The Loss of a Legend
I first met American Olympian and author Jeff Galloway shortly after becoming a coach for the National AIDS Marathon Training Program in Washington, DC. Jeff personally trained our coaching staff to use his signature Run-Walk-Run method to prepare our athletes for the Marine Corps Marathon. Developed in 1976, Jeff’s program was designed to prevent injury and manage fatigue. By inserting strategic walk breaks, runners conserve energy and allow their muscles to recover mid-run, leading to faster recovery times and more successful race days.
What struck me most about Jeff wasn’t just his running pedigree, but how incredibly nice and down-to-earth he was. He had a way of making you feel like your questions were the most important ones in the room. He was so approachable that it made learning his system feel less like a lecture and more like a conversation with a mentor who truly wanted to see you—and your runners—succeed.
Jeff passed away on Wednesday and he will be greatly missed by the running community.
2001 Big Sur Marathon
2012 Virginia Wine-Country Half Marathon – Jeff with his wife Barbara
Overview of the Week
Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…
Sunday
Cycling: 16.2 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 16.1 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 12:39 PM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 65° in the basement, 40° (feels like 32°) and raining outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Pilates: Peloton Emma Lovewell 20-Minute Core Strength
Once home from 8:45 AM mass, I procrastinated before finally getting down to the basement for my workouts which proves yet again that I’m a first thing in the morning exerciser and why I get up so early on weekdays to workout before seeing clients.
After I’d finished a ride on my spin bike, I did the final workout in the Crush Your Core 2 with Emma 4-week challenge. It was a great challenge and like I’ve said before, I’m shocked at how much I’m loving the non-cycling Peloton classes, too.
It was Bill’s birthday and also National Margarita Day! While making an absolutely delicious dinner of salmon, roasted fingerling potatoes, onions, assorted bell peppers, and asparagus we sipped on margaritas while watching snow fall from the sky at a very fast rate.
Monday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
We woke up to only about an inch of snow after a forecast of up to six inches which made me quite pleased. After enjoying Florida’s fabulous weather, I’m done with winter and ready for spring… as if I have a say in the matter!
Tuesday
Cycling: 16.1 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.9 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 7:02 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 64° in the basement, 24° (feels like 10°) and sunny outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Pilates: Peloton Emma Lovewell 10-Minute Core Strength
Foam rolling: Peloton Hannah Corbin 10-Minute Foam Rolling Glutes
Walking: 3.03 miles
• Average pace: 15:31 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 179 feet
• Start time: 2:14 PM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 37° (feels like 25°) and partly cloudy
• What I wore: fleece lined tights, l/s shirt, down jacket, knit hat, and heated gloves (took off jacket and gloves after two miles)
It had been a while since I’d trained a virtual client from the comfort of my spin bike so I did just that. I waited until it warmed up a bit before heading out for my walk. I’d found a beautiful bracelet earlier on the street so during my walk I stopped by our HOA office to turn it in. Unfortunately, no one had reported it missed, but the lady I talked to said they’d send out an email in hopes the owner might see it. Fingers crossed!
Wednesday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Walking: 4.08 miles
• Average pace: 14:57 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 114 feet
• Start time: 12:46 PM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 49° (feels like 38°) and cloudy, climbing to 53° (feels like 41°)
• What I wore: capris, s/s shirt, knit jacket, visor, and gloves (took jacket and gloves off for last mile)
Stretching: Peloton Adrian Williams 5-Minute Lower Body Stretch
The weather forecast was for pretty nice weather and I’d hoped to go for an outdoor ride after wrapping up seeing clients, but the wind was noticeable enough that I decided to walk instead. It appears that the two weeks I spent in the gloriously warm weather of Florida turned me into a complete wimp.
Thursday
Cycling: 25 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.8 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 5:53 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 62° in the basement, 37° and cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Stretching: Peloton Bradley Rose 5-minute Post-Ride Stretch
Walking: 6.13 miles
• Average pace: 15:06 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 228 feet
• Start time: 10:46 AM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 46° and cloudy, climbing to 49°
• What I wore: capris, s/s shirt, knit jacket, visor, and gloves (took gloves off after second mile)
Kim and I got back on track with our Thursday morning virtual workouts with steady spins for the both of us. When we finished, we were both surprised to have earned the 675K Garmin cycling badge during our rides so Kim added it to our collage.
Later in the morning I headed out for a walk in delightful weather, albeit cool, and had my first daffodil sighting of the spring – they are still in the tight bud stage, though.
College credit: Kim
Friday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Cycling: 5.21 miles (Bradley Rose 20-Minute Recovery Ride)
• Bike: Peloton+
• Average speed: 14.4 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 7:13 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 64° in the basement, 32° and cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Balance and stretching: 45 minutes
Walking: 2.04 miles
• Average pace: 15:08 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 97 feet
• Start time: 4:47 PM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 53° and sunny, dropping to 50°
• What I wore: capris, s/s shirt, light jacket, and visor
Before seeing clients and teaching a class, I lifted weights and did a short Peloton cycling class. After running a bunch of errands, I eventually made it outside for a short walk.
Saturday
Cycling: 33.72 miles
• Bike: Specialized Roubaix Comp
• Average speed: 13.7 MPH
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 1,417 feet
• Start time: 1:38 PM
• Location: W&OD Trail Ashburn/Hamilton loop
• Weather: 61° and sunny, climbing to 63°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, arm sleeves, and fingerless gloves
Stretching: Peloton Emma Lovewell 5-Minute Post-Ride Stretch
The weather was plenty warm for an outdoor ride, so after lunch my husband and I went out for a quick ride which turned into a longer ride on my favorite route – it includes hoping off the trail to ride on a few side roads farther west. We weren’t the only ones who wanted to enjoy the great outdoors and had to dodge fellow fitness enthusiasts on parts of the W&OD Trail. Once home, I had just enough time to shower and get to church with about ten minutes to spare.
