Run Smarter, Not Faster: How to Find Gears for Better Workouts
Runners love to focus on getting faster, but especially if you’re new to running, you may be missing a key part of your workout: learning to run slower as well. You need multiple “gears” at slow, medium and high speeds to get the most out of the different types of workouts (and do better in races).
Why You Need More Shows Than Just Fast
When I first started running, I had a favorite trail near my house, which I ran over and over again. I figured if I ran the same number of times in each workout, I would cover more distance on each run. Guess what? It didn’t work. I’ve never been faster.
I’ve seen countless new runners try the same thing, either keeping a constant time and expecting to cover more distance, or running the same distance, hoping to cover it in less time. But consider what this means for your overall training program: you do the same workout at the same level of effort every day. This is a recipe for reaching a plateau.
Here’s what works: mixing speed and distance. Running slowly builds endurance, running quickly builds strength, and running at medium speed helps you learn to withstand heavy effort. These types of workouts fit together like puzzle pieces. You need all of them to progress.
Three Mechanisms You Must Have and the Benefits of Each
Here’s a rundown of the benefits of slow, medium, and high speed training. I am summarizing almost the entire field of exercise physiology here, so if you want to know more, I would recommend digging into the training archives at places like Runner World or Athlete . But here are the basics.
Slow running builds your ” aerobic base, ” and most coaches agree that it should be the backbone of your running program, making up the majority of your weekly miles. If you do a lot of light jogging, your body will build more capillaries that carry oxygen to your muscles. You will also increase the number of mitochondria in your muscle cells, which means you can burn more calories to fuel your run. In short: better endurance. You will be able to run longer and longer and develop the ability to run faster even at an easy pace.
Running fast increases strength and power. Read our post on speed training to learn more about these types of workouts and how to do them. Fast run intervals are a great addition to slow, light miles, each one contributes to different fitness levels, and you will run best when you do both.
Running at an average pace is kind of strange. As a beginner trying to pick up your pace in 20 or 30 minutes of running, this is probably where you recorded most of your miles. But in a way, this is the worst of both worlds: you are not slow enough to get all the benefits of light running, and not fast enough to get all the benefits of fast running. But there is room for them. Running at a medium pace includes running at the pace and lactate threshold , which are a key part of training for experienced runners: they help you train your body to maintain an uncomfortable pace for extended periods of time.
Step one: learn to run slowly
A slow pace is the hardest pace for a new runner to master. I just started running, one might say, and it’s so hard. Now you want me to run quietly? It’s an oxymoron!
It will take time to find slower transmissions, but it will be worth it. Aside from the aerobic benefits, there is also a psychological benefit: running no longer hurts (that much). When you slow down, you might be enjoying a chat with a friend, or enjoying the scenery and your favorite playlist, but you’re running anyway. When you find this light gear it almost feels like cheating: is it still considered exercise?
Here’s a workout to help you find that pace: Intermittently. Find a track. Run as slow as possible on corners and a little faster on straights. (If you don’t have a track, pick a few landmarks every 100 yards or so on a trail or road.) Your goal here is just to feel the difference between the two: you have a faster pace and a slower pace, and they both run (don’t walk) … After faster segments, you will feel relieved by adopting a slow pace. See that? You have a slow pace that seems easy!
Then try it on a regular run and see if you can do all or most of the run at a very slow pace. Keeping track of your time or pace can be frustrating, so focus on how you feel while running: hopefully easier and more enjoyable. Take some extra time for yourself and choose good scenery, music, or company to keep you in a good mood.
Step two: skip walking breaks (optional but recommended)
Your first day of running was probably a continuous mix of running (possibly too fast) and walking breaks. This is fine. But after a while – perhaps towards the end of your couch to 5K program – you’ll be ready to experiment with “light” running. Does this mean giving up walk breaks?
If you are used to taking a walking break every couple of minutes, you are probably using a jogging / walking pattern as an alternative to slow running. Automatically this isn’t a bad thing (there are a few seasoned runners who opt for this setup), but if you tell yourself you “need” walk breaks, it’s probably because you didn’t find a gear slow enough.
If your walking breaks are infrequent, you are probably using them as a mental rather than physical break. As you exercise more, you will need more control over your pace (deciding whether to start running a mile in 9 or 10 minutes instead of running at a 9 minute pace and then catching your breath), so remember that you can take a mental break without walking. For example, you can change the songs you listen to, or choose a mantra or focus at every mile. You can even run faster for 30 seconds – sometimes that’s enough to make the next leg of your slow run more comfortable.
Step three: take advantage of the benefits
Now that you have slow and medium gears (and I believe you can figure out fast gears yourself), you can set goals for each workout. You can tell yourself, “Today is an easy day,” and stick with that — at least half of your workouts should fall into this category. You can even extend these easy runs. Have you ever wanted to run five miles? This may not be possible at your previous pace of “I’ll die in 30 minutes at this,” but it becomes surprisingly doable once you figure out how to slow down. Allow yourself some extra guilt-free time. Even marathon runners refer to their long runs once a week as LSD, which means long slow distances.
If you really want to get ready for a long distance run (like a 10km, half marathon, or full marathon), take some time before worrying about miles. For example, if you want to run a marathon and you think it will take you 4.5 hours, your workout should get you to work up to 4.5 hours at a time, but because it is slow, you will not be able to run an actual marathon. run (so you can go after, in contrast to the fact , that you will experience after his real marathon ).
If you’re worried about running too slowly, don’t worry! In any good marathon training plan, you will do a lot of slow runs and a slightly faster run. (This applies even when training for shorter distances, for example 5 km). A faster run is harder on your body, but a slower run creates the basis for aerobic fitness that can be improved after a few fast miles.
There seems to be an advantage in terms of injury risk. Easy miles support more “quality” miles (called fast or hard runs). These slow runs gently work your muscles, tendons and bones without overloading them. This helps them prepare for the harder work.
I’ve overcome my own plateau with both slow jogging and fast intervals (as well as leg workouts in the gym). Add more variety to your running and you’ll likely find that slower running can make you faster in the long run.
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