Once the festivities of December end and you have more free time, many people like to line up a new fitness challenge, such as completing your first 5K or half marathon. But often—and I've certainly been guilty of this—it's easy to run before you can walk, resulting in injury or burnout due to overtraining. That's where walk-run intervals, the cornerstone of all good couch to 5K plans, can come in handy.
"A walk-run is a series of running intervals with planned walking breaks," explains marathon runner, Olympian and Runna coach Steph Davis. If you're new to running your body might be especially susceptible to injury due to the increased impact and strain on the joints from pounding the pavement or hitting the treadmill, she says.
