Broken Endurance Blog #3: How to Find the Right Run/Walk Strategy for You

Today’s post is third installment of the Broken Endurance blog series, brought to you by renowned running coach Bobby McGee. He has spent decades refining the art of running efficiency, working with some of the world’s best athletes—including Gwen Jorgensen (Rio 2016 Triathlon Gold), Flora Duffy (Tokyo 2020 Triathlon Gold), and Ben Kanute. His expertise spans from triathlon champions to marathon Olympians, track athletes, and even race walkers.

The most common question I get is simple:

“Coach, what interval should I use?”

The honest answer is this: the one that gives you the greatest return for the least cost.

Finding that ratio is a process, not a declaration.

Start with the purpose of the run

Different runs call for different strategies.

In Zones 1 and 2, the goal is usually duration, frequency, recovery, and aerobic development. Not heroics. Beginners may start at a 1:1 ratio: one minute running, one minute walking. There is no shame there at all. That is simply smart progression.

As a general upper guideline in easy aerobic zones, I rarely like to see runners go longer than nine minutes of running followed by 15–60 seconds of walking. For many athletes, that is enough to reset without interrupting the rhythm of the session.

For more advanced runners, especially in Zone 3 preparation for half marathons or marathons, run segments may extend to 20–30 minutes, followed by walk breaks of a minute or less. Those short resets can improve focus, help recovery, and preserve output without sacrificing the purpose of the work.

Use race structure to your advantage

In longer races, aid stations often provide natural opportunities to walk, reset, hydrate, and refocus.

That alone may be enough for some athletes. If the spacing works well and it fits the demands of the race, those built-in breaks can become part of a very effective strategy.

Many strong runners use this approach whether they label it that way or not.

Test your interval honestly

The best way to find your ideal ratio is to use a familiar route and a familiar intensity to something you have previously done continuously.

Start conservatively. Then compare.

Do not just ask whether it felt easier. Ask whether it was actually more effective.

This is where Stryd becomes invaluable.

Look at the session and ask:

• Did cardiac drift improve?
• Did average power stay lower for the same pace or better overall broken pace?
• Did mechanics hold together better late in the run?
• Did recovery feel better the next day?

Those questions matter more than ideology.

Use workouts to find your baseline

To assess a race-specific ratio, take a workout you would normally run continuously (such as a tempo run or build run) and apply a conservative Broken Endurance structure.

Then compare outcomes.

If broken running gives you equal or better performance with less physiological and mechanical cost, you have found a strong baseline. From there, progression becomes straightforward: 

• Lengthen the run segments slightly.
• Shorten the walk breaks slightly.
• Both, so long as the gains remain intact.

Adjust to the conditions, not just the plan

This strategy is also incredibly useful when conditions are less than ideal.

Warmer? More humid? More fatigued than expected? Shorter run intervals and slightly more frequent walk breaks may make far more sense than trying to force a continuous format that no longer matches the reality of the day.

That is not weakness. That is intelligent execution.

The goal is always the same

The goal is not to break your run apart for the sake of it.

The goal is to run easier, faster.

And remember: you can always go back to continuous running. But most runners who test this honestly, and look at both the performance and the recovery, never really want to. Once mastered, it becomes a genuine weapon.

Broken Endurance is not about breaking your run apart, it is about holding yourself together long enough to realize your potential.

Takeaway: Start conservative, test with intention, and let performance plus recovery tell you what interval works best.