So in a nutshell....were all here to run....right? Yep...the substance of c25k..the work we put in to get from 5k to 10k....the 10mile barrier....the total elation of running your first Half Marathon....
I think this is indeed who we are, why we are all here on this forum. Because we run...
So I stopped running. To a degree anyway. So why have I stopped running??
1. Age im 47
2. Endurance
3. Endurance and distance
Ok so I haven't really stopped running as you might have guessed from the title of the post.
What I have started doing is replacing my Long Slow Runs with a walk run technique.
*yikes* I hear you all cry! Why you want to do that?
Ok..Two months have past my LJR as I now call them have totalled 6 half marathon distances with two ten mile runs. In that time I have also had a 5 day break after I hit 25k. Last year I managed to run three halfs in the whole year.
That's sensible right? I'm forty chuffin Seven...
So whats the plan...why? Endurance. I want to sustain this milage for a prolonged period of time.
Having spoken at length to my newly adopted coach (good friend...Iron Woman X3, Ultra woman x10 and 30 marathons deep) it has been decided that I will push a minimum of 13miles on three weekends out of four and also attempt back to LJR's...and then dial it back for a few days on the forth week.
Also its improved my running 😀
Either way I'm smashing it and I love it.
Happy jeffing *cough* running peeps
Xxx
Written by
Windoze
Half Marathon
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28 Replies
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Wotcha! We are the same age! I was 47 in October. What does LJR mean??
I've only been running a year but been quite far, nowhere near the depth of knowledge your friend has though.
My answer to your question is 'no' for many reasons. Although I don't personally do it, I can see the benefits plus ultra runners will walk too, taking on fuel etc. You can also actually speed up this way too. Do you mean you'll run 13m as your long run on a weekend?
I think definitely do what suits you and your body and most importantly, do what keeps you out there. Remember if you did it in a race you'd finish faster than people who wouldn't Jeff plus you all get the same medal.
Yep so for 3 weeks minimum distance on long run will be 13.1 miles and above. 4th week I get a rest 😴
I'm finding it quite a bit slower than my actual hm race pace although I've not tried a "fast jeff" 🤣. I'm hitting 2hrs 15-20 on 13 miles where as I would be around 1:55 if I ran it...
I incorporate a bit of walking into my runs these days, but that's mostly because I live in a hilly country, and it's really hard not to. I don't really jeff because he seems to have very short bursts of running, which doesn't suit me, but I usually do scheduled walk breaks about every 20 minutes.
Jeffing definitely isn't cheating. Especially seeming some of the times jeffers put in!
You're a mere youngster shocking and walking strewth 😂.........
Jeffing it's totally fine, you'll find a lot of ultra runners will use their walking sections to refuel and they will get up steep hills as fast walking, as it they were running slowly.
Your friend has deep experience and it’s obviously working really great for you. Just go with your program and see how far it takes you. Any ultra runner will tell you that run/walking is built into the approach for long distance too. Best of luck with your continued success mate!
Great to hear someone on here is jeffing ! I’m a newbie - having completed a couple of 10ks ‘proper’ running I’m now in week 3 of a half marathon training plan following a jeffing method (with Jeff himself ! It’s a Garmin plan over 21 weeks). I’m enjoying the relaxation to be honest having driven myself to 10k ! And already noticing PBS on shorter runs even while jeffing. So I definitely feel it’s helping me develop. It’s a long way off to HM at the moment but I’d hope to eventually train myself to do one not jeffing, if you see what I mean. Interesting that you’re doing it the other way round ! But I’m reassured that it’s definitely not cheating !! 😊
I’d say whatever works then keep doing it. You’ve said yourself it’s improved your running and you love it, surely that’s all you need 🙂
I don’t “Jeff” as such but I do stop for all sorts of reasons, to take photos, cross a road, avoid a dog, to let a car pass, give my nose a good blow 🙄 etc. Although it’s not for long it breaks up a long run nicely I think.
It’s all relative. An 85 year-old once referred to me as “the young girl”.... as I was looking behind me searching for a 20 year- old only to realise he was talking about me! 😂😂
I think it's cheating! Well, kind of. I used a run/walk approach for the marathon I did - I never say I ran a marathon, I specifically say I run/walked a marathon. I think that implies that deep down I feel I cheated. On the other hand I feel/know/believe I achieved something amazing! I've signed up for an ultra and my vague hope is that I can slowly run it (apart from the 2km climb around 12k in - not so sure about that!), but if it proves more sensible I will happily Jeff it. I'm significantly older than you and injury prone even up to HM distance, so I think Jeffing may be the future if I decide distance is what I want.
Having said all that, there is a distance and a time, however you pace it. I genuinely never, ever think anyone else has cheated when they Jeff a run!!! It doesn't even cross my mind. Go figure 🙄😀
No, you're definitely not cheating. Yes, your progress is very impressive 😊. Good luck and enjoy - it certainly seems to be working really well for you.
