Run/Walk Intervals Are Here

Some of the strongest distance runners in the world take walk breaks on purpose. The run/walk method — popularized by Olympian Jeff Galloway — alternates timed running and walking segments to keep your heart rate in check, delay fatigue, and make long distances feel genuinely manageable. It's how a lot of people finish their first 10K, and how a lot of veterans protect their legs on long runs.

Random Run now has run/walk intervals built in. Set how long you want to run and how long you want to walk, start your route, and the app handles the switching — with a voice cue in your headphones and a haptic tap on your wrist every time it's time to change gears.

How it works

Pick your intervals — say, run four minutes, walk one — and head out on any generated route. When a walk break arrives, Random Run tells you. When it's time to run again, it tells you that too. No glancing at a timer, no counting in your head, no separate interval app fighting with your navigation for audio.

That last part matters. Interval cues and turn-by-turn voice guidance come from the same app, so they take turns politely instead of talking over each other. Your music ducks for a moment, you hear what you need, and everything comes right back.

Who it's for

• New runners. Run/walk is the most forgiving way to build endurance. Intervals plus a route that's generated to match your distance means the whole run is decided for you — just follow the cues.
• Runners coming back. From injury, from winter, from a busy season of life. Structured walk breaks keep enthusiasm from writing cheques your tendons can't cash.
• Long-run days. Galloway-style intervals on a long route keep the back half honest. Your legs at kilometre fourteen will thank you.

The small stuff

This update also brings a pre-run briefing screen — a quick look at your route with an explicit Start button, so navigation begins when you're ready and not a moment before — and a unit picker in Settings for choosing kilometres or miles regardless of your region.

Free, like everything else

Run/walk intervals are included in the latest free update — no subscription, no premium tier. Update Random Run on the App Store, set your intervals, and let a brand-new route and a steady rhythm carry you further than usual.