Why the Magic Mile? The Magic Mile is a unique tool to help members determine realistic goals! The MM is the result of years of data collection. It has been an extremely accurate predictor of current performance. Analysis has shown that most runners slow down 30% when they go from a fast one mile, to a fast per mile pace in a marathon and by 20% when they run a fast half marathon. The miles will help show progress as runners usually improve each time. The runner is getting faster and stronger. The Magic Mile is a great team building exercise. Encourage the groups to cheer each other on. THE MAGIC MILE WILL HELP DETERMINE: If the goal pace is realistic. How much improvement can be expected, and whether someone is on track to meet the goal. Running the Magic Mile takes the guesswork out of goal setting. This often involved putting the reins on the ego, which will talk the person into goals that are not within their current capabilities. These formulas will allow one to predict race time by running a timed mile. During the training season, the group will run a Magic Mile on a set schedule, depending on the training goal. GUIDELINES FOR RUNNING THE MAGIC MILE: If possible, have the group meet at a track, or other accurately measured one-mile course. One mile is four loops around a track. If you do not have a track available, use a GPS mapping tool or online mapping program, such as www.favoriterun.com or www.usatf.org Find a flat, uninterrupted one mile stretch. The group should warm up by running an easy mile to a mile and a half. Advise your members to run the MM a little harder than normal pace. Follow the walk break suggestions provided in Galloway Training Progams, or walk 30 to 45 seconds at each quarter mile; or just run the mile without walk breaks. The first time trial should not be run all-out from the start just a little faster. Be sure the group cool down with by reversing the warm up. On each successive MM tell your members to try to better the pace by 20 to 30 seconds. Use the formula provided in Galloway Training Programs to see what time is predicted in the goal race but always remind your members there are variables on race day but the MM can help them get an accurate idea of what they are capable of running.
HOW HARD SHOULD THE MAGIC MILE BE RUN? Again, on the first MM, advise the groups to run just slightly faster than normal pace. On each successive MM, they should try to beat the previous best time by 20 to 30 seconds. Walk breaks should be taken as needed or every quarter mile. Runners should check their pace at each quarter mile to improve pacing. Run the first lap (quarter mile) slightly slower than you think you can average. Take a short walk break. If you aren t huffing and puffing you can pick up the pace a bit on the second lap. Most benefit from taking a walk break after the second lap. It is ok to be breathing hard on the last lap. When you finish, you should feel like you couldn t run more than half a lap further at that pace (if that). You may find that you don t need many walk breaks during the test experiment and adjust. Runners should be huffing and puffing but not gasping for air when they finish. IMPROVEMENT POSSIBILITIES It is fine to choose a time goal for the goal race that is faster than predicted by the Magic Mile. As your members do the speed training, the long runs and the Magic Miles, they should improve. For prediction purposes, as they take this "leap" to a goal, we suggest no more than a 3-5% improvement in a 3 month training program. To Predict the MM pace to longer distances from one mile: 5K Take the one-mile time and add 33 seconds 10K Take the one-mile time and multiply by 1.35 Half Marathon: Take the one-mile time and multiply by 1.2 Marathon: Take the one-mile time and multiply by 1.3 EXAMPLE: One Mile Test Time: 8:00 minute mile = 10:24 mile time for a marathon 10:24 per mile = just under a 4:30 marathon time Train Pace = 12:24 minutes per mile, or 10:30 pace group (adjusted for temperature) Walk Break Ratio for 12:24 per mile = 2/1 A 3-5% Improvement 4:30 marathon time 4:21:54-4:16:30 is possible
Pacing and Run/Walk Ratios To determine what pace a runner is capable of running in a marathon, multiply the best (or an average of all) MM result by 1.3. This will tell them what they are capable of running in a marathon (at a hard effort) when the temperature is 60 F or below and they have done the long runs listed on the schedule. Even in the marathon itself, it is not recommended a member run this fast instead recommend they run the training pace for the first 18 20 miles. After 18-20 miles, if they feel good, then tell them to run the remainder of the race at the MM pace result. To determine a runner s training pace, take the MM time and multiply by 1.3, then add 2 minutes. This is the suggested long run pace per miles on long runs at 60 F or cooler. It is always better to run slower than this pace. To determine what pace a runner is capable of running in a half marathon, multiply the best (or an average of all) MM result by 1.2. This will tell them what they are capable of running in a marathon (at a hard effort) when the temperature is 60 F or below and they have done the long runs listed on the schedule. Even in the half marathon itself, it is not recommended a member run this fast instead recommend they run the training pace for the first 8-10 miles. After 8 miles, if they feel good, then tell them to run the remainder of the race at the MM pace result. Walkers and runners should pace the long run so there s no huffing and puffing even at the end. When the temperature rises above 60 F, runners should slow down by 30 seconds a mile for every 5 degrees above 60 F on long runs and the race itself. The walk break ratios are frequently misunderstood they are permanent and not designed for people to "graduate" as the season progresses (i.e., you don t go from 2 and 1s to 4 and 1s). This is not the way the program is designed. Ratios may be adjusted during training runs and on race day after 18 miles for marathons and 9 miles for marathons. However, members should follow the ratios used in training if they have struggled during the last few miles or slowed down. Walk break ratios may also change if, as a participant s running improves and they switch into a pace group with a different walk break ratio.
The Importance Of Walk Breaks If you use main running muscles in the same way, step after step, they will fatigue quicker. As the distance increases, the fatigue and damage to the muscles increases dramatically. If, however, you shift your usage of the forward motion muscles, you ll extend the capacity of each use of the muscle. By interspersing running with walk breaks every few minutes, program participants will reduce the intensity of muscle use early in the run and conserve resources needed for the end of long runs. Walk breaks allow the main running muscles to continue to perform at requested levels for much longer than if they were used continuously. By shifting back and forth in muscle usage (by shifting from running to walking to running), participants increase total capacity by using more of the resources inside the muscles. In races, participants will be able to work harder to the end, with muscles that have more life and energy. You can run faster at the end, when you ordinarily would have slowed down. This is often the difference between achieving a time goal or not. Many runners have improved their times by adding walk breaks throughout their run. Walk breaks will also help to speed up recovery time between long runs, races or speed sessions. By building in the recovery breaks early, there is less damage to repair afterward. The earlier you take the walk breaks, the more they will help. Therefore, you need to take walk breaks before significant fatigue sets in if you wait until you need them, it is too late. To summarize, walk breaks: Must be taken early enough Must be taken often enough Will keep muscles resilient and strong to the finish Will speed recovery from the long runs, races and the marathon Will help you run faster if you are trying for a time goal Will reduce the chance of injury Walk breaks are not an option in Galloway Training Programs
The 30-second Walk Break Jeff Galloway s Run/Walk/Run method was revolutionary for three reasons: 1 Run/Walk/Runners felt better throughout the long run. 2 Run/Walk/Runners recovered faster and got injured less often. 3 Run/Walk/Runners went faster with the breaks than without. Since his introduction of walk breaks in 1974, Jeff he has received feedback from hundreds of thousands of runners, allowing him to fine tune Run/Walk/Run to keep people feeling better, staying healthy, and running faster. The greatest benefit of the walk break comes in the first 30 sec. Our heart rates come down, the running muscles relax, we catch our breaths, and the fatigue melts away. After 30 seconds of walking, we tend to slow down. Here is a typical example of what happens with a 1-minute walk break: A run/walk/runner averaging 10-minute pace in a marathon using 3 min/1min might walk at a 15-minute mile pace for the first part of the race. As fatigue sets in, that walk gets slower, and by halfway, the runner may be walking at 18 min/mi. This means faster running is needed to stay on pace, which creates more fatigue at the end of each running segment, so the walk will get slower, and so goes the downward spiral at the end of the race. Avoiding the Slow-down Compared to running constantly, the 1-minute walk break still results in runners feeling better, staying healthier, and going faster, but it can get even better! Limiting walk break to 30 seconds, or in some cases even less, while cutting the run time accordingly, gives all the same benefits, with even less fatigue and even faster times. The Bottom Line If you are in a pace group that already uses a 30-second walk break or less, you probably won t see a change in the table below. If you are in a pace group that uses a 1-minute walk break, keep the same ratio but cut your walk and run times in half. It s that simple, or at least it can be. If you want to play around a bit with other shorter walk break times, see the options Jeff prescribes for each pace.
2016 RUN WALK RUN STRATEGIES Pace/mi Run Walk 7:00 6 min 30 sec (or run a mile/walk 40 seconds) 7:30 5 min 30 sec 8:00 4 min 30 sec (or 2/15) 8:30 3 min 30 sec (or 2/20) 9:00 2 min 30 sec or 80/20 9:30-10:45 90/30 or 60/20 or 45/15 or 60/30 or 40/20 10:45-12:15 60/30 or 40/20 or 30/15 or 30/30 or 20/20 12:15-14:15 30/30 or 20/20 or 15/15 14:30-15:45 15/30 15:30-17:00 10/30 17:00-18:30 8/30 or 5/25 or 10/30 18:30-20:00 5/30 or 5/25 or 4/30 30-second Proving Ground In 2014, Jeff asked Program Directors and Group Leaders around the country to try these new strategies, especially for groups that had used a 1-minute walk break. Universally, these Guinea Pigs and their groups reported positive results. 1 Members were better able to keep up with the group. 2 Conversations and stories were livelier as members had less fatigue. 3 Fewer members missed group runs due to injury. 4 Lots of PR s in last season s races!! Acceleration-Glider Drills Page 115 in Galloway Training Programs One of the most common objections Jeff hears regarding walk breaks is I just don t like all the constant jarring from stopping and starting. Well, no. Constant jarring sounds horrible. So let s avoid that by practicing accelerating into a run and gliding down to a walk: 1 Start by jogging for about 15 steps then fast jogging for about 15 steps. 2 Pick up your leg rhythm by shortening stride length and gradually increasing leg turnover for next 15 steps or so. 3 Now you are up to speed, so just glide, keeping feet low to the ground, using very little effort. 4 Continue to glide for 20 to 40 steps, gradually slowing down to a walk. 5 Repeat 2 or 3 times. Acceleration-Glider Drills done at the beginning of your run twice a week will help you ease into and out of walk breaks comfortably no jarring required!
