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‘Jeffing’ might sound like something your mates accuse you of when you're late to the pub, but it could be the secret to improving your running endurance and shaving down that 10k PB.
Created by American Olympian Jeff Galloway in the '70s, Jeffing can be practised by beginners and experienced runners alike. The principle of Jeffing is simple: link periods of running (one to two minutes) with slightly longer intervals of walking, preferably over a period of 20 minutes.
Once you're used to that, the running intervals can be lengthened and the walking periods shortened. In even better news, slow walking sessions have been shown to be healthier, so feel free to take it slightly easier.
Combining running and walking improves endurance and fatigue management, while reducing the risk of muscular pain: the key to enjoying your running session even more. It might sound counterintuitive, but slowing down can result in significant improvements in your race time.
While both terms sound slightly distasteful in the English language, Jeffing is similar to the Swedish Fartlek. Translating as ‘speed play’, a Fartlek run focuses on changing pace during a continuous run. Jeffing, meanwhile, focuses more on endurance than speed. For beginners, this method allows you to get out of your comfort zone by gradually integrating more intense periods of running. For more seasoned runners, it helps improve endurance as part of a wider regime.
It's also a handy way of reinforcing any wavering motivation in the face of effort, as it reassures runners by enabling them to split the strain. After all, channelling Rocky is much easier when you know you have 30 seconds until you can walk again.
Upping your motivation isn't the only mental health benefit. Jeffing helps reduce race-related anxiety, and fatigue management becomes easier to control, reducing the risk of injury through slower, safer progress. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine even demonstrated that this method enabled runners to complete a marathon almost as quickly as a continuous run – a 4:14-4:34 range compared to 4:07-4:34 for pure runners – with less muscle soreness and fatigue.
Don't believe us? Look to ultra-runners for proof, who use Jeffing as a tactical way to keep moving and avoid seizing up. While it can be difficult to run/walk your own race, for novice runners or those daunted by running a marathon, Jeffing could be the ideal solution. Just don't use the word out of context.
Via GQ UK
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