Yesterday afternoon I ran with my wife (and Barkley the Ferocious, Tormentor of Squirrels) at a much slower pace than I run solo, and was surprised at how trashed my legs felt by the end of the run. By much slower, I mean from my standard training run ~6:30/mile for 5 miles, to ~9/mile for 5 miles.
Besides the issues of a person changing their trained technique/stride, is there something about running more slowly that makes it more taxing on the body?
im a lot slower than you but this i too observed that whenever a friend joins during my long runs, i follow his pace and after 5-10mins, i have pain both my knees. Saw him and he joined me again, i dictated the pace when the leg pain was starting to come out, he was a bit winded but my legs felt better. whenever i match his pace, i still try to keep the correct form and run cadence but maybe its the talking during the workout with him that makes me forget to keep my form in check.
im a lot slower than you but this i too observed that whenever a friend joins during my long runs, i follow his pace and after 5-10mins, i have pain both my knees. Saw him again and he joined me again, i dictated the pace when the leg pain was starting to come out, he was a bit winded but my legs felt better. whenever i match his pace, i still try to keep the correct form and run cadence but maybe its the talking during the workout with him that makes me forget to keep my form in check.
Yes, I noticed that my form had to change substantially, but I’m wondering if even with good form, running more slowly puts more weight on the joints, changes the angle at which the joints have to absorb impact, or something like that that makes slow running harder on the body.
im a lot slower than you but this i too observed that whenever a friend joins during my long runs, i follow his pace and after 5-10mins, i have pain both my knees. Saw him again and he joined me again, i dictated the pace when the leg pain was starting to come out, he was a bit winded but my legs felt better. whenever i match his pace, i still try to keep the correct form and run cadence but maybe its the talking during the workout with him that makes me forget to keep my form in check.
Yes, I noticed that my form had to change substantially, but I’m wondering if even with good form, running more slowly puts more weight on the joints, changes the angle at which the joints have to absorb impact, or something like that that makes slow running harder on the body.
All of the above. At a substantially slower pace, you’re forced to alter your gait which accentuates different points along the force path in your joints. Imagine the reverse - if you typically shuffled along at 9:00/mile then suddenly altered your stride to run at 6:00/mile, you’d experience much of the same discomfort (though probably greater in magnitude). On paper, it seems as though one could easily transition over to slow running based on general strength, but every year when ultra season starts, it takes me a solid month to progress toward a dedicated slow running regimen. It’s a different set of specific leg movements.
Perfect – you are the guy I want to talk to. (experience with sane distances and ultra distances)
So to clarify: do you find that running your ultra pace for 1 hour during ultra season is harder on your joints, etc. than running your non-ultra pace for 1 hour during sane-person season, assuming that you are well-trained for both of these paces?
thanks as well! come to think of it, saturdays 6 miles ran steady was a lot better than sundays long run which was 45-50 seconds slower that sat`s run.
Perfect – you are the guy I want to talk to. (experience with sane distances and ultra distances)
So to clarify: do you find that running your ultra pace for 1 hour during ultra season is harder on your joints, etc. than running your non-ultra pace for 1 hour during sane-person season, assuming that you are well-trained for both of these paces?
To clarify, my ultra training pace is not atrociously slow. During the regular running season (multisport through marathon distances) I do very few runs over 16-17 miles (even for IM), so paces are typically somewhere in the high-fives to mid-sixes depending on the workout. For ultra training, it really depends on how fresh my legs are - but paces are typically in the mid-sevens. My goal - in both cases - is to run at a pace that avoids (or at the very least delays) discomfort.
To answer your question, I wouldn’t say that either is “harder” on the joints, assuming that your strength and form are up to snuff. It’s simply a different kind of discomfort between the two types of running. With faster running, I find that the discomfort is less frequent, but more substantial when it occurs. For slow running, the discomfort is there relatively often, but it’s typically dull and quite manageable. If I had to live with one or the other, I’d take the former. At least when you’re running hard, you can wrap your head around the idea that you’re probably uncomfortable due to the hard running. Why would easy running hurt?!
Research shows that runners become more efficient at their average training pace. It does not matter if you are a slow ultra runner or a 2:30 marathoner, your typical pace over the previous years dictates your most efficient pace. If you suddenly start to run faster or slower for a different type of event there will be consequences 
Research shows that runners become more efficient at their average training pace. It does not matter if you are a slow ultra runner or a 2:30 marathoner, your typical pace over the previous years dictates your most efficient pace. If you suddenly start to run faster or slower for a different type of event there will be consequences
This is the key point that I neglected to include in my response. You will optimize your efficiency to suit the paces that you train at most frequently, day-in/day-out and year-in/year-out. I spend roughly 8 months out of the year training specifically at (what I’ll call) middle distances - i.e. 10k-30k. This is why I need to gradually “acclimate” when I transition to ultra season. My running strength and form naturally gravitate to 10k-30k paces … not 50k+ paces.
And while it is aggravatingly slow at times, I do most of my running at an ultra marathon pace.
Awesome humblebrag.
Perfect – you are the guy I want to talk to. (experience with sane distances and ultra distances)
So to clarify: do you find that running your ultra pace for 1 hour during ultra season is harder on your joints, etc. than running your non-ultra pace for 1 hour during sane-person season, assuming that you are well-trained for both of these paces?
To clarify, my ultra training pace is not atrociously slow. During the regular running season (multisport through marathon distances) I do very few runs over 16-17 miles (even for IM), so paces are typically somewhere in the high-fives to mid-sixes depending on the workout. For ultra training, it really depends on how fresh my legs are - but paces are typically in the mid-sevens. My goal - in both cases - is to run at a pace that avoids (or at the very least delays) discomfort.
To answer your question, I wouldn’t say that either is “harder” on the joints, assuming that your strength and form are up to snuff. It’s simply a different kind of discomfort between the two types of running. With faster running, I find that the discomfort is less frequent, but more substantial when it occurs. For slow running, the discomfort is there relatