Is It Okay to Walk?

Kevin and I had a discussion at lunch today about whether it is okay to walk during the training runs. Here's what "my bible" had to say about that:

"Walking should NOT be construed as a big no-no. Periodic walking can be useful in the overall training scheme. Certainly, if you can run the entire distance, you should do so. Everything else being equal, the less you walk the better. But, if walking for periodic short distances during the training runs helps you to complete the entire distance, then walking is really a training aid. When you get to the point you feel you have to walk, then walk at a brisk pace. This brief interruption of your running can be enough for a little recovery so you can resume running. The temporary physiological reprieve from the trauma of running can mentally help you get back to running.

The need or feeling that you can't continue running and that you need to walk a bit is due to fatigue, either physiologically or mentally. After decades of research, the specific cause of fatigue has escaped discovery. It is know that fatigue can occur in either the muscle (called peripheral fatigue) or in the nervous system (called central fatigue). Depending on the length of your training run, a real possibility as a cause of fatigue is running out of energy. If your training run requires more than 1.5 hours, energy may be a problem. If you have not been consuming enough carbohydrates, energy may also be a problem. If you are not consuming any carbohydrates during the training run itself, energy may also become a problem.

A second cause of peripheral fatigue is a buildup of lactic acid during the training run. If you are running too fast early in the run, lactic acid can be a problem later in the run. By slowing down and/or walking, lactic acid can be reduced and its contribution to fatigue can be eliminated.

Your mental condition including the thoughts that you have can have significant impact on central fatigue.


Since there are many potential causes of fatigue, this feeling at any point during a training run is probably due to a combination of factors. Regardless of the causes, the effects of fatigue can be devastating to a runner. Learning how to deal with the fatigue, from using mental techniques to walking, will enhance your stress during a marathon. Use the opportunities when fatigue confronts you during training to practice your mental techniques and try to battle through the fatigue. However, remember that there is a point at which walking may be your best immediate solution."