Meredith's Training Diary: Running Slower Than You Think You Should

Welcome toTraining Diaries, a Lifehacker series about my journey to the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon.

Theres a reason for the saying, Its not a sprint, its a marathon.

Now, I understand the desire to try and sprint a marathon.

Shouldnt I be pushing myself to runfast,to get to prepare for a marathon?

Instead, I learned pretty quickly that first-time long runs are only possible when you slow your pacewaydown.

For me, running slow is the secret to the meditative appeal of zoning out.

Most importantly, greater distances become achievable only when you remove speed as your primary focus.

A number of friends have joined me on a run during this marathon training cycle.

I believe the reason so many people claim to hate running is because what theyre actually doing is sprinting.

Enter: The beauty of easy running.

Im partial to this topic.

And its a skill that takes time to learn!

Running slow can be frustrating.

I was chatting with a friend who is also running New York with me in November.

Hearing this, I cringed.

Then again, I get it.

Its tempting to want to speed up and finish the miles as quickly as possible.

Heres why you should rein in your speed on those weekend long runs.

Prevents injury

Long runs put a lot of stress on your body if you push the pace.

Sticking to a slower pace gives your body time to adapt to the mileage and reduces injury risk.

Long slow runs train your body to burn fat as fuel and withstand many miles.

Those long miles at a slower pace get your body comfortable with being on its feet for hours.

Easy long runs shouldnt wipe you out.

Take it slow and youll bounce back quicker for your next tough workout.

Long slow runs also train your mind to stay focused for miles on end.

Learning to maintain pace for such a long time period boosts mental stamina.

This mental toughness will serve you well late in a marathon when your body starts to tire.

And I passed a lot of people.

Now, Ive been reading about race day strategy for the NYC specifically.

But going too fast right out of the gate will screw you over by mile 20.

So embrace the slow on your upcoming long runs.Here are my top hacks for forcing yourself to slow down.

For more,these are my mental tricks to make your run less boring.