Run Slow to Run Fast *Email*
Quick Case Study for tonight’s email!
You've been told to "run slow to run fast", but what does that mean?
The goal of running slow is to build up your aerobic base and increase your aerobic capacity. What we're trying to do is increase your pace (faster), while maintaining the same heart rate in the future.
For this to make sense you have to find the correlation between HR & pace. For example, if you can run 3 miles at a 10minute pace, holding a 145BPM, and feel comfortable at the end of the run…then you can probably run 2 miles at 8:30, holding a 165BPM, but feel like crap at the end.
What running slow does it move that second example's BPM lower via increasing your aerobic capacity. Visualizing scenario above: (made up, very round whole numbers for example)
What we're trying to do with this individual is stay below their aerobic threshold on all of their early runs, which is 165bpm, and *on average* is an 8:30 pace. Note that staying under your threshold is essentially "running slow".
Now with 2.5-3.5 hours of running a week, for 2-3 months, UNDER their BPM threshold, we are increasing this runner's aerobic capacity so that their *NEW* aerobic threshold PACE is faster than when they started.
You can see above the "new" aerobic capacity, and that their new threshold pace is 30 seconds faster than it was from the start, just by running slow.
There was no need to train threshold in this example of an early runner's journey, because all we wanted to do was increase the aerobic capacity. Growing the aerobic capacity allows us to mix and match different paces and miles inside your output ability.
1) This method shows results quickly (inside 3 months for new runners).
2) The gains do slow down though, threshold & interval training will need to implemented to become actually fast, (think sub 20min 5k)
3) It is an ego swallow. People over estimate how in shape they are, and most don't want to have to slow down now to speed back up later.
4) The shorter race distance your goal is, the less aerobic base you need. But I still suggest this is as the best way to increase your aerobic capacity and base.
Especially if you want to run more races down the line (10k to Marathon). ACTUAL REAL WORLD EXAMPLE: This anon had some experience running, but they weren't running correctly, going all out and not focusing on base building.
Start:
3 Months later of slow running:
Take a look at the difference of the 7th mile on both runs for example (same elevation on both 7th miles, in the second pic the 6th mile was 100ft on incline vs -78 on the first, so anon wasn't even fazed second pic).
In the second picture, the pace is 30 seconds faster AND 10BPM lower. That doesn't look like a lot to the naked eye, but the increase of aerobic capacity there is insane.
Gains are to be had, just have to stick with it!
-BTR