Walking for Runners: A Smart Way to Build Endurance and Prevent Injury.

This article was written by Rebecca Schumer, PT, DPT.

As a physical therapist who works with recreational and competitive runners, I often recommend something that surprises people. Walk more!

For many runners, walking can feel like a step backward. But when used strategically, walking and hiking are powerful tools that can improve your aerobic base, protect your joints and tendons, and help you train more consistently over time. Let’s talk about why.

The physiological benefits of walking for runners.

Before we dive into training plans or mileage, it helps to understand what’s happening inside your body. Walking and hiking may feel “easier” than running, but they still engage your heart, muscles, joints, and tendons. When used intentionally, they can strengthen the foundation that supports all of your running.

Protecting your joints and tendons.

When you run, the vertical ground reaction forces traveling through your legs can reach two to three times your body weight with every step. With walking or hiking, that load drops closer to one to two times your body weight, depending on your pace. That difference matters.

Your joints, tendons, and bones respond to stress by adapting. But there is a limit to how much stress they can handle before injury sets in. By incorporating walking or hiking into your routine, you still get valuable time on your feet but with significantly less load. This can help protect your knees, hips, ankles, and tendons while still increasing your endurance.

Building your aerobic base.

Walking and hiking usually won’t elevate your heart rate as much as running. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Spending time at lower intensities helps build your aerobic base. Easy aerobic work improves circulation, supports your muscles’ ability to use oxygen efficiently, and strengthens your cardiovascular system over time.

If you want to increase the challenge, you can:

• Wear a light backpack

• Choose trails with more elevation gain

• Increase your walking pace

These strategies can bring your heart rate closer to Zone 2 (60-70% of your maximum heart rate) while still keeping the impact lower than running. You’ve likely heard the phrase, “Keep your hard days hard and your easy days easy.” Walking and hiking make that possible. They allow your body and heart to recover so you can truly push on your harder training days.

When walking is most useful.

Walking can support runners at many stages of training. But, there are certain seasons when it becomes especially valuable, including the following scenarios:

When resuming running after an injury.

When recovering from an injury, we often need to rebuild strength and endurance gradually. Walking and hiking allow us to slowly reintroduce load and increase time on feet before progressing to continuous running.

Many return-to-run programs include intervals of walking and running for this reason. It reduces reinjury risk while maintaining aerobic fitness.

For runners with higher risk of injury.

If you’ve trained for years, you likely have a sense of your body’s limits. If higher-intensity training tends to lead to setbacks, adding a dedicated walking or hiking day can help you stay active while lessening the stress on your joints and body.

During stressful or busy seasons.

Stress is stress. Your body does not distinguish between physical training stress and emotional, job, or family stress. If you’ve had a demanding week, choosing a long walk instead of a hard workout may support recovery while still keeping you consistent. You still get outside. You still move your body. But you avoid compounding the stress your system is already carrying.

How to structure long walks or hikes.

Not all walking sessions serve the same purpose. How you structure a long walk or hike should reflect your goals, your current fitness level, and the overall demands of your training plan. Being intentional about time, intensity, and terrain helps you gain the benefits without adding unnecessary stress.

Here are a few guidelines:

• Focus on time on feet: Instead of tracking pace or miles, think about duration. Time on your feet still contributes to endurance and tissue adaptation.
• Keep intensity aligned with your plan: If it’s meant to be a recovery day, keep it conversational and relaxed. If it’s replacing an aerobic session, you can add hills or pick up the pace slightly.
• Use terrain as a training tool: Walking on uneven or technical terrain can double as a skills session. Moving slowly over rocky or root-filled trails challenges balance, foot strength, and body awareness—all of which carry over to running.
• Don’t forget fuel and hydration: Even though walking feels easier than running, it still places a demand on your body. Longer walks (especially those over 60 minutes) require proper hydration and, in some cases, fueling. Supporting your body with adequate nutrition helps reduce fatigue and lowers your risk of injury.
• Count walking towards your weekly volume: Time on your feet still contributes to your overall training load. If you add long walks but don’t adjust your running mileage, your total weekly stress may increase too quickly. That can lead to setbacks.
  
  

Reframing walking: It’s not a failure.

Walking isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of smart, sustainable training. In a culture that often glorifies pushing 100% all the time, slowing down can feel counterintuitive. But the truth is, training consistently over months and years requires listening to your body and respecting its limits.

Strategic walking provides aerobic benefits, protects your joints and tendons, and allows you to recover so you can perform your hardest sessions at your best. It also gives you time to be present, enjoy the outdoors, or even connect with friends and family who may not keep pace with your runs.

In other words, walking is a tool for longevity and performance. By incorporating it into your plan thoughtfully, you’re not stepping back. You’re moving forward in a way that keeps you running stronger and healthier for years to come.