Jeff Galloway- Go Slow To Go Fast

Run to the Top Podcast | The Ultimate Guide to Running

Wait... What??

That’s correct. 1972 Olympian, Jeff Galloway, who was self-coached and absorbed as much as he could from other runners has proven that to go fast, you should go slow. Hundreds of thousands of runners have trained with his method and the results he shares in this episode are nothing short of amazing.

Since starting his retail store, Phidippides, in Atlanta, Georgia in 1975, Jeff has listened to runners who were looking for better and better training strategies. He has developed training methods, retreats at multiple locations around the globe, written several books, trained runners directly and remotely, written for Runner's World, partnered with Disney… well, you get the idea.

We are so very lucky to have Jeff join us to tell us about his personal experiences with running and how his unique training philosophy has helped runners at all levels achieve great results while avoiding injury. This is likely to be one of those episodes that you listen to over and over because there is just so much good information. Be sure to check out the links below for even more tools and resources!

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

• Jeff’s personal experiences running in college and his Olympic trials.
• Jeff counterintuitive training methods including full distance training and Run Walk Run.
• The benefits of group training.
• How The Magic Mile accurately predicts a runner’s future race times.
• How to leverage our human brain to keep our ‘Monkey Brain’ under control.

Questions Jeff is asked:

2:50 What are some of your favorite moments as a runner?

11:55 Do you think professional / elite runners today would give up a spot in a race to help a teammate advance?

13:30 How was it having a group working together in the early 1970’s?

15:06 What’s your theory on why there aren't more big groups of people who want to train together?

17:12 Should recreational runners train in groups?

19:26 How can people get involved in your training groups?

22:20 You have runners do a 26 - 29 mile run 3 weeks before their marathon at a slower pace for 6-7 hours?

24:38 So the only you’re adding on race day is running faster?

24:55 What exactly is the Magic Mile?

26:29 How do runners get their individual Magic Mile times?

26:59 Is it just running that mile as fast as you can?

27:51 What is the Run Walk Run method?

31:14 What would you like to say to runners who have a social stigma against walking?

33:51 Does the amount of walking differ for each person?

35:24 What is the ‘Monkey Brain’?

38:13 How long should the walk-breaks be?

40:00 How does it feel to have a training method named after you?

42:29 How does it feel to have a whole event series named after you?

45:07 What is involved in your retreats?

48:02 Do you have a favorite race you recommend all runners do at least once?

53:54 The Final Kick Round

Quotes by Jeff:

• Even on the days when I was physically destroyed, which was most of the days during the first month, I felt better in my head and in my spirit than I had ever felt in my life.
• I helped my father get into running when he was 52.
• I never heard any of my Florida Track Club teammates brag unless they were being funny about something.
• There is no doubt that when you have a stable of good runners you can get some really good workouts if the coach is monitoring the effort level and making sure the athletes aren’t running over their heads in workouts.
• The reason our Group Retreats have expanded is because there is so much interest in getting individual help with running and learning hands-on: ‘How do you do these drills’, ‘What is my form like’, ‘Am I doing something wrong?’.
• We found that people tend to hit the wall within about a mile of the that they ran on long runs within the last 3 weeks. And so, by going the (full race) distance, not only do people feel strong and have more belief that they CAN do it, but they actually run FASTER.
• (The Run Walk Run) is a method that conserves resources that reduces injuries down to practically NOTHING and allows runners to run faster in long distances.
• You are the captain of your ship. You are the one who determines how you’re going to run.