Slowing down

[Kerrylh]

I know most people have questions about speeding up but has anyone any tips on how to slow down your pace . I run/jog at around 6.40 and I know I need to try and slow my pace at the start of a run to be able to complete a run or go for longer but I'm really struggling . Started today thinking I was plodding along to find at 1km I was doing 6.25 needless to say at 25 minutes I had to start walking it was more feeling like I was far too hot (dont think the baseball cap helped )and making me feel a bit queasy .

I did do 2 hours of burlesque class Monday and 1 hour fitness class last night so a bit achy today but only my arms and butt everything else felt fine .

[jt24 Graduate]

It's hard at the start of your run because going slower often tends to feel harder- doesn't feel a natural gait.

I used to run with my phone so made sure my app showed me my 'live' pace and adjusted accordingly.

[Kerrylh Graduate in reply to jt24]

It feels right the pace I start off with but then map my run tells me every km that I'm going faster than I should be going . I've done 5km in just over 33 minutes and felt great doing it but lately I just don't seem to be able to keep it up .

Maybe it's more that the gremlins are getting to me without me realising 🤔

[jt24 Graduate in reply to Kerrylh]

It could well be them little beasties. Have you a new route you could run? The live pace is definitely a tool to use in pacing though. If you can see what what you are running at before the kilometre mark then you can get a feel for the slower pace and hopefully not run out of steam.

Mixing up shorter and faster runs with slower longer ones will help you feel all the differences too and allow different muscles to develop.

[Kerrylh Graduate in reply to jt24]

I am trying to work out new routes which I'm finding difficult due to most runs including steep long hills which at the moment I'm trying to avoid . Plus I don't drive so they need to be in a warm up walk distance I think I will try longer slower shorter faster runs plus get into the park for a bit of hill work it's full of them 🙄

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

I know the headspace runs on Nike tend to slow people down... can you speak in full sentences at your current pace?

[Kerrylh Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

I will take a look at that thankyou. I tend to sing to my music as I go every now and then and can manage the usual morning and thankyou comments to people I see .

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to Kerrylh]

Maybe the pace isn’t too fast, but it won’t hurt to find a lower gear!

[ellewood7 Graduate]

I have the same problem - running feels so much more comfortable when i'm going slightly faster. But I can't sustain it and start gasping and flagging around 14 -20 mins. But if I try beginning the run slower, I end up plodding and hitting the ground harder with my feet which hurts my knees and gives me stitches...

[Kerrylh Graduate in reply to ellewood7]

I really does feel comfortable at the pace I'm doing but like you it's keeping it up guess it's more stamina building that I need

[ellewood7 Graduate in reply to Kerrylh]

Yes I think so. I'm naturally more of a short distance/quick runner so I do find the longer, slower runs harder generally... ah well. onwards we go

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Learning to run slowly is an essential skill to maximize the development of stamina and one of the hardest skills to get on top of.

Many run tracking apps have a current pace facility on them but in my experience they are pretty poor. GPS running watches do the job slightly better but I found the very best way to slow down was to run with someone who has a naturally slower pace.

Post graduation it is recommended that's 75 to 80% of your running should be at an easy conversational pace........... as described in the guide to post c25k running healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[Kerrylh Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thanks for the reply

[ellewood7 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

I wonder, then, whether it's my technique? My faster running (I say fast, it's around 6.5 min/k so not that fast) feels lighter and less harsh on my joints/stomach than when I force myself to run slower, which feels heavy and jarring. Do you have any tips on how to run slowly?

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to ellewood7]

I was exactly the same as you at that stage and I still find running slowly (that being a relative term) extremely difficult and don't do as many slow miles as I theoretically should.........so I am not the best person to advise on slow technique, but I do acknowledge it's importance.

Music can make a difference and I think we all recognise that 160bpm drives us on. That said, my music, when I use it, is a random shuffle of all my favourites, rock, reggae, world, classical etc. with a vast range of BPM.

[ellewood7 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Many thanks for this. I too run well on 160 but at the moment, it's a little too fast to sustain for over 20mins (I'm on week 8). I've been playing with 150 but it feels very slow. I had a run on 155 yesterday and it did feel doable and not too slow so I may mix up some 155 and 160 on my next run!

Thanks for your help - it's good to know it's not just me having trouble going slow!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to ellewood7]

I don't know if you have seen this calculator runnersworld.co.uk/rws-trai... which may surprise you how slow you should be aiming.

[ellewood7 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Amazing, thank you

[FenderTelecaster Graduate]

I've put together a playlist of songs at about 145bpm, which is pretty slow. I walk faster (now), but it keeps me slow at the beginning and helps me keep to a steady pace right through to the end.

I posted this somewhere else, but what I did was to start with a song that felt like a good, plodding, sustainable pace (Holiday Destination by Nadine Shah - my right foot hits the ground on every other beat, so snare or bass). Put its title into songbpm.com to get the bpm, then go to jog.fm and search for songs with that same bpm. There'll be hundreds, so it's just a case of leafing through them looking for ones you like: I found 31, from Abba to Led Zepp. Then I put them together into a playlist on my music streaming service, and play it as I run, keeping to a fairly consistent speed.

[ellewood7 Graduate in reply to FenderTelecaster]

I do this too - my most comfortable running speed is around 160bpm but I've found that I can't sustain this for the whole run. I've tried doing 150 and it feels so unnatural and uncomfortable! I compromised on 155 last run and, although it still feels slow, it's more doable over a longer time...

I 'm glad I'm not the only one who times their running!

[Kerrylh Graduate in reply to FenderTelecaster]

Thanks for this I've been looking on Spotify at lists around 160 just a case of finding the ones I like my running list at the minute varies dramatically which probably doesn't help

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Find a really long steady hill to start with Slows me down wonderfully!

[Kerrylh Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Oh I have plenty of those around me 😁

[Jundal Graduate in reply to Kerrylh]

Now you're talking my language! Mmm, hills...

[Hidden]

Running slow or slower is just as hard as running fast or faster, I initially had similar problems but now seem to have found my happy pace around 7min20 - 7min30 per Km..

I had to deliberately slow down , having my average pace pinged out on Runkeeper every 0.5Km initially helped, now I just have it every Km

There are all sorts of info and advise on various sites like runnersworld some have pace calculators

I guess now I run slower by feel now as it is more the normal ..

[Jundal Graduate in reply to Hidden]

My average is around 7:30 per km, sometimes slower, when im running uphill. But then, when I'm running, it's usually uphill...

[Hidden in reply to Jundal]

Uphill will certainly slow you down.. luckily where I am is relatively flat ..

[Kerrylh Graduate]

I did 5k today 34 minutes a tad slower than the last one I did but I want to slow it down more,it's more for the first half of the run . I will keep going just need to work on different paces and other types of runs longer shorter etc

[Jundal Graduate in reply to Kerrylh]

Just keep at it. Today I did 5k in around 38 minutes, (I just came back) but carried on until I hit 6k. The initial 3 were mainly uphill, and at a good ascent, so it was very hard, and back until a certain point, was uphill... Good run though.