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HOW TO RUN SLOW TO RUN FAST
Running Slow to Run Fast has been around for awhile now. When I first heard this concept 7 or 8 years ago I was TOTALLY against it. It went against every grain of my brain and body as when I go out to run, I like to compete with myself as in..how fast can I knock out this 8 miler..how fast did I finish last weeks 5K and so on. When my friend told me about how her brother in law would run 11-12 minute miles during his long runs I was like OMG..never! That would drive me nuts!…..BUT, here I am! By the way, if you haven’t read my post about heart rate training, you may want to jump HERE first!
INCORPORATING RUNNING SLOW INTO BASE TRAINING
Base training is just that, building your base. Think of your run training as a pyramid, and at the very bottom of that pyramid is your BASE. During this phase, your just trying to improve the circulation in your cardiovascular system, helping it to grow in it’s ability to carry oxygenated blood throughout your body in a more efficient effective way. This helps build up your neuromuscular endurance while building efficiency in and resistance to fatigue in longer runs. Think of it as preparatory training for faster and longer runs.
THE MAFFETONE METHOD OF RUNNING SLOW TO RUN FAST
Created by Phil Maffetone, the Maffetone Method is a style of training that focuses exclusively on aerobic running. Using a heart rate formula of 180 – your age (plus several corrections for injury, fitness level, health, etc.) you come up with an “aerobic maximum heart rate. To build your BASE your heart rate should never be larger than this number.
For instance, I am a 48 year old runner. 180-48(my age)=132
132 is the heart rate I am aiming to run at or near..not over, on my longer slower runs. Is this hard? HECK YES! I’m still working on it lol. The goal is to improve aerobic development and the percentage of calories burned from fat. Phil Maffetone claims the benefits to using his method include reduced inflammation, lower stress hormones (like cortisol), increased fat burning, and the prevention (or REVERSAL) of injuries.
DOES THIS TRAINING WORK?
There are many many runners out there who will tell you that it does! But remember, there is more than 1 way to skin a cat AND this type of training take a lot of time and patience. The main problem I’ve encountered with heart rate training are things that are out of my control that can affect my heart rate. These include:
- hormones
- sleep
- stress
- heat
- fatigue
So keep in mind, your heart rate will continue to rise as your workout progresses because your body has a hard time keeping up with cooling you down, humidity and summer heat can affect your heart rate too! What I have found with heart rate training that is beneficial is that it forces me to pay attention to my BODY. Maybe I need more sleep, maybe i’m in the part of my cycle (period) that my heart rate is going to be higher, or maybe I had a stressful week? These are all good things to take into account when training anyway to help avoid injury and to run smarter!
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