2016 Jeff Galloway Run/Walk Strategies 1 mile time trial 5k Predicted Pace 5k Finish Time 10k Predicted Pace 10k Finish Time 13.1 Pace 13.1 Finish Time 26.2 Pace 26.2 Finish Time Saturday Training Pace Run/Walk Interval 0:05:00 0:05:33 0:17:12 0:05:45 0:35:39 0:06:00 1:18:36 0:06:30 2:50:18 0:08:30 180/30 0:05:30 0:06:03 0:18:45 0:06:19 0:39:13 0:06:36 1:26:28 0:07:09 3:07:20 0:09:09 120/30 0:06:00 0:06:33 0:20:18 0:06:54 0:42:47 0:07:12 1:34:19 0:07:48 3:24:22 0:09:48 0:06:30 0:07:03 0:21:51 0:07:29 0:46:21 0:07:48 1:42:11 0:08:27 3:41:23 0:10:27 0:07:00 0:07:33 0:23:24 0:08:03 0:49:55 0:08:24 1:50:02 0:09:06 3:58:25 0:11:06 0:07:30 0:08:03 0:24:57 0:08:37 0:53:28 0:09:00 1:57:54 0:09:45 4:15:27 0:11:45 0:08:00 0:08:33 0:26:30 0:09:12 0:57:02 0:09:36 2:05:46 0:10:24 4:32:29 0:12:24 0:08:30 0:09:03 0:28:03 0:09:47 1:00:36 0:10:12 2:13:37 0:11:03 4:49:31 0:13:03 0:09:00 0:09:33 0:29:36 0:10:21 1:04:10 0:10:48 2:21:29 0:11:42 5:06:32 0:13:42 0:09:30 0:10:03 0:31:09 0:10:55 1:07:44 0:11:24 2:29:20 0:12:21 5:23:34 0:14:21 0:10:00 0:10:33 0:32:42 0:11:30 1:11:18 0:12:00 2:37:12 0:13:00 5:40:36 0:15:00 0:10:30 0:11:03 0:34:15 0:12:05 1:14:52 0:12:36 2:45:04 0:13:39 5:57:38 0:15:39 0:11:00 0:11:33 0:35:48 0:12:39 1:18:26 0:13:12 2:52:55 0:14:18 6:14:40 0:16:18 0:11:30 0:12:03 0:37:21 0:13:13 1:22:00 0:13:48 3:00:47 0:14:57 6:31:41 0:16:57 0:12:00 0:12:33 0:38:54 0:13:48 1:25:34 0:14:24 3:08:38 0:15:36 6:48:43 0:17:36 0:12:30 0:13:03 0:40:27 0:14:22 1:29:07 0:15:00 3:16:30 0:16:15 7:05:45 0:18:15 0:13:00 0:13:33 0:42:00 0:14:57 1:32:41 0:15:36 3:24:22 0:16:54 7:22:47 0:18:54 0:13:30 0:14:03 0:43:33 0:15:31 1:36:15 0:16:12 3:32:13 0:17:33 7:39:49 0:19:33 0:14:00 0:14:33 0:45:06 0:16:06 1:39:49 0:16:48 3:40:05 0:18:12 7:56:50 0:20:12 0:14:30 0:15:03 0:46:39 0:16:40 1:43:23 0:17:24 3:47:56 0:18:51 8:13:52 0:20:51 0:15:00 0:15:33 0:48:12 0:17:15 1:46:57 0:18:00 3:55:48 0:19:30 8:30:54 0:21:30 0:15:30 0:16:03 0:49:45 0:17:50 1:50:31 0:18:36 4:03:40 0:20:09 8:47:56 0:22:09 0:16:00 0:16:33 0:51:18 0:18:24 1:54:05 0:19:12 4:11:31 0:20:48 9:04:58 0:22:48 90/30 60/30 30/30 15/30 10/30 5/30 Finish Times are the predicted time for a veteran runner under IDEAL conditions. For new runners or if goal is just to finish the Training Pace should be used as the race pace. 13.1 Group Lead 26.2 Group Lead