I was chatting to a girl at the gym and suggested that she come for a
How Slow is too slow for trail running? In truth, there is no such thing as too slow for trail running. Everybody starts somewhere. Just be consistent and it will get better.
The mindset that a person won’t start trail because they are not fast enough is fascinating. I am sure that the same thing happens in other activities as well. Is it simply a convenient excuse to not try something new, or is there a pervasive belief that you need to be good at something before you start.
Does Too Slow Even Exist
When it comes to your running speed, going slower is better for getting in enough oxygen to be able to burn fat better. So if your goal is to get leaner, then slower is actually better. In addition, as you get leaner over time you will actually start to get faster for the same level of effort.
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection
– Mark Twain
Take It Easy – Really
One of the great things about trail running is that it encourages you to slow down. The technical nature of the trail and the steepness of the terrain all conspire to make you move slower.
But going slow is totally fine because you have nature around you and almost always that lung-busting hill will reward you with a spectacular view.
So if you are
On the topic of walking take lots of walk breaks, especially when just starting out. If you need an excuse to justify your walk break within your own mind then use the beauty of nature as that excuse.
How Slow Should You Go
How slow should beginner runners run? The answer is likely a lot slower than you think.
That is why so many never start. They believe that they need to be able to run a lot faster to justify the activity within their own mind.
That is exactly the issue. Does it matter that you can only manage a 20-yard slow jog because you are so out of shape? Not at all. Go for a twenty-minute walk and slot the 20-yard slow jog in somewhere along the way. That is all it takes. Simply take that first step.
How Often Should You Run Slow
The great part about running really slow is that you can recover much faster from your run. That, in turn, means that you can run more regularly without injury risk. And it is consistency that creates lasting benefits in endurance sports like running.
So for me, running slow is the only way to maintain my run streak. Running every single day, year in and year out and staying injury free.
Top elite athletes do on average 80% of their training volume at low intensity, in other words slowly. Because I have no delusions of grandeur about my athletic ability regarding winning races, I keep upwards of 95% of my training volume at what is for me a low intensity.
How To Slow Down Enough
This relates to an interesting conversation I had with a runner a couple of years ago. What she struggled with was being able to hold a pace, any pace at all for a sustained period.
What she struggled with that the simple process of running no matter how slowly caused her heart rate to scream up to and beyond her lactate threshold. After only twenty minutes of jogging her muscles would be drowning in an ocean of lactate causing her to stop.
The solution was to slow down even more. Not an easy thing for a super competitive lady. She had some tests done to determine her aerobic threshold heart rate.
Her next challenge was to do all of her
Can You Ever Get Fit if You Run Too Slow
This is something that I hear so often in my interactions with non-runners. There is no way that they can start running or trail running in the first place as they are just too slow to gain any sort of fitness benefit.
The first flaw in this thought if that being fit is like a light switch. The notion that you go from completely unfit to completely fit in an instant is absurd. What makes this a compelling excuse for unfit people is the notion that you need to be fit in order to run or trail run. Therefore, because they are not fit they are justified in staying on the couch because they lack the fitness to get up and do anything.
The truth is that your fitness level is a point along a scale of fitness. If you are starting from a fitness baseline of zero, any physical activity whether very very slow running or even walking will result in a fitness improvement.
Fitness improvements come from taking action. Reading about running and trail running will not make you a runner. You need to get up, lace up, get out the door and move your body even if it is just a little. Then tomorrow get up and get out again and do just a little and so on.
Volume Versus Pace as a Fitness Indicator
Trail running is an endurance type of activity. Therefore your fitness level for trail running can be measured by how far you are able to run rather than by how fast you are able to run.
Therefore it is beneficial to run more slowly to be able to do a greater volume of running. When you run slower on a constant daily basis you will be able to accumulate greater total weekly volume that running at a higher pace and needing to take two days off to recover from your DOMS.
Kenyan Style Injury Prevention
Kenyan star Isaac Songok has a super impressive 12:48 personal record for the 5k. That equates to a 4:06 per mile pace. He does more than 80% of his training volume at the equally phenomenal 8:00 per mile or slower.
That slower pace, combined with the softer trail surface is what keeps Songok injury free so that he can stay on track with his Olympic aspirations.
In principle this is a system that can work for you too.
There may be a need for you to adapt your slow running pace to your needs. If your 5k pace is something like 9:30 per mile, the only way you will do slower than 19 minutes per mile is by taking a brisk but leisurely stroll.
Related Questions
Is it better to run slower or faster? Running both slower and faster have their place in a balanced training plan. To get maximum benefit from running fast you have to run really fast. Unless your slow running is very very slow, you just can’t make your fast running fast enough.
Can a non-runner start trail running? Absolutely a non-runner can start trail running. Just begin walking or hiking and add a couple of hundred yards of jogging. Build from there.