Run-Walk Intervals: The Galloway Method
A session that alternates easy running and brisk walking in planned ratios, based on the Galloway method. Every student can pile up about 20 minutes of aerobic activity without stopping and learns how to pace their effort.
How to play
- Explain the idea in 2 min: walking on purpose before you are wiped out lets you keep going much longer. Introduce three plans: A (run 1 min, walk 1), B (run 2, walk 1), and C (run 4, walk 1).
- Each student picks a plan based on how they feel and joins the group at that color cone: red for A, yellow for B, blue for C. Everyone uses the same 200 m loop (2 min).
- Each group has a leader with a stopwatch who calls out "run" and "walk." The teacher's whistle only marks the start and end of each block.
- Block one lasts 8 min. Afterward, everyone takes a 15-second pulse count and rates how tired they feel from 1 to 10 (1 min).
- If the rating is 4 or lower, move up one plan; if it is 8 or higher, move down one. Block two lasts 8 min with the new plan and a new timekeeper.
- Three-minute wrap-up: students count completed laps and write down which plan could get them to a 20-minute nonstop run in a few weeks.
Rules
- Walking means brisk walking with arm swing, never stopping or sitting down.
- Runners use the outside lane of the loop and walkers use the inside.
- Drink water between blocks and speak up if you feel pain or dizziness.
Variations
Easier
Offer an extra plan of 30 seconds running and 1 minute walking.
Standard
Use plans A, B, and C in two 8-minute blocks, adjusting based on the rating.
Harder
Add a plan D of 6 minutes running and 30 seconds walking, plus a third block.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: alternate fast and easy wheeling using the same time ratios.
- Deaf or hard of hearing: the leader gives a visual signal, raising a cone, instead of calling out.
- Highly fit students: can serve as timekeeper for group C and run the running segments at a brisker pace.
Learning goals
- Accumulate about 20 minutes of aerobic activity without stopping.
- Choose and adjust a running plan based on how the body feels.
- Connect heart rate and perceived exertion with exercise intensity.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cones: 12
- stopwatches: 3
- whistle: 1
Teacher tip
Make it clear that walking is part of the plan, not a failure, and ask each timekeeper to stick to the clock.
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