature.
And as long as it's 78 degrees or cooler, you're gonna soak out the excess heat just
as well as if you had ice in it. You may not feel that you're as tough, though, as those
that go in with all the ice. Yes.
>>MALE #17: Can you go over the proper form of running, both stride, full stride, how
>>Jeff Galloway: OK. The question is about running form. What is it that I've found to
be the most efficient way to run in terms of the foot and so forth? Well starting with
the foot, the research is quite clear on this. And that is that we have certain basic mechanics
that we were born with and we're gonna tend to run in that certain way and that those
who try to depart from that are usually in for trouble.
I mean, we can change it for a relatively short period of time, but sooner or later,
it's simply not natural. And something breaks. So, anyway, I recommend going with the way
that's natural for you to run. Now, when it comes to the most important running motion,
it's the use of the ankle.
The ankle is marvelous and it can do most of the work of running with very little muscle
energy required. So the way you facilitate that is to have a relatively shorter stride
with feet low to the ground and a light touch. So, if you have very nice gentle motion, the
ankle does most of the work.
And the calf muscle and other muscles and the joints aren't aggravated by this. So,
it's really marvelous to see people improve when they do this. Moving on up the body,
upright body posture is generally best according to the research and according to a lot of
surveys that I've done with people.
But there are a few people that naturally lean forward. And if you're one that naturally
leans forward and that's more natural for you, that's fine. Still, the problem is back
stress that you could have. When it comes to arms, just minimal arm swing is best. The
arms really don't help you, but if you try to move and lead with the arms, then you can
mess up your rhythm--that wonderful rhythm that the feet and the legs naturally have.
Our ancient ancestors programmed us for walking and running because they used to cover 15
to 20 miles a day going back more than two million years ago. It's natural for us to
walk and to run. And the rhythm seems to start with the feet. And so, if we let the feet
lead, running is better. John?
>>John: I have a question over VC from Don. I have asthma. And having recently noticed
I'm getting cramps under my ribs--not on my side--even when I'm not running hard, this
has been an issue for about two weeks where my lungs seem increasingly irritated during
runs. Is there anything I can do to release that tightness?
>>Jeff Galloway: Yeah. This, as far as I can get from this question, is more related to
what people call "side pain" when they run. And asthma has a definite role in that because
if you cannot get good absorption in the lower lungs, then the side pain tends to kick in.
The best way to facilitate better oxygen absorption is from the start of your run. Try to breathe
in such a way that the air goes down into your lower lungs. And the way you tell is
whether your stomach rises and falls. If it's your chest rising or falling quickly, that's
panting.
And that means that you're not getting that air going down into the lower lungs. So, what
I recommend for my athletes is when they're walking for three to five minutes as a warm-up,
that they practice every third or fourth breath blowing out a little bit more and then bringing
that air in so that they're breathing with the lower lung motion.
It's the way we breathe when we're asleep. It's the most efficient way and it really
does cut down on side pain dramatically.
>>MALE #18: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: The question is about knee pain. A friend of his ran a half-marathon
and developed knee pain that has not gone away. He needs to see a doctor. He needs to
see somebody who really specializes in running type injuries. You're fortunate in the Bay
Area to have a lot of really good people.
One of them is a specialist who goes out to our Tahoe camp. We held a retreat in July
every year since 1975. The best part about it is that we have a clinician who's a podiatrist
who specializes in running. He doesn't have to deal with any other area because there
are so many runners in the Bay Area.
He's actually up in Marin, San Rafael. His name is Dave Hannaford. And even when it's
a knee issue, he can often help. Dave is like an old line doctor. He has the empathy for
the patient. He also has intuitive senses as well as his technical knowledge. And he
applies this.
And he will often diagnose and treat something with success that people who've gone to eight
or ten doctors have not been able to find it. Anyway, Dave Hannaford is his name. But
try to find somebody who's seen just lots and lots of runners and have been successful
in solving these problems.
The knee is an area where there are many, many moving parts and there are many ways
that it can get aggravated. So, I can't really say and I can't give medical advice anyway.
>>MALE #19: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: I don't. I don't have any knowledge of people that are in this area
or the Southern Bay area.
>>MALE AUDIENCE MEMBER #20: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: The question is about shoe rotations. And I do recommend that because
when you find a shoe that works, I strongly recommend you go out and get an identical
pair because the shoe company will mess with it. And then you have to start all over time.
But once you get that second pair, once a week at the end of a run, put on the second
pair and run at least a quarter of a mile in it. Now, this gradually will break in the
new pair so you never have to go from a worn out pair to a brand new pair. But it does
more than that.
It will give you a gauge on the old pair. And after week after week of doing this drill,
you're gonna come to a point at some time when the new one really feels good and old
one doesn't. Well, you wanna shift into the new one and use the other one as a lawn mowing
pair. Yes.
