QUESTION: For the magic mile…do we run it using our run/walk strategy? Or just straight running?
ANSWER: The Magic Mile is the key to setting up any Galloway Training Plan. Once you know how fast you can run the Magic Mile, you can predict your race pace, which leads to your training pace, which determines your run/walk ratio for your long runs, so everything flows from the Magic Mile. We don’t want you to push yourself to the point of getting sick (- no puking) during the Magic Mile but if the Magic Mile is run too conservatively then it isn’t an accurate reflection of your ability. Like anything, your Magic Mile will improve with practice, so plan to run the first one with walk breaks and just a little faster than your normal 5K pace. Once you’ve gone through the MM and have a baseline, you can return a week or so later to run another MM with the goal of improving your time. For that 2nd and subsequent Magic Miles, taking walk breaks is completely optional, though most people find they can run faster for the MM if they take a short walk break at the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 mile marks. Remember that you should finish the MM (other than the first one) feeling that you could maintain your pace for only another 20 to 30 seconds. That will give you the best prediction of your race pace (under ideal conditions and with proper training) and allow you to set up your training plan accordingly.
