Runners are obsessed with time. Amateur or professional, for most avid runners, the aim is to get faster — constantly training to shave even just a couple of seconds off their marathon time or 5K pace.
But one trend that’s started to gain a foothold in recent years is do it.
Fans of this approach say it has many benefits — not just for your health, but also in how enjoyable you find running. Research agrees, with evidence showing that this slower pace may, in some ways, be more beneficial than training at higher intensities.
When you think of elite runners, such as Eliud Kipchoge or Kelvin Kiptum, you might assume that to set world records, they primarily train at these record-setting paces. Surprisingly, they spend around 80 percent of their time training at what’s termed zone 2 running — a pace that raises your heart rate, but is still slow enough to hold a conversation. Only around 20 percent of their training is done in the higher intensity zones, which are closer to their race pace.
This is due to the amount of stress that training puts on the body. As running speed increases, the body is put under more strain. The greater the strain, the greater the risk of illness, infection, and injury. By reducing the amount of time they spend at higher intensities, athletes limit their chances of missing out on training due to illness and injury.
But there’s more to this approach than just reducing the risk of injury and illness. A fundamental aspect of training is developing what’s known as “base.” This term describes the physiological foundations that underpin all training adaptations. For the endurance runner, this refers to their baseline cardio-respiratory fitness, on which their higher-intensity adaptations can be built.
Think of it like a pyramid with a solid base on which the rest of the structure is built. The bigger the base, the taller the pyramid can be.
The same holds for training. The better your base, the more capable you will be working at higher intensities.
Your base is developed during slow (zone 2) running, which has relatively low physiological stress. But even though the heart isn’t under very much stress when you are in zone 2, the amount of oxygenated blood leaving the heart each beat will be close to or at its maximum.
This is important because while the heart’s pumping capacity adapts to training, higher intensities do not increase this gain. Developing a solid base allows more oxygen to be delivered to the working muscles per heartbeat, which is crucial to running success.
Not only that, but running at a slow pace causes the body to use stored fat for energy instead of relying on carbohydrate stores that come from the foods we eat.
Burning fat is metabolically a far more efficient process, as the amount of energy derived from a single molecule of fat far exceeds the amount from a molecule of carbohydrate. This means runners will use less energy overall, will be less tired, and will be better able to go fast on race day.
Studies have shown that gains in VO2 max (oxygen capacity) and race speed are around 1 percent greater for athletes who spend more time slow running. Crucially, the gains in the aerobic base are around five times greater for these athletes than those who train at high intensity.
Even if you aren’t an athlete, aiming to keep most of your runs at a low intensity may still be optimal.
Running slow and steady
If you’re keen to give slow running a try, the most important thing is your pace. How exactly do you know you’re at the right speed to be classed as slow running?
Some scientists divide pace into five or six different zones. Physiologically, zone 2 is defined as occurring below the lactate threshold — where lactate (an acid the body produces when it begins to burn carbohydrates for energy) first appears in the blood.
In simple terms, this should be at a speed at which you can still hold a conversation, and your heart rate is only around 70 percent of your maximum. If you find conversation starts to become difficult, then you should slow your pace down.
If you’re running alone, you can try the talk test. If you can sing out loud to yourself without struggling to catch your breath, you’re in the correct zone. If you struggle, you’re at too high an intensity, and lactate will build up in your muscles (which may make your legs feel heavy).
Slow running offers many benefits for your body and mental health. So if you’ve always been shy about your slow running pace, perhaps this will inspire you to put on your trainers and give it a go.
Dan Gordon, Associate Professor, Cardiorespiratory Exercise Physiology, Anglia Ruskin University; Jonathan Melville, PhD Candidate, Sport and Exercise Science, Anglia Ruskin University, and Matthew Slater, PhD Candidate, Anglia Ruskin University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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