>>FEMALE #3: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: Supplements? Any particular category of supplements?
>>FEMALE #3: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: I'm not familiar with it. In general, I like for runners to get their
nutrition through food. But I will absolutely tell you that the research shows that a few
days every month, the best, most meticulous eating person is not gonna get all the nutrients.
Now, sometimes this will not cause a problem and sometimes it will.
I, personally, use a supplement that's researched out of the Cooper Clinic, Dr. Kenneth Cooper
in Dallas, Texas. He spent 15 years researching nutrition and put out a vitamin line based
on what he found. It prevents strokes, heart disease, a lot of other situations including
certain types of cancers.
And I figured if he spent 15 years doing it, that I'd just follow what he thinks is best.
And that's what I use. But there are many other reasons to have supplements. And people
have specific issues and problems. And so, you find a supplement that can work best for
you.
But if you're not taking an overall vitamin, I do recommend you look at least at One-A-Day
because often, even the most meticulous person won't get enough B vitamins or iron or calcium.
There's another thing that Barbara and I suggest. And we tested several of the sites that you
can use--websites--and the apps that allow you to analyze your diet.
One of them if fitday.com. Another one is sparkpeople. They also have an app as well
as a website. And calorie king. There's several of these. But the bottom line is that these
will give you a chance to analyze what you're eating. Find out if you're deficient in things
on a regular basis.
And once you do that, you can take action and become in command of your nutritionship.
>>MALE #21: Hi. Speaking of knee pain, I get knee pain of the upper corner of the knee
usually after I start running after a big, long break. I think it's ITB, but I don't
know if it's ITB or not for sure.
>>Jeff Galloway: OK. It's about knee pain, or is your pain on the outside of the knee?
>>MALE #21: Outside of the knee.
>>Jeff Galloway: OK. And you get it usually when you're coming back after a layoff. My
suggestion is that you ease your way back into it, both in distance and in run/walk/run.
So, I would start out with mostly walking the first week and then even amounts the second
week if everything's OK. And the third week, you could ease into what seems to work best
for you. But if you suddenly go out and run continuously or run too far for you starting
back, that's when the ITB happens.
It's a wobble injury. And what I mean is the calf muscle, which is the major muscle in
running, will get fatigued and then the body starts wobbling. Well, the IT band tries to
hold back your body weight and it can't do it.
>>MALE #21: Right.
>>Jeff Galloway: It gets overwhelmed. Good news is nobody's died of iliotibial band injury
yet.
>>MALE #21: OK. Thank you.
[laughter]
>>Jeff Galloway: We have time for two more questions. Yes.
>>MALE #22: [inaudible]
>>Jeff Galloway: Triathletes? A growing number are contacting me each year about triathlon
training using run/walk/run and it has really been extremely successful because for one
thing, when you get off the bike and start your run, most people can walk as fast as
they can run.
But if you try to run, you're gonna put a lot more fatigue on your legs for later on
in that run. So, I would recommend walking for a minute or two and then do a run/walk/run
for at least the first mile in some fashion. And then, vary it according to what works
best for you.
My ratios do work quite well though for triathletes and particularly Iron Man triathletes. So,
the ones that I mentioned earlier. And you'll find those on jeffgalloway dot com. And feel
free to ask any questions, also. My website again is jeffgalloway dot com. It's free.
We have a lot of information up there. And you can ask me questions and there's no charge
for that. You can simply, if you put Google in the subject line as a code word, then you
will get a faster response than other people.
[laughter]
So, anyway.
>>John: Two things. First off, I just wanted to let everyone know that Google is currently
offering a discount on multivitamins and DHA to Googlers. It was announced in the January
Perks newsletter.
So, take advantage of that if you haven't already. It'll probably be run again in February.
We're still working out the details. Also, one question for you, Jeff, is around frequency
of breathing. How often do you recommend inhaling and exhaling? Is it every couple strides and
how deep?
>>Jeff Galloway: OK. With breathing frequency, first of all, I am in favor of breathing.
I am definitely in favor of it. But seriously, the frequency is very individual, but what
has been shown in a lot of research is that if you're increasing your breathing rate--your
huffing and puffing rate--this is a direct sign that your effort level is rising and
that your heart rate is rising also.
So, on most of the runs, particularly the long, easy runs, I recommend that there be
no excessive huffing and puffing--that you breathe naturally so that you can carry on
a conversation. Now, on speed work, if you're doing some of that, there will be some huffing
and puffing there.
And at that point, there is no magic formula because I see it all over the place. Where
I see people getting in trouble is when they let their panting get out of control. As long
as you're having every third or fourth breath that is lower lung breath, then you're gonna
tend to get good absorption out of that.
But if you're panting all the time, you're not gonna get as good absorption. So John,
I'll turn it back over to you.
>>John: Thank you, Jeff. If we can get a round of applause for coming out here.
[applause]