Winter Warrior Challenge Outdoor Workouts
The ninth and final week of the Winter Warrior Challenge is complete and it really helped force me outside on days I would have preferred to stay in the warmth of our basement gym. Here’s how my week worked out…
Number of outdoor rides (goal is 1): 1 (Saturday)
Number of outdoor walks (goal is 2): 4 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday)
Number of strength training sessions (goal is 2): 3 (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday)
Garmin Badges Earned
Five Garmin badges made their way to me this week.
Last Week’s Blog Posts
In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…
Questions:
- • Have you used Jeff Galloway’s Run-Walk-Run method for training? ~ yes, many times over the years
- • If you drink alcohol, what was your last drink? ~ Sunday’s margarita celebrating my husband’s birthday
- • Which workout did you enjoy most this past week? ~ Hands down, yesterday’s ride was the best!
And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!
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I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but those of the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!
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The loss of Jeff Galloway hit hard–his run/walk plans made running accessible to everyone! I used run/walk in a few of my races, even employing it at the end of one of my Chicago marathons when my race started to go off the rails. He left a great legacy, that is for sure!
That photo of you on the bike with the mountains is beautiful!!!
Yes, it was such a hard-hitting bit of news.
Thanks, my husband made it to the top of the hill with plenty of time to turn and take my picture while I was trying to catch up. LOL
That was a really nice tribute to Jeff. I used his method so many times coming back from injury. He was a true legend and inspiration to many. We were gifted with some nice weather this week and you made the most of it!
I suspect most of us have used Jeff’s training method many times, especially as a tool when coming back from injury.
Seeing the news of Jeff Galloway’s death hit hard. I know so many people who used his method to run – new runners and experienced alike.
We had cold weather then warm weather this week — and then today it snowed again! What a winter!
It seems to hit extra hard when such an accomplished athletes passes away, especially one who helped so many others in a sport he loved so much.
What? I didn’t hear that! Oh, losing Jeff Galloway feels like losing a piece of running history.
I love how you described him though. Not the medals, not the résumé, but his kindness. That says everything. Anyone can design a training plan, but making people feel seen and capable? That’s rare. His whole Run-Walk-Run approach has helped so many runners stay healthy and actually enjoy the sport. That’s a proper legacy!!
Indeed, we did lose an important piece of our running history. His greatest gift wasn’t just a training method, but the confidence he gave to so many runners. He taught us that the finish line belongs to everyone, and that’s a lesson the running world will never forget.
So sad about Jeff Galloway!!! Yes, I have used his method many times. He was a great influence on the running community.
I love the outdoor bike ride! That must have felt amazing. You nailed the WW challenge this week.
To answer your question- I had a delicious IPA last week, I forget the occasion. But then I felt like crap the next day, SIGH, so I won’t have another one for a while.
Yes, I used his method many times as well. In fact, while coming back from an injury I was using his run-walk-run method when he passed me in the 2012 Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon. 🙂
I agree, losing Jeff Galloway is a huge loss to the running community. I unofficially met him a couple years ago when he was here for one the Des MOInes Marathon events. We crossed paths, and he said, “Hi” to me. We never shook hands or exchanged names,LOL. My last drink was a margarita (or two) last weekend…a day prior to the official day of celebration 😉
Jeff was such a great ambassador for the running community and gave so much back to the sport.
I know you enjoyed those margaritas!
Did I see biking in shorts?
I never used intervals until a few years ago. It’s been a life saver in getting in those long runs. He was indeed a legend.
I had a martini today and a mimosa yesterday… not the norm but both were delish.
Favorite workout was yesterday only because it is over… so windy – not very pleasant.
Yes, the temperature got up to 63° during our ride on Saturday and I was thrilled to wear shorts!
I think run/walk intervals have been a welcome option to many of us over the years and Jeff made them make sense and a smart option.
Oh my, Saturday’s run sounds very challenging!
What a beautiful tribute to Jeff Galloway. The fact that you got to train directly under him and hear his method straight from the source is such a special thing to carry with you. He was really just as amazing in person. l
Welcome to the Florida effect. We are all over the place.
That Saturday ride sounded amazing and I love that a quick ride turned into 34 miles. The best ones always do!
Thanks, Jenn! It was an honor to learn directly from Jeff how to coach using his method, and more importantly getting to know him just a little bit.
Isn’t that the truth?! You’re just out for a quick workout and it turns into so much more!
I was quite surprised by Jeff’s death. Indeed he was quite a legend and how special that you got to work with him. Toledo just recently started a Galloway group. I have indeed used the run/walk method myself.
Flowers poking out of the ground and biking in shorts this past week? Spring is on it’s way!
Same – I’d heard a few days early when his family posted to Facebook that Jeff had had emergency neurosurgery, but was still so saddened and surprised by his death.
I do believe that spring is on the way; however, we got about two inches of snow this afternoon with more snow due overnight!
Kim is the collage master. Congratulations to you both on the badge.
I think my last drink was in Florida. I’m not an at home drinker and friends and I have been trying to spend less while still going out and getting a drink at dinner has been a casualty. I enjoy a spritz but can happily do without.
Thanks, Cari! And yes, Kim is a great collage maker and I give her and Darlene credit for showing me how well collages work in blog posts.