Importance of running SLOW

[Ayano21]

Hi all, I know that we're always being told to run at a conversational pace and that this is the most beneficial to increase endurance but I've always wanted to know WHY this is the case.

I came across an article last night and it has blown my mind 🤯. Thought i would share in case anyone else is curious!

It's all to do with aerobic and anaerobic training and how your body is powering your body. Aerobic training is when your body uses oxygen to power the muscles and in theory your muscles can keep going and going, whereas anaerobic training utilises glycogen stored within your muscles (which is only finite and why we sometimes feel like we cant keep going when we run too fast).

There's also a biological mechanism which causes lactic acid to build up in your muscles when you push yourself in the anaerobic zone. This stops you from pushing your muscles beyond their limits by slowing you down. How fascinating is that!?

(I hope I'm allowed to share links here, please let me know if not!)

on-running.com/en-gb/articl...

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Of course you are allowed to share links here.....thank you.

The FAQ Posts here healthunlocked.com/couchto5... cover many aspects of running, though possibly in a less technical manner than your linked article.

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

Thank you for posting this.

I think many C25K beginners and new graduates would be surprised at just how (relatively) slow elite runners actually go compared to their race pace. In fact, middle and long distance runners do the overwhelming majority of their training at very slow, easy paces.

[Ayano21 Graduate in reply to John_W]

Thanks John, I found it interesting that elite runners spend 80-90% of their training at an easy pace 😲 Time for me to really start slowing down my runs!

[Instructor57 Graduate]

Thank you for posting !Good information for anyone on the program or new graduates (or anyone else who dosent appreciate the importance of running slow) 👍

[Poppdog Graduate]

Thank you very interesting and good advice

[RunBrianRun Graduate]

Very interesting reading. 👍

[solid-banana-bread Graduate]

Really good article wish I head read that when I started my C25K journey. Thanks for sharing

[Ayano21 Graduate in reply to solid-banana-bread]

Same here! I used to always think that pushing myself was the only way to improve. Time to reverse this mind set I think!

[mrrun Graduate]

For some reason many new runners try to run as fast as they can. As a result they collect as many injuries as possible in no time, with no benefits at all. Many assume (as a result) that running is not for them so they quit. As for the top pros, those guys spend up to 80% of their training running in cardio zone 2, or very slow. If not, they would run the risk of injuries through overtraining. Slow is king!

[Ayano21 Graduate in reply to mrrun]

Yep! I always had it in my head that in order to be stronger I needed to run faster. Im glad I understand the theory behind going slow now, and am looking forward to training in Zone 2 and improving my aerobic running!

[mrrun Graduate in reply to Ayano21]

Thing is, in order to run faster - you need to build your aerobic ability and general strength - by running slow! No other way. There's a great book on the subject, Run Fast by Hal Higdon.

[Ayano21 Graduate in reply to mrrun]

Ooh, thank you for the recommendation will definitely give it a read! ☺ The article gives a rough indication to how fast elite runners are training on their slow days (and although still fast compared to us mortals) its not out of this world fast. So was quite the eye opener!