This Meditation Track Will Make You Love Running and Yourself
iOS / Android: When I run, my inner monologue sounds like an argument between a good coach and a bad coach. One voice tells me to relax, find my best pace, not look at the clock, just find the right level of effort. Then another voice intervenes to say something like, “Oh, look at yourself, you’re running so slowly, and you’re already tired! You suck!”
Much of my training over the years has depended on curbing a bad coach and pre-opting to trust a good coach. That’s why I’m totally in love with Slow Down 2 Speed Up, one of three new lucid treadmills in the (free) Nike Run Club app . Nike Coach Chris Bennett joins forces with Andy Paddicomb, the voice of Headspace , and they walk you through faster and faster intervals, urging you to pay attention to your body and mind. But they didn’t duel like the coaches in my head; they are both endlessly supportive.
In other words, this is a good half of my inner monologue. There is no more stupid voice.
This track begins with a five-minute warm-up, which coaches say should be about 3 out of 10 on your personal effort scale. They say we all run at a different pace, but each of us has a “ten out of ten” top speed. They use this scale for the rest of their run; there is no need to check your watch or phone for any numbers.
After the warm-up, the structure is as follows:
- Two segments of three minutes and 30 seconds each, with an effort of 6/10 (roughly “10K pace” in runner’s jargon), with one minute of recovery after each.
- Two segments of 2:30 each, with an effort of 7 or 8/10 (“pace of 5 km”), with a recovery of 90 seconds.
- Two 90-second segments with an effort of 9/10 (“mile pace”) with two minutes recovery.
- One final stretch of 30 seconds, complete. Your winning circle.
Trainers constantly talk, letting you know how much time is left, and give you images to focus on: the wind in your back during a fast interval, or the energetic anticipation that makes you rush when your recovery time runs out.
Throughout the entire run, from a gentle warm-up to the last 30-second interval at a vibrant “holiday pace,” you will never feel like a failure due to slow running or fatigue, and you will never stop “ugh again? ”When it’s time to pick up speed. Just put your mental monologue in the hands of the trainers and they will make sure you find the right rhythm in both your body and mind.
The benefits are both physical and mental. When running, it’s important to learn your fast, slow, and average pace so you can get the most out of each workout and get your pace right in the race. As you tune in to the rhythm of your legs and breathing, practicing different levels of effort, you discover each of your own sweet spots. This is valuable knowledge for the future, even if you never run this track again. But I can press play again, and the next time I need a hard workout, I can end up smiling.