Isn’t that a nice thing to think about; that you are too speedy? Truth is, you likely are a bit too speedy too often. We live in a fast paced world, and if you are a runner, odds are that you care about your pace. Sure, you want to build speed and increase your pace over time, but slowing down actually plays a large role in this process. When you stop glancing at your GPS at the end of each mile, and stop worrying about making every mile faster, you will benefit in several different ways. Don’t get me wrong, speed work is super important too. But let’s take a look at how some slower runs can make you a better and stronger runner.
Slowing down some of your workouts will help get you out of the rut of doing the same thing over and over. I’m a creature of habit. If I could run 7 miles every day of the week I would be content for the most part. We runners tend to live by numbers in the forms of miles and minutes per mile. But take a look at any solid training plan and you will see varied miles and varied paces. Running doesn’t have to be the same monotonous thing day in and day out.
Slow running helps build your cardiovascular capacity from the cellular level on up. By slowing down for some runs you are helping your cells to distribute oxygen to your muscles more effectively and efficiently. You will not only be able to run longer, but also faster.
Slow running adapts your muscles. By taking that pace down a bit you are helping your body to create stronger and healthier running muscles. This is essential for all runners; from beginners who need to build from scratch to experienced marathoners who are constantly pushing their muscles to do more and more for them.
Slowing the pace decreases your risk of injury. One of the greatest benefits of high impact exercise is that it builds bone density. However, when you constantly run at a fast pace you push your body with that high impact to a potential breaking point (literally). Runners who focus only on speed are at more of a risk for injuries like stress fractures or tears in muscles and tendons.
Slower runs allow you to run more often and longer. By decreasing your risk of injury and taking the pace down a bit, your body is less stressed. Therefore, you will be able to run more often and your body will have more time to repair itself. Less stress on the body allows you to push the mileage a bit more and go for that longer run.
Taking that pace down a bit puts you in a fat burning zone. While it is true that a high intensity interval training session will rev that metabolism up, most fat is burnt during longer and slower sessions. Putting your heart rate in that zone can be a huge advantage.
Long slow training runs teach your body to use glycogen stores more efficiently. This is super helpful for half and full marathoners but can be advantageous to all athletes. The more efficiently glycogen is used by the body, the longer and harder you can train. This is why you want to slow your longer training runs down a bit. One of the most important goals of that long slow distant run is to prep your body for hours out there on the race course.
Because variety is the spice of life. Regardless of how much you might love running, the fact is that at some point you are going to lose your motivation or briefly fall out of love with it. Sometimes we need to take the focus off of training or getting faster, and go back to the reason we first came to the sport. By slowing down, you can enjoy the sights a bit more, try a new route, or chat with a friend as you workout.
Running On Healthy 
ugh i am trying to slow down more and more lately and it’s so hard! i know it’s important and I’m really trying though haha. any tips?
It is hard at first. Put the GPS away for a few runs, go for a run with someone who is slower, and when I was pregnant and ran races I would occasionally talk to myself to make sure I was within “conversation” pace. Also, try listening to some slower music. The fewer beats per minute the fewer foot strikes you will likely have.
These are all great reasons to run slower- thank you for this post! I tend to speed up out of boredom, but then feel burned out by the end of the run! I have really tried to slow down in marathons especially, as speedy first halfs have led to disastrous results!
It can be difficult at first. But I bet it will make a huge impact on those longer races.
In the past, I have had a really hard time slowing down. I like to “prove” to myself that I’m able to sustain the faster pace. Moving forward, I’m hoping to ditch my watch and slow down–all the reasons you gave are great motivation to do so! Thanks!
I think the proving part is what does it for many of us. Ditching the watch can be super helpful.
This is interesting to me as I tend to avoid slow running like the plague after my first real attempt at training with long slow distance for my first (and only to date) marathon. I have never understood how doing my 20 milers at a 10 minute pace would mean on race day I would be running 26.2 at 9 minute miles. In my experience, running my long runs at race pace has set me up for the greatest success (in half and shorter distances anyway). Thoughts?
I totally understand and I too trained my first full running those LSD’s at my goal pace. I did ok but
I also was injured for most of my training. Running just 20-30 seconds slower on those longer runs won’t hurt your pace. What it will do is allow you to recover faster. Also, keep this in mind: when you run your marathon you will be running many more miles than your longest training run. That LSD at a slower pace has one main point. It is training your body to be on the road pounding the pavement for a long time and burning glycogen more efficiently. That slower run will keep you out there longer and help you with all of this. If you have speed work and other faster runs during your training weeks, your race pace won’t suffer.
Maybe that is the difference. When I did my marathon training, we were doing a whole minute difference and I just generally started to feel really sluggish on all my runs after. I may have to test this theory a bit because, if my hip flexor proves to finally be healed, I may try a full for the Fall.
Reblogged this on Concierge Librarian.
I just started reading 80/20 running (as in, like 5 pages in). I had a great training cycle and great race after running slowly throughout, but I think that I now need to work on my recovery, haha. STUPID BODY
I hear you. Sometimes the whole process is just a bit much.
Talking to yourself or running with someone slower are two great ways to slow down on runs.
I learned two years ago to incorporate a lot more slow running (aka let my easy days really be easy), and I’ve been much less in the red as far as injuries go. Thanks for this reminder!
Thank you for sharing. It is hard to convince some runners that it is okay to slow down at times. Knowing you’ve experienced the benefits is great!
So awesome and true … I remember writing a post called “Slow the F Down” :).
I think that although most runners KNOW better, social media competitiveness and me-too culture make people think they need to every day be posting that their ‘easy run’ was actually quite fast … Oops :). But there is a downside – many, as you mention.
I hope 2016 is the year that more runners learn to “Slow the F Down” and improve their running and stay healthy!
Haha I love that post title. In reality, speed is a personal thing. Your slow might be my fast. There’s no reason to worry or compare. The beauty of running is that your only competitor is you.