The most popular running goal - health promotion. It is about what pace can be called slow, and how such a run is useful, we will talk in today's article.
To improve your results in running at medium and long distances, you need to know the basics of running, such as correct breathing, technique, warm-up, the ability to make the correct eyeliner for the day of the competition, do the correct strength work for running and others. Therefore, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the unique video tutorials on these and other topics from the author of the site scfoton.ru, where you are now. For readers of the site, video tutorials are completely free. To get them, just subscribe to the newsletter, and in a few seconds you will receive the first lesson in a series on the basics of proper breathing while running. Subscribe here: Running video tutorials ... These lessons have already helped thousands of people and will help you too.
How to tell if the pace is really slow
There is no one-size-fits-all crawl speed. Depending on age, weight, gender and physical capabilities, the pace of such a run will differ.
But at the same time calculate optimal pace for yourself not difficult.
Firstly, during a slow run, you should not get out of breath. It should be smooth and not tense. With the right speed, you will be able to talk easily while running without having any problems. Remember to breathe through your mouth and nose while running. Otherwise, the body simply will not have enough oxygen. For more information on how to breathe correctly while running, read the article: How to breathe while running.
Secondly, the work of the heart should also be an indicator. Accordingly, at a light slow pace, the heart rate should not exceed 140-150 beats per minute. And ideally, a slow run should be performed at a frequency of 120 strokes. Of course, with age, and even in people with an untrained heart, the pulse rate even when walking is higher than 120 beats, so 140-150 beats can be called the optimal pulse rate for slow running. And if you have tachycardia, then the pulse can go off scale even with a slow run for 200 beats. Therefore, among other things, you need to carefully monitor your feelings. If you feel heaviness or pain in the region of the heart or dizziness, then go to a step. However, this applies to everyone, because while running, you need to monitor your body, and not just rely on numbers.
It is not difficult to measure your pulse while running. You can use a heart rate monitor, or you can feel the pulse on your neck or wrist while running and count the number of beats in 10 seconds. Multiply the number by 6 and get your heart rate. Deviation from the truth will be a maximum of + - 6 beats per minute.
Third, your body should be relaxed. The shoulders are lowered, the arms are bent at the elbow at a convenient angle for you and also relaxed. Read more about body position during light jogging in the article: running for beginners
The bottom line. If you do not have difficulty breathing while running, your heart rate does not exceed 150 beats and your body is relaxed, then you have chosen the right pace.
What is the slow running speed
We'll divide this chapter into 3 categories: seniors, adults, and athletes.
The elderly
For older people, the slow running speed will be in the region of 10 minutes per kilometer. That is about 6 km / h. This is a little faster than a step. But in slow health running, it is not speed that is important, but the very fact of running, that is, at least the minimum phase of flight. It is she who distinguishes running from walking. Therefore, if your comfortable running speed does not exceed your walking speed, then do not worry, your body in this case still receives the load necessary for recovery.
Adults
In this category we will include those who can run faster than they can walk, but at the same time they are not an athlete. That is, in this case, the criterion is not age, but physical fitness. Because it's not uncommon for 60 year old women to run better than 15 year old boys.
The speed of a slow, easy run for you will be measured from 9 to 7 minutes per kilometer. This is a speed of 6 to 10 km / h. Accordingly, within these limits, you will have a normal pulse, breathing and body work.
Athletes
In athletes, the pace of light running can be very high. Depending on the level of preparedness, it can reach 15-20 km / h. For example, for the owners of the 3rd category in long-distance running, the speed of a slow run will be approximately 10-12 km / h. Accordingly, the more prepared the body is, the faster it can run without signs of fatigue.
How long should you run at a slow pace
It is in this question that the main component of slow running lies. The main thing is to find your speed and run as much as you want, or as much as your body allows. As soon as you realize that at the same speed your heart rate and breathing began to go astray, you can gradually finish your run. Thus, you will gradually increase the distance and increase the average speed. Because your lungs and heart will train in parallel.
If you need specific numbers and at the initial stage you are afraid to trust your inner feelings, then start running from 10 before 30 minutes... And then, if you have free time, then increase the distance without changing the pace. Or, without changing the distance, increase the pace, as sooner or later the speed of your slow run will increase.
Also, if you can't run at all, then start at 400 meters (4 minutes). After running this distance at a slow pace, and feeling an increase in heart rate or shortness of breath, go to a step. Regain your pulse and breathing while walking and start running again. This way, you will gradually train your body to run non-stop.
The benefits of slow running
The benefits of slow running are colossal.
– Improving heart function... The very fact that running enthusiasts have a pulse rate even in old age in a calm state that does not exceed 55 beats speaks volumes. Their hearts are so trained that it is enough for it to beat in a calm rhythm to distill the same volume of blood as other people with a heart rate of 60 and 70. Young runners usually have a heart rate of 45-50.
Naturally, such people are much less likely to get sick in general and cardiovascular diseases in particular.
– Improving lung function... Lung volume and strength, as well as heart strength, improve in parallel. This is why it is always easier for runners to breathe. They rarely have shortness of breath. The main advantage of strong lungs is that they are able to supply the blood with oxygen much better. And there is no need to explain the benefits of oxygen for the body, it is already obvious.
– Improving metabolism and burning excess fat... Here we are talking primarily about internal visceral fat. It is its excessive amount that can cause many serious diseases, the most famous of which is diabetes. Just a couple of months of slow jogging can reduce the visceral fat parameter to below the critical level.
And these are not all the positive properties of slow running. Read about other useful properties of running in the article: Why running is useful... Sometimes jogging cures diseases that doctors cannot cope with. So go jogging. It is not necessary to break speed and distance records. It is enough to run for your pleasure. And the body will thank you very much.
