You Need to Run Slower
If running is hard, this is for you, especially if you are a beginner or have been running for a while but just can’t seem to get any faster. The most important thing you need to learn is this: you get faster if you run more, and you run more by running slower.
Everyone starts too quickly. You’re not alone. Once upon a time it was me, running three miles each time, always hoping to beat the time gained in the previous race. Never defeated him.
When you start, you have two speeds. Running fast; walking is slow. So, if you are ” running” all the time (say, you have come to the end of the sofa 5K program ), you are running fast all the time.
If so, then you’ve done a good job and you’ve come a long way. Now you have another mission: slow down .
What should a normal run be like?
Your regular training run should feel light . Yes, you can aim for a fast run, but there is a difference between a training run and a race.
Training runs are easy, slow, unhurried; the races are fast, hard, sweaty, hard, miserable. Races are hard on your body and should only be done on the rare occasions when you’re ready for them. Not every day.
I blame the up to 5K sofa for this confusion. “5 km” is the racing distance. If your friend-fastest runner says he ran a 25-minute distance of 5 km, it is a race in which he trained and peaked. They did not run their daily runs, even though they were five kilometers (3.1 miles) away at that pace. Their three-mile training runs were likely 30 minutes or more.
On Reddit, I often see people asking how to run on. They say they keep trying, but they are unable to cover a certain distance (for example, two or three miles). If this is your problem, you are definitely running too fast. You shouldn’t move at a pace that pisses you off so quickly. By the end of your 30 minute light jog, you should stop because time is up, not because your body is giving up on you.
Wait, training runs are never fast?
Sometimes you can run fast in training, but this is not your bread and butter.
Take a look at any training program for advanced runners. It could be a day of high-speed work (alternating between short, quick intervals with some pleasant easy recovery) or tempo run (running at a constant, somewhat grueling pace), but everything else is meant to be an easy run. This means that at least 80% to 90% of your runs should be as leisurely as walking. For entry-level programs, this pace can be 100% of your run.
Easy jogging will improve your fitness. They don’t have to be difficult to get their jobs done . Slow runs are easy to do and your body can easily recover from them. You shouldn’t be maximizing your deadlift every time you hit the gym, and you shouldn’t start running every time you lace up your shoes.
Ok, how slow is slow enough?
This can be measured in two ways. The classic is: Could you have a casual conversation while you run? If you cannot speak in full sentences, you are probably running too fast.
Are you worried about keeping up with your training partner? Constantly picking up someone ahead of you and picking up your pace to catch up? Too fast. You don’t need a pace to maintain. You want a pace that seems to be sustained forever.
The pace that you could hold for about an hour before going crazy is your pace, and you need to keep that pace for tempo workouts. This means that an easy running pace is one that you can maintain indefinitely.
Can you look around and enjoy the sun or the landscape? Okay.
Are you breathing heavily and looking forward to the end or the next water break? Too fast.
Passengers passing you on a walk? Believe it or not, this is a good sign. This means that you managed to slow down.
But I cannot run that slow!
I want to tell you two things.
First, yes, you can. I recommend a little exercise to figure this out. You will alternate between running at medium speed for one minute and then one minute at slow speed. (Instead of looking at your watch, you can run at average speed straight down the track and slower around corners. Or use city blocks or telephone poles. Anything relatively close together will do.)
Over time, you will realize that even when you are running at “normal” speed, you have a speed lower than that . This can seem insanely slow. Remember, if a pedestrian passes by you, this is a sign that you are beginning to understand this . If you can’t find the correct tempo, try keeping the same cadence, but shorten your stride. Baby steps. Literal baby steps.
Second, if you’ve tried the above but still can’t run slowly enough, take walking breaks as needed. Reduce your overall level of effort so that you can continue the conversation. When you find yourself gasping for breath, go. Forget about speed and try to make things easier for yourself.
You learn to run better
Almost everyone goes through this process. I remember the day during the 5K sofa program, when I decided to see if I had slowed down a bit, if I could skip the walk breaks. It worked, but it was still years before I figured out how to do all of my runs at a slow enough pace that I didn’t feel like dying. I ran my first 10K sprint / walk interval run. But it still counts! I still covered the distance.
The slower you run, the faster you will understand the difference between easy and fast runs, and the faster you will make progress in increasing mileage and accelerating. It’s a really counter-intuitive process, but it pays off. On light days, you really shouldn’t run too slow. Keep up the good work and you will soon be able to take part in real races faster.