Definitely not! I don’t specifically ‘Jeff’, but I do have walk breaks - usually for fuelling - I cant run and eat/drink at the same time 😂 I’d be on my face....I also stop to take photos occasionally.....there is also unexpected terrain - e.g very slippy muddy off road sections that would have you on your backside if you don’t walk......😱
And, I am not, by any stretch of the imagination going to trouble the likes of Mo Farah or Paula Radcliffe anytime soon.
I run to enjoy it, keep healthy and spend time out doors, I completed a marathon........who cares how much I ran or walked? No one.....I completed it in one go.....26.2 miles - marathon done ✅.......and I got to the end without half killing myself..... ..that’s what matters to me.......I don’t know many people who run non stop for a marathon - apart from elites and club runners who are very speedy, competitive and don’t need the loo, stop to eat etc., etc.,
I’m very happy to be the wobbler/shuffler at the back....
I don’t Jeff, but probably should!! It is the only way for mere mortals to reach the moorland which lies a few minutes up the road. I have spoken to local ultras; they all do it, walking sticks at the ready. A means of going places we can’t enjoy by sticking to running is all the justification I would need. 👍
I am 70, did my first HM distance in July and ran every step. I am now Jeffing my long run each week as have a niggling leg problem that was slowly getting more painful , pain is now back under control, the only thing that has changed is Jeffing. Interestingly my times have increased slightly although I am not trying to get faster, just happy to jog along comfortably at the moment. So think I will continue to Jeff, but although it does feel easier I still don’t really like walking during a run, it does feel like “cheating”, especially if another runner comes by 😆. I make a point of running short runs up to 10k without Jeffing intervals just to remind my body it still can manage without walking breaks.
In the back of my mind is the desire to complete a full marathon, and pretty sure Jeffing will be the way to go for me.
I think Jeffing is great. As a 63 year old runner it became the difference to me in achieving the virtual London Marathon last month. I’d got to 18miles running (plodding) . Then heard about jeffing. At first, like you, it felt a bit like cheating! But I realised that it didn’t impact on my time, in fact it improved it. I messed about with the times so it felt right for me, 8 mins run, 3 mins walk. On the day I stuck to it, although you feel pushed to run when people start cheering even if you are in a walk period😂🤣But it made the marathon feel doable. And on the day it was just a fabulous experience x
47 year old Jeffer here! Switched to Jeffing 2 years ago after injury and since then I've run 7 half marathons and 1 full marathon in respectable times. No injuries, no pain and feel fantastic afterwards. Hoping to do an Ultra next year. Jeffing rocks!
A fellow 47 year old here (just turned!). Whoopwhoop! I've done both continuous and jeffing and feel that it is a mindset that is tough to embrace to not feel it is cheating, but in reality, it isn't. You are achieving great distances injury free and enjoying it. That being said, I haven't decided if I like Jeffing or not for me anymore when I road run. When I first started running, I really liked it and it allowed me to improve and reach distances I didn't think possible but I ran my last HM jeffing and it was a slog all the way through. Maybe it was Covid and the isolation (we were supposed to be 3 of us running it in beautiful Banff not running by myself at the lake) but I found I never found my groove. I like the philosophy behind it and am keeping it in my back pocket for sure for future but am back to continuous running (except for fuel breaks and picture opportunities) for now experimenting with HR training. Now when I trail run, that is a whole different story! I walk all the time up all the steep hills and don't bat an eye at it at all.
I'm a convert to Jeffing this year to prevent injuries and to work towards a half marathon. It has brought joy to my running instead of plodding along with regular injuries. I am following a Garmin Jeff Galloway plan and reading his books. I think i will run until I'm 90 with this method. I concentrate on my posture and my cadence and do his drills. It is just so much fun. i can't see myself ever going back to straight running. Inspirational comments here.
Windoze! If you're doing the distance and aiming to go further (ultras <gulp>) then it has to be the way. You're happy. What's not to like about it?🎄🐱 Xmas Katnap 🐱🎄
Jeffing is a thing! A real thing 👍. Zillions of runners do it. I deffo do. It gets you where you wanna go 💪😃👍
I achieved my first two marathons by Jeffing. My first, aged 60, and I finished strong, walked away just fine and recovered well. I ran round the block the day afterwards too
I just came across this post and now finally understand where the ‘jeffing’ phrase comes from! I feel enlightened!
I jeff my long runs, 30 seconds of walking per 4 minutes. I’m pretty confident my running segments are faster and at a more natural pace for me than if I tried to run the same distance continually, plus I find the walk breaks very restorative. 30 seconds is just enough time to eat a jelly baby and convince yourself that you can make it to the end before picking up the pace again. 🙂
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