Olympic marathon champions do 80 percent of their training at a slow, comfortable pace. As a beginner you should do 100 percent slow.
This point is so important that you’ll find me repeating it often. Sorry if I bore you. I’m simply hoping to make an impression. Here’s an anecdote that explains more.
Several years ago I was teaching a beginning running class on a lovely college campus. I felt that I was doing an excellent job. I emphasized to my mostly middle-aged students that it didn’t matter how slow their pace might be. Then I said it again: “Run as slow as you can.”
Everyone nodded their comprehension, so I sent them off on several loops of a large, grassy field. Each runner was doing a personalized run-walk routine, exactly as described in these pages. I watched approvingly from the center of the field.
For some reason I decided to move to the edge of the loop. Now I could observe everyone up close as they chugged past. I could hear them breathe. And they were huffing and puffing much louder than I’d expected.
Slightly alarmed, I stopped the runners one by one on their next lap and reached for a wrist to count their pulse. Heart rates don’t lie. It turned out all my beginners were running too hard, with heart rates twenty to thirty beats per minute higher than they should have been. As beginners, they didn’t understand what slow, relaxed running should feel like.
I knew I needed a new, more drastic strategy. For a moment I was flummoxed. Then a crazy idea popped into my head. What if I were to run in front of each of my students?
One at a time, I gave it a try. As each runner approached me, I jumped in front of him or her and ran there for several minutes as we chugged around the loop. I ran really, really slowly—the way I wanted them to run.
At first they tripped on my heels several times. Then they adjusted. They couldn’t believe how slow we were going. In fact, several protested. “You sure it’s OK to run this slow?” they asked. “It seems a little ridiculous.”
But it wasn’t. It was just right. Soon they stopped protesting, stopped huffing and puffing, and began to actually enjoy their run.
Do the runner’s shuffle: Some runners have long, flowing strides. Others shuffle along, barely lifting their knees as they advance one foot in front of the other. Flowing may sound more aesthetically pleasing, but a shuffle is more efficient.
Here’s how to do the shuffle. Don’t think about lifting your knees high and extending your front foot far ahead of your body. Instead, let the foot fall back to the ground again as soon as it’s ready. This will give you an economical stride that’s well suited to slow running.
Run backward: Honest. I’m not kidding. Turn around and run backward for just a few yards. You’ll naturally run with a short stride (to protect yourself from losing balance and falling over), and you’ll also land on the front part of your foot. Pay attention to the “feel” of this stride. Then turn around again and run forward the same way.
You don’t have to continue landing on your forefeet. Transition to a relaxed heel strike. But keep your stride short and soft.
Don’t feel guilty: Beginning runners often don’t run as slow as they should because they feel guilty about it. They feel there is something wrong—almost morally wrong—about running so slow. Aren’t we always supposed to give our best?
Well, yes. Ultimately we all want to do the best we can in any activity or profession. But running presents a clear case of the end justifying the means. To get fitter, healthier, and maybe even faster, you have to do a lot of slow running. Especially when you’re just starting out.
To prevent yourself from going too fast, try this. Imagine that I’m running in front of you with a big “Slow down” sign on my back. And don’t step on my heels.