First attempt at Jeffing today gets a big thumbs up from the squirrels 👍🏼🐿🏃‍♀️🐕🌲

Well, with the help of my little four-legged friend, I got out the door to try a first attempt at Jeffing this lunchtime.

I have decided to give Jeffing a go as I have a pooch who loves to run, but 🐿 "squirrel-season" 🍁🍂 is currently causing havoc with her recall when she is off lead on the common and in the woods - if she could climb trees she would. So for the sake of the local population of squirrels (and my own sanity) I have decided to build some Jeffing runs into our daily walks. That way she's still suitably shattered at the end of our outings! We did the obligatory 5 min warm up and cool down walks, but in between we ran for 3 and walked for 1, repeated 8 times. I don't know if that's the correct Jeffing approach but....?

I loved it, Isla loved it and I am sure the squirrels would have appreciated our efforts too, had they known. 😉

Any Jeffing advice from fellow runners would be very welcome please! 😊

[dijep Graduate10]

It sounds like you both enjoyed it. Alfie is very keen on squirrels he knows where we usually see them and scans up in the trees for them. I keep thinking about having a go at running with him now there are less people about.As to jeffing I've read lots of different ratios I've been using 5 : 1 which seems to be working for me. I'd just try different ratios until you find what feels good (for you both 🐕)

[Hidden in reply to dijep]

Is 5:1 5mins run, 1 min walk? I'd like to build up to that but thought I'd best trial us both on 3 minutes first. I'm pleased it went so well 😊. FABULOUS run for you today btw!! 👍🏼⭐

[dijep Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks DD . Yes 5 minutes run and I minutes walk.

[Hidden in reply to dijep]

Great. I think we could have a go at that. Watch this space! xx

[Beatlesforever Graduate10]

Sounds fab! Well done DD and Isla 👏👏👏 we don't see any squirrels where we are but I remember when my in-laws lived in London and we went to visit, our younger dog would go crazy 🤣 once he almost caught one in the park 😱 Not much advice re jeffing as I'm fairly new at it. I enjoyed running 1k and walking for 1 minute, and I've also done some random running for 2/3 minutes walking for 1 minute. Like dijep says, try out a few ratios, see what works best for you 👍

[Hidden in reply to Beatlesforever]

Thank you Beatles. I shall play around with it a bit. I thought 3 minutes was a good place to start as I know Isla will happily trot alongside me for that. However she was keen to keep running today, so perhaps a longer run section is not too far off 😊

[PeggySusi]

This might help.. a chart from the Garmin coaching plan by Jeff Galloway.. I don’t really understand it but you might? 😊

Chart

[Hidden in reply to PeggySusi]

Oh, I'm confused too 😕❓It looks impressive though, so perhaps someone could decode it for the both of us 🤞🏼xx

[PeggySusi in reply to Hidden]

I think charts are too much for me - I haven’t even worked out yet which is the lap button on my Garmin..🤷🏻‍♀️😊

[Hidden in reply to PeggySusi]

Too many numbers! Too many buttons! If it makes you feel better, I’m unsure about the lap button too! 😆

[RunWillie Graduate10 in reply to PeggySusi]

PeggySusi The chart you posted is your recommended run/walk ratios based on pace. It’s mile pace not km pace. Hope that’s helpful for you and Hidden 👍🏻

[PeggySusi in reply to RunWillie]

RunWillie thank you 😊

[Hidden in reply to RunWillie]

Thank you RunWillie. I have to admit to still being rather confused though! I think I have some research to do today!

[RunWillie Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

jeffgalloway.com

I’ve got the Run Walk Run method book so shout if you need any more info ❤️🏃‍♀️

[Hidden in reply to RunWillie]

Thank you for the link. That’s my Saturday afternoon post dog walk reading sorted ! 😊👍🏼🙏🏼

[Roxdog Graduate10]

What a good idea! Yes, squirrel season it is! Hope you're ok. I'm not running with my dog - much too distracting!

[Hidden in reply to Roxdog]

I've just caught up with your other post. So lovely to hear from you and that you have been lurking quietly among us 😉. I'm good. Spent the summer in the company of a new running buddy - my daughter Dabby-dot on the c25k forum. That was fun. She has now departed to start uni, so the dog it is!

[Roxdog Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Oh, that's hard when they go off to uni! I saw some of your posts. Lovely to run with your daughter!

[Week7 Graduate10]

Love the idea of jeffing with the dog. Unfortunately my little old terrier is keener on interval training, INTERVALS WITH OLD DOG SCHEDULE:

Slow warm up walk and sniff;

Spot squirrels-sprint;

remember age -walk;

see a dog friend ahead-sprint;

interesting lamppost- stop (abruptly);

overtaken by a runner-break into a gentle elegant canter (the dog not me) ;

meet a neighbour-stop, do old dog act and extract cuddle from said neighbour;

remember it's dinner time -gallop home!

So much more random than Jeffing!!

🐶Your dog is clearly much better trained than mine!

[Hidden in reply to Week7]

Brilliant! Much of what you describe comes up on our walks too! cThough I could easily add...

.....launch self at random strangers (because everybody loves a full-on dog hug, don't they?)

So embarrassing!🤦🏼‍♀️

[Week7 Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Old dog tip for young dog-to get the cuddles walk slowly as if your are the oldest dog in the world and make eye contact-never fails .So much more effective than "the launch"

[Lablove 60minGraduate in reply to Week7]

I am right there with your dog!!

[Lola-bear]

Oh sounds fabulous, can I just ask what is jeffing?

[Hidden in reply to Lola-bear]

Jeffing, as I understand it, is a set run:walk ratio which is repeated a certain number of times during a run. So I did my obligatory 5 minutes warm up and cool down walks, but in between I ran for 3 minutes and walked for 1 minute, hence the 3:1 ratio. RunWillie has provided a link further up the thread to help explain it all. 😊

[Hidden in reply to Lola-bear]

PS - Jeffing is named after Garmin and Olympic coach Jeff Galloway who came up with the method. 😊🏃‍♀️

[Lola-bear]

Thank you for explaining I have seen a few people mention Jeffing and now I know what they are on about.

[Hidden]

If you really want to do it 'correctly', you should run all out for 1 mile and then check that chart a bit up, where you can see the ratio Jeff suggests to use with your magic mile pace. Loads if not most Jeffers use a ratio of 30:30 (30 secs running + 30 secs walking).

I am a bit of a less conventional Jeffer, using a ratio of 4min30 / 0min30. I tried several ratio amongst which the short ones, but found this one suits me best.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. I want to do Jeffing when I am out with the dog, so I think the short 30:30 intervals might just tip her over the edge! She enjoyed the longer runs, so I might work towards trying your 4min30/0min30. 😊👍🏼

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Enjoy testing it out 👍

[GailXrunning]

Sounds like a great plan. I think there’s the official jeffing (Galloway plans) and the ad lib unofficial jeffing that many of us try. When I started it, I just played it by my breathing, using that to determine the intervals. Jools2020 i think it was mentioned a group called Girls that Jeff. The main thing is to enjoy it, and you seem to have nailed that!

[Hidden in reply to GailXrunning]

The more replies I get, the more I can see that everyone creates their own Jeffing plan, and that's great. Thanks for your reply. Along with the others it has given me the confidence to experiment - it seems anything goes as long as it's fun! 😀👍🏼