57: How to Find Your Perfect Run-Walk Interval, a Simple Beginner Test

In this episode, Beginner Runner Coach Deb Voiles explains a simple diagnostic test that helps new runners choose a comfortable starting point for running, walking, and repeating each interval.

The guiding principle is simple: reduce intensity. A high cadence paired with short steps can make running feel easier, but cadence is only part of the equation. Beginners also need an appropriate running duration, enough walking recovery, and a manageable number of repetitions. The goal is not to prove how long you can suffer. It is to build fitness gradually while enjoying the process and giving your body time to adapt.

Before taking the test, spend a couple of weeks building brisk-walking endurance, practicing a cadence of 170, and strengthening your balance, core, legs, and feet.

To begin the test, warm up with a brisk one-mile walk. Then start your phone's stopwatch and run with a high cadence and small forward steps. Continue until the effort feels hard—about 80 percent. Record the time, walk for three minutes, and repeat the test. Average your two running times.

Your starting running interval should be at least 15 seconds shorter than that average.