Jeff Galloway’s Running School

I had the opportunity to sneak off to the beach for a much needed break. I signed up for Jeff Galloway’s Running School after the new year with my Christmas money. I didn’t know if I would be able to go or not, but my husband insisted I go. The last few weeks have been so stressful. The beach is my happy place for sure! 

I left early Saturday morning to head to Gulf Shores. It took me a little over two hours to get there. I parked at the Hangout where the school was going to be and went for a cold walk on the beach! 

I was also excited to meet a fellow IG friend and Blogger, Debra @happyrunningsole. I walked inside the Hangout and found our small group chatting with Jeff Galloway. I waved at Debra who was visiting with one of her friends. I found a spot on a bar stool and the school was underway! I took 4 pages of notes and he even gave us his email address. He began by saying how running helps our brain spiritually and develops a good attitude. So true! Here are how my notes look:

Tools that involve endurance: 

1. Set a schedule: marathon training, run your long run every three weeks. Half marathon training you would run long every other week. Two 30 minute runs a week plus one long run is the minimum amount you should run per week. Long runs must be SLOW! 

2. He spoke about the Magic Mile and this would give you the paces for your long run for half and full marathons. In one of his books you multiply your magic mile by 1.2. At the running school he said multiply your MM number by 1.3 then add two minutes. 

Speedwork: full marathons do one mile repeats. Half marathons do half mile repeats. 

I love how he said you can still walk the distance to build your endurance. Since I always seem to fall behind on my training these days, this gave me some comfort. I think I worry about my pace too much instead of just getting the distance done. He said if you are struggling during a long run just walk the rest! Okay! Sounds good to me! lol. 

He said to always run slower in hotter weather and to not wear a hat when it’s warm outside. 

Benefits of run/walk/run: gain control over injury and to run faster is to walk! If you are training and suffering an injury, walk more, run less. He shared his run/walk ratios–90:30, 60:30, 30:15, 20:20, 15:15 (which is what Jeff uses!). I have tried the 90:30 this week and really like it. I like it better than the 4:1, 3:1 in his earlier book. When you walk, don’t do a race walk. I’ve noticed my walk is about a 15 minute mile so I try to slow down from there. Walk comfortably without a long stride. He said to shorten your stride while running too. I’ve been working on that almost two years and have managed to stay injury free almost 2 years so I know personally that this works! 

Stretching: Jeff said stretching before a run causes injury 😳. He simply said walk 2-3 minutes to warm up. 

Nutrition: track your nutrition by using My Fitness Pal which I’ve been doing. Cut down on food at noon before your long run the next morning. Drink eight 8 ounce glasses of water. Morning of long run, drink as soon as you wake up–coffee or water, dry toast. He suggested lifesavers or gummy bears to snack on during a long run if you feel like your sugar is dropping. 

He spoke about running extra long training runs for a half like up to 17 miles and even 29 miles for full training. I did ask him if that would cause more injuries running so far. He said no because you are taking walk breaks. Jeff and his wife also run one marathon a month. I was truly inspired. I can’t seem to train for another marathon because we are so busy and he’s running one a month! 

After the school was over, he signed our books and took pictures. I told him I was experiencing fatigue after my long runs and told him I was a mother of three. He said I had a different kind of fatigue than just running. He also said I was an inspiration to my children and that made me feel good. I bought a running journal and mental training for runners book. I already had the Half Marathon training for women book. 

Overall it was a great experience. I got to meet Jeff Galloway and Debra, my “instafriend.” I’ve been following her for a long time. We were able to chat for awhile. She was super sweet and hope to see her again soon!

I had a wonderful rest of my little beach getaway. I shopped and went to dinner and a movie by myself. I talked to so many people, I never felt like I was alone. Going places alone is out of my comfort zone, but if I have an opportunity to meet new people, I should go. Plus the beach is like a second home to me since I’ve been going there my whole life. It was just what I needed to revive my spirit. I’ve had a much better week because of that trip. 

Have you met anyone famous in the running world? What did you learn from him or her? Happy Wednesday y’all!