{"id":199143,"date":"2025-10-14T10:07:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T10:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/199143\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T10:07:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T10:07:07","slug":"walking-does-count-toward-marathon-training-as-long-as-you-stick-to-these-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/199143\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking does count toward marathon training \u2013 as long as you stick to these rules"},"content":{"rendered":"

While training for the Sydney Marathon<\/a>, I missed a few of my weekday runs \u2013 something that\u2019s normal, if not inevitable. But when I fretted over a missed run one evening, a friend said something that really got me thinking: \u2018Didn\u2019t you walk five miles today?\u2019 I checked my Apple Health app and, indeed, I had. In fact, I often rack up around that many walking miles (or more) just living in commuting around New York City.<\/p>\n

But is walking<\/a> five miles throughout the day equivalent to running five easy miles? And if I walk five miles and do my five-mile easy run in a single day, is that too much? I spoke with a running coach and an exercise physiologist to find out the answers \u2013 and to better understand the difference between walking and running.<\/p>\n

How walking and running differ physiologically<\/p>\n

\u2018Each zone of training is trying to maximally elicit a certain adaptation,\u2019 says Jason Machowsky<\/a>, a clinical exercise physiologist, registered dietitian and strength coach who co-founded MasterMyRun<\/a>, a one-on-one coaching programme for runners.<\/p>\n

What everyone’s reading<\/p>\n

Zone 2<\/a>, which is typically a brisk walk<\/a> or easy run, focuses on building your aerobic capacity, says Machowsky. Zones 3 and 4 go above that and start to see you go beyond your lactate threshold<\/a>. Zone 1, meanwhile, which is an easy walk, is more like a warm-up and may not be enough to promote significant aerobic adaptations, he adds. (Walking in zone 2, as opposed to zone 1, is a more potent way to improve your aerobic capacity.)<\/p>\n

While both easy and brisk walks are still good for you, they won\u2019t have the same effect on your physiology as a run, because running is a higher-intensity form of exercise. That\u2019s a big miss, because you need to do that type of high-intensity work to boost your fitness. For proof, a 2021 study published in the European Heart Journal<\/a> found that moderate to vigorous physical activity was three times more efficient at improving fitness than walking alone.<\/p>\n

There are also differences when it comes to form. If you\u2019re going to run, you have to practice actual running to strengthen your stride mechanics<\/a> \u2013 that\u2019s the principle of specificity. \u2018You need to do something directly to a certain extent to get better at it,\u2019 says Machowsky. \u2018Practice allows you to see what works best for you and improve.\u2019<\/p>\n

When to substitute walking miles for running miles<\/p>\n

Because running is more efficient at building the fitness that you need for the marathon, both experts don\u2019t typically advise swapping runs for walks too often. However, there are a few cases when it does make sense…<\/p>\n

Your total training mileage is high<\/p>\n

As Machowsky points out, running 40 or more miles a week is different to running closer to 20 miles. If your mileage is on the higher end, swapping some of your easy runs for walks \u2013 especially if you\u2019re feeling particularly fatigued \u2013 won\u2019t necessarily affect your progress, he says.<\/p>\n

In other words, four miles of walking out of 40 total miles (rather than 20), says Machowsky, \u2018is a much smaller percentage of your overall training volume that\u2019s not going toward the intensity level that you want to be doing\u2019.<\/p>\n

You want to conserve energy for quality workouts<\/p>\n

Another consideration is how often you\u2019re walking instead of running. \u2018If you\u2019re doing it occasionally, then I think that it\u2019s totally fine, especially if you\u2019re able to keep up with the key training runs,\u2019 says Machowsky, saying that these key sessions include tempo runs<\/a> and long runs<\/a>. In fact, he says that it can actually be helpful to dial back an easier run \u2013 in other words, go for a walk \u2013 if your goal is to be better prepared for a quality workout the next day.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re injured \u2013 or very sore<\/p>\n

This is where my personal experience comes in. The reason I missed those Sydney Marathon training runs is because I was dealing with some right calf tenderness<\/a> that set off a pre-injury alarm bell. \u2018If someone\u2019s dealing with an injury or someone is super sore, it\u2019s never worth pushing into significant discomfort,\u2019 says Machowsky. \u2018The risk-reward of forcing a workout and then getting injured means that you\u2019re laid up a lot longer than just taking a lower-key day or even a whole day off, or just doing some mobility work,\u2019 he says. \u2018Consistency is what wins races versus trying to force anything too fast and getting hurt.\u2019<\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019re injured and have clearance from your doctor or personal trainer, or you\u2019re just more sore than usual after a workout, swapping an easy run for a walk could make a lot of sense, he says.<\/p>\n

How to substitute walking miles for running miles<\/p>\n

\u2018The purpose of an easier walk would be to recover a bit better and not put as much demand on the body versus creating a functional equivalent,\u2019 says Machowsky.<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s no hard and fast rule, he wouldn\u2019t advise walking more miles than the run distance. So, if you had a five-mile run planned, you can instead do a five-mile walk \u2013 or less. \u2018Although some coaches may suggest doing longer duration to make up for the lower intensity, that inherently takes care of itself, because it will take longer to walk the same distance,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

