It sounds counter-intuitive doesn\u2019t it? Why would running slower make you quicker?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s true though, and the long slow run is a staple of elite runners of all distances. Whilst the elites may have a slow pace that\u2019s faster than any PB pace you\u2019ve run, they are still running slower than usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whilst there\u2019s no set pace that you should run your slower (ignore the negative connotations of \u201cslow\u201d!) runs at, it\u2019s often referred to as a conversational, or recovery pace. You should be able to hold a full conversation, speaking in full sentences without getting out breath or needing to walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re probably wondering how going slower can help though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you do more runs at this effort level, or pace, your body will begin to learn to use fat rather than glycogen to fuel itself, in a process referred to as the \u201cfat adaptation effect\u201d. A fast run burns glycogen stores first, as this is converted to energy much easier. It\u2019s also why you find that you hit the wall during an endurance event, as you only have limited glycogen reserves. Over time, as your body adapts to slower runs, your body begins to burn fat, as it doesn\u2019t need to meet your energy demands quite as quickly. It takes roughly 80% of the energy needs from fat, with the remaining 20% from glycogen and protein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Metabolising fat requires oxygen, which, if you\u2019re running slower, is present in your bloodstream in much larger quantities than if you\u2019re striding for a PB. Over time, this fat metabolism will happen quicker, and you\u2019ll be able to run further on your fat reserves, before dipping into the glycogen stores in your muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slower running is also a lot kinder to your tendons, ligaments, and connecting tissues, allowing them to build up a tolerance to the stresses that faster, harder efforts place on them, helping to reduce your risk of injury. It also allows your body to strengthen the supporting systems that help you to run, like your lungs and your heart. Building capillaries in your muscles also happens when going slower too, helping to increase their oxygen uptake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A slower run is also a good way to let your body recover after a tough workout session. It\u2019s never a good plan to run two interval or speed workouts on consecutive days, but you could run a super relaxed recovery run on the day in-between them, to help your body recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can\u2019t really over-do the amount of slow running either. It doesn\u2019t add stress to your body, and it\u2019s a great way of building your base mileage. An often quoted figure is that 80% of your weekly mileage should be at a slow pace, so if you\u2019re averaging 30 miles a week, that\u2019s 24 miles at an easy effort!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Running slow has also got great mental benefits too – you will take in more of your surroundings, and enjoy your time in the great outdoors. And if you\u2019re running with a friend, it\u2019ll give you a great chance to have a chat and a catch-up!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It sounds counter-intuitive doesn\u2019t it? Why would running slower make you quicker? It\u2019s true though, and the long slow run is a staple of elite runners of all distances. Whilst the elites may have a … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/richruns.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/richruns.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/richruns.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richruns.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richruns.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/richruns.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/richruns.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richruns.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richruns.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}