Slow And Steady Wins The Race - but not always.

In your running journey, you inevitably lose run-ivation.

Now you’re probably wondering “what in the world is run-ivation?”

Well, let me tell you (since I just made this up).

Run-ivation refers to the motivation to run.

The drive to get up and move those legs.

When you get into running, your run-ivation can diminish over time, especially when you maintain the same running routine, week-in and week-out.

As a runner who has experienced this time and time again, it comes down to several reasons, and so I want to share a few pointers with you to help you on your way.

“I want to, I’m just so tired.”

One thing that occurs to a lot of runners is they find themselves fatigued.

They consistently push themselves at a moderate intensity.

That kind of sweet spot where it’s not too hard, but not too easy.

All of a sudden, after repeated runs like this, your energy levels are down, and your legs are so sore it hurts to walk.

This should be expected, because maintaining that moderate pace over long distances becomes an almost high intensity effort over time.

Time To Take It Down A Notch

What you want to do here is start incorporating low intensity runs into your schedule.

Run at an easy pace where you can breathe in-and-out through your nose and have a normal conversation without having to catch your breath.

Sounds counterintuitive, but this running will help you run longer and faster.

It’s called the aerobic zone or zone 2.

Zone 2 is a low intensity training zone that develops your aerobic capacity - your ability to utilise oxygen as energy.

This means maintaining a heart-rate that is 60-75% of your maximum heart-rate (MHR).

Essentially, it is the foundation of your training and should make up 70-80% of a successful training plan.

It’s like laying the concrete slab down on a new build.

Building a strong foundation increases your overall capacity.

And higher capacity leads to a greater ability to handle more intense training sessions.

Your body will recover quicker, and you’ll have more energy to train harder down-the-track.

It’s a win-win.

Which brings me to the next pointer.

Do More Low Intensity Running, But Not Always.

If you’ve given zone 2 running a go, you’ll know that in order to run with a zone 2 heart rate, you need to run REALLY slow.

To the point where you are basically walking to try and get your heart-rate down into zone 2.

Constantly checking your heart rate thinking “But I’m running as slow as I can!”

The long and short of it is, it’s annoying and boring.

It can generally make it feel like you aren’t really getting anywhere.

And if you focus on low intensity running too much early on in your running journey, you resort to a kind of shuffle to minimise your energy output.

This discourages your coordination, leading to poor posture, inefficient leg action, and failure to activate your trunk and arms - critical elements to an effective running technique.

Not only that, you become complacent and fail to develop any sort of grit.

You hit a plateau.

And while low intensity running is important, it’s really just the foundation for more.

So Here’s My Advice

Mix it up.

Sometimes you should just go out and run in a way that feels natural.

Move with how your body wants to move.

Experiment with trying to push yourself a little harder and see if you can keep it feeling natural.

Go hard for short bursts until you’ve almost maxed out.

Taper off and go a little easier while keeping that natural pace.

Make it feel fun and playful.

Then push yourself to your limit, go as fast as you can at a distance you can manage.

In between runs, have enough rest days so you don’t feel tired or sore when starting your next run.

And at times when you are sore and tired, go for a low intensity run to aid in the recovery and avoid fatigue.

You will gradually start to notice you can recover more quickly, run a little further, and go a little faster.

The standard loop around your suburb will start to feel easier and you will yearn for longer paths - 10km, half marathon, and so on and so forth.

It’s at this point when you might become more calculated with your training routine.

This approach to running can be beneficial for beginners all the way up to advanced runners.

So consider mixing it up when planning out your running routine.

It makes the whole process a little more sustainable and a whole lot more enjoyable.

And if you found this helpful, I have plenty more advice to give, so be sure to sign up to my email list.

Yours in running and life,

Daniel Lucchini