Thursday 24 April 2014

10+ Tricks for Slow Run

Slow exercises develop the backbone of the running condition. It's good to do 80% of the running exercises with low tempo. And the beginners can forget the faster style totally for a few weeks. Even if the slow running looks ridiculous at first and walking people goes by staring at you it is most important exercise for runner. Why?

  • It's the best way to build your basic stamina
  • Your body gets use to running. With low running your leg muscles work as least as much as with fast running but injuries are avoided.
  • With low running you teach your body to use fat instead of carbohydrates. When you are having long run or running event it is important that your body can use the fat after the stores of carbohydrates are empty.

I think anyone can run 60 minutes even if you have never ran. I'm an alive example of it. The question is how to run enough slowly in order to avoid tiredness in the middle of the way. After running and practicing slow running couple of times with the same training program as I, 60 minutes running is reality. I collected here list of tips which should help to run SLOWLY. These tips are tested along the way of my running years of snail style. Tips follows in random order.
  1. Peace! Select a peaceful route. I have experienced that fast driving cars or lot of people going by doesn't help to run slowly. And for me it is embarrassing to run slowly so it is much easier to select peaceful route and face less staring eyes.
  2. Don't run distance, run time! Don't listen how long distances your friends can run. Select time you want to run and try to do it without exceeding the Heart rate limits.
  3. Spend time on a route. If you are anyway running distance remember that the more time you spend on running route the more exercise you get.  
  4. Forget Music. Leave music home. Or if you are listening music select genre that you would use in yoga class or in relaxing exercise. Too fast tempo in music and favorite songs makes you to run too fast and makes difficult to concentrate on slow steps.
  5. Wall Behind your back. Think that wind is keeping a light wall or curtain behind your back and you need to lean gently back to avoid it coming over you.
  6. Breathing. Concentrate on breathing. Breath in during four steps and out during four steps. If it feels that you have to breath faster you probably run too fast. Four steps works for me. You may have to test what is the best number of steps for you.
  7. Avoid Dreaming! Don't dream too much. Dreaming of running events and better shape keeps you motivated but at least I end up running faster if I'm dreaming of the running event of my life.
  8. Friend. Take friend with you. You are running too fast if you cannot have conversation. Ask a friend with you to walk slowly by your side. Or take a friend who would like to learn slow running too. 
  9. Pram or bicycle. Take your children with you to exercise. It's good way to spend time together and pram or bicycling kid with you is a good excuse to run slowly and look ridiculous.
  10. Heart rate monitor. It is just the best tool for running in right heart rate.
  11. Alarms. Use heart rate alarms with annoying sounds to keep the heart rate slow.
  12. Good Morning! Run morning time if possible. Usually in the morning it's easier to keep heart rate down and concentrate on relaxed running. Morning time there is usually less other people around disturbing the running.
  13. Enjoy! Sometimes it is just hard to keep the heart rate slow. Especially after the stressful working day. Then it is just OK to forget all the tricks and enjoy the running. Running training without thinking anything gives motivation to return to low tempo running exercises next time.
Running is like yoga for me. It's relaxing and there is time to think things on the route. It should feel in the end of each basic running exercise that you would have power to do another exercise right away. So in the end basic running training should feel even too easy when it's done perfectly hard.

Sportterfly

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