Why Running Slower Will Make You Faster

Speed is like the structure of a building. It will collapse if it does not have a solid foundation underneath it.

When constructing a building, workers develop the foundation first and ensure that it is built with perfection before establishing the structure on top.

Your running training should be the same.

Improvement in speed comes after you have built a solid foundation. How do you build a solid foundation? Well, by running slow at an aerobic pace.

This foundation consists of:

• Aerobic capacity - the foundation of endurance

• Economy - the cost of a specific task (in this case running)

• Fatigue resistance - ability to delay the onset of fatigue (mentally and physically)

• Strength and protection - strength in tendons, ligaments, and muscles

• Capillarization - better delivery of oxygen to muscles

• Mitochondrial density - ability to optimize energy and oxygen usage.

Aerobic Capacity

Building a large aerobic capacity is the foundation of endurance.

Aerobic capacity is your body's ability to use oxygen efficiently. The better you are at this, the better your endurance is.

Along with efficiency, the more oxygen your body can use, the better you will perform over a long period of time.

Easy aerobic runs improve your ability to utilize oxygen which will improve your performance.

Economy

By economy, I mean the cost of a specific task has on the body.

In this case, the task is running.

Easy runs improves your economy because it increases aerobic capacity - making it easier to run, improves proprioception - the muscle memory of running with many easy repetitions over a long time, and improves running technique.

In combination, these three things better your running economy over time.

Fatigue Resistance

Performing many easy aerobic runs over time will delay the onset of mental and physical fatigue as you improve your aerobic capacity, economy, and your resilience to mental and physical fatigue.

Strength and Protection

Easy aerobic running will allow you to run farther than at a hard effort.

These long aerobic runs will gradually strengthen tendons, ligaments, and muscles which are required to run and support your joints. Strengthening these will allow you to run longer, more often, and reduce the chance of injury.

Capillarization

Running puts stress on our bodies. As a response, our bodies increase the density of capillaries in skeletal muscle to improve our ability to supply our muscles with oxygen filled blood.

Mitochondrial Density

I’m bringing you back to biology 101 here, but the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

Aerobic runs stimulate the body to produce more mitochondria. More mitochondria means more optimized energy and oxygen utilization, in turn increasing performance.

As described, running at an easy pace uses the aerobic system which stimulates various responses in our bodies to improve running performance.

But how do we run slow and make sure you stay at an aerobic pace?

How to Run Slow

Running slow means to run at a pace where you are predominantly using the aerobic system.

If you are using heart rate to determine an aerobic pace, then it is typically 60-80% of your max heart rate. A simple equation to calculate your max heart rate, is 220 - age.

Once you get that number (ex. 220-25=195), then multiply it by 0.7 to find an estimate of a heart rate where you are at an aerobic pace. Note: this is just a reference point.

There are also simple methods to get to and stay at an aerobic pace if you do not track heart rate.

• Conversation: Run at a pace where you are able to hold a conversation with a friend (i.e., be able to speak a few sentences at a time)

• Nose breathing: Run at a pace where you can nose breath the whole run or most of the run

• Tennis ball: bounce a tennis ball while you run. This will keep you at a slow pace

• General: most people run too fast to stay aerobic for most of their run. At the beginning of a run, if you think you are going slow, go even slower.

Implementation

• Three 45-60 minute easy aerobic runs a week.

• One 60+ minute long, easy aerobic run a week.

• Gradually increase time ran per week, especially on the long run.

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