Why you need to SLOW DOWN when running to get faster

Please don’t be worried about overall time and it being compared to others on Strava! It could make you a worse runner.

My time today was much slower than my average on the same route (pic 2).

Being slower might HELP me work towards my fitness goals.

I got to run with a few different people this week. And a lot said the same; “this pace must be too slow for me.”

The pace was near perfect because of my goals, and the slower pace is helping to make me faster.

The most mileage I’ve ever done was last April (hitting over 300km). A lot of those runs were with other people at a slower pace. The slower pace allowed for a quicker recovery so that I could hit the gym more frequently and at a higher intensity. But (along with one interval session a week), it made me faster too!

The following month I hit my fastest marathon pace, holding a 4:20 for a sub 1 hour 32 time. The time crushed my highest expectations for the race.

Going slow is smarter. It allows your body to help build up your aerobic capacity more efficiently while reducing the risks of injury, especially when combining gruelling road sessions with gym work.

Just like the gym, when working on proper form is an overload principle, so is working on running form—getting your breathing down and staying light on your feet (something I still struggle with).

So don’t base your time on Strava on anyone else’s; everyone has different goals for each session and at different stages of their fitness journey. Use it for accountability for yourself

And with the big game tonight, of course, I’m all in 49ers gear!

#LetsGoGetEmAgain