A little test...

So I decided to try a little test this weekend. As I have written earlier, I ascribe to the running method espoused by Jeff Galloway - Run, Walk, Run. Well, after my successful run in the Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon my plan for this weekend was a short, 4 mile run. And it got me wondering... does it still make sense to use Run, Walk, Run for short runs now that I am in much better shape? Would my time be faster if I ran ("jogged", really) the entire distance? Would I even be able to make it? Next weekend I intend to do 10 miles but the weekend after is a local 5K I was thinking of running - should I use Run, Walk, Run for that?

So, I decided to check it out. For my 4 mile run this weekend I jogged the entire way and did not walk at all. Here are the results.

As you can see, not great. I will say this - I had no problem running the entire distance, in fact I am sure I could have gone a good deal farther. But these times are not great. Admittedly, had I been running a race I probably would have pushed it more and perhaps I would have had a better time. Perhaps. But consider this: the last time I did a 4 mile run using Run,Walk, Run my time was slightly better. Even more telling are the first 4 miles of my marathon last weekend:

As you can see, these times are a fair bit better. And I was pacing myself for a half marathon. And I was on a very hilly course.

So, my conclusion? At least for now I will continue using the Run, Walk, Run method. Not only can I go farther using this method while feeling better, it also appears that my times are faster.

Next week I go 10 miles and I've set myself a bit of a challenge for that. Then perhaps the 5K, and then my next half on the 21st. And I will also probably be signing up for another half in June.