You can also consider a walk\/run<\/a> versus a straight walk to get closer to the prescribed workout, says Greg Laraia<\/a>, a running coach at Motiv<\/a> in New York City. To do this, he often suggests running for five minutes, then walking for one minute for the same or a slightly shorter duration than your planned run. But you could also try a 1:1 formula, where you walk for two minutes, then run for two minutes, he adds. \u2018It\u2019s just a time to give your body a decompression, to lower your heart rate and to reduce the load overall,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

Does walking \u2018too much\u2019 sabotage your training?<\/p>\n

The flip side of intentionally swapping walking miles for running miles is unintentionally adding a load of walking miles on top of your marathon training. As I mentioned, urban living tends to have this effect \u2013 and this also happens to Machowsky, somewhat regularly. \u2018On some days I\u2019ll walk seven or eight miles unintentionally just commuting around \u2013 and that\u2019s on top of all my mileage for running,\u2019 he says. Laraia, too, walks upward of 10,000 steps a day<\/a> and many of his clients do as well.<\/p>\n

According to both experts, what your body\u2019s used to determines whether these extra walking miles lead to a net positive or negative for your training.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re regularly walking quite a bit on top of training and your body\u2019s used to it, it\u2019ll probably have a neutral or positive impact. But if you\u2019re not used to walking that much and suddenly start walking a dozen-plus extra miles a week on top of your running mileage, that can lead to overtraining<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If for some reason a client suddenly had to up their walking mileage during a marathon training block, Laraia would account for that time on feet, potentially notching down their running mileage a bit. As he says, runners \u2018might not be fatigued cardiovascularly, but there\u2019s been a mechanical load on the body and the system that may not allow them to perform their best for key sessions\u2019. <\/p>\n

The cumulative effect of more walking \u2013 done alongside marathon training runs \u2013 means that you won\u2019t be recovering as thoroughly, he adds, which can put extra strain on joints and lead to more soreness. Over time, this could contribute to overuse injuries like tendonitis, plantar fasciitis<\/a>, joint inflammation (like runner\u2019s knee<\/a>), shin splints<\/a>, muscle strains and, in extreme cases, stress fractures<\/a>, he says.<\/p>\n

Another example is when runners are travelling for races. When I was in Sydney, I was walking around eight or nine miles a day for sightseeing. If you\u2019re also travelling for a race, you may experience the same thing. In this case, Laraia would advise skipping the shakeout run pre-marathon. While you might not be at risk of overuse injuries from just one weekend of more walking, you might risk starting the race feeling fatigued or insufficiently fuelled.<\/p>\n

How to avoid doing too much walking when marathon trainingMonitor your mileage<\/p>\n

No matter what your body is used to, it\u2019s not a bad idea to keep track of walking miles in your training log. \u2018With any sort of unforeseen demand on the body, [it\u2019s important to] acknowledge that it\u2019s occurred and be attuned to your body\u2019s response,\u2019 says Laraia.<\/p>\n

For example, if your long run or tempo run feels significantly harder than usual, consider cutting it short or walking to finish it out. \u2018It\u2019s fine to occasionally take a down week or day based off how the body is feeling, specifically in these types of situations,\u2019 says Laraia. A good rule of thumb is to stay on your feet for the time that it would have taken you to run the distance. (So, if you were going to run 10 miles in 100 minutes, you could run eight miles, then walk for 20 minutes.)<\/p>\n

Pay attention to nutrition<\/p>\n

Another important consideration for people who do a lot of walking alongside running is nutrition. \u2018I think that one of the biggest pieces of all this is fuelling,\u2019 says Laraia. \u2018If you are walking excessive amounts or standing all day, you are still burning more than somebody who\u2019s just sitting at a desk,\u2019 he says. \u2018If you\u2019re not providing yourself enough fuel for all the above, you\u2019re putting yourself in the red and then you\u2019re probably not going to feel as good tomorrow.\u2019<\/p>\n

As a general guide to help you figure out your needs, Machowsky says that people burn about 80 to 100 calories per mile walked or ran. \u2018Of course, things like body size and movement efficiency play a role and lower-intensity activity like walking burns less relative percentage of calories and carbohydrates<\/a> versus higher-intensity activities like running.\u2019 But he says that it\u2019s a good rule to follow when figuring out how to add in more fuel.<\/p>\n

\u2018If you\u2019re training for a marathon, you\u2019re very active and on your feet a lot, so don\u2019t be afraid to take an energy gel<\/a> with you on an hour-long run,\u2019 adds Laraia. \u2018If anything, it\u2019s going to help you for the rest of that day and it\u2019s helping your gut to practice what you\u2019re going to do on race day anyway.\u2019<\/p>\n

Recover harder<\/p>\n

Recovery, too, becomes even more critical for runners putting in those extra walking miles. \u2018If you know you\u2019re going to be on your feet all day and you have a hard workout, you better also plan to be in bed by a good hour and make sure that you get at least seven and a half hours of sleep, minimum,\u2019 says Laraia.<\/p>\n

Listen to your body<\/p>\n

The real key to all this? \u2018Listen to your body,\u2019 says Machowsky.<\/p>\n

Laraia agrees. \u2018Just being aware of how you\u2019re feeling and listening to your body is always my piece of advice for all my athletes,\u2019 he notes. While this may sound nebulous, Laraia says that it\u2019s less complicated than it sounds. \u2018It\u2019s more intuitive than we give ourselves credit for.\u2019<\/p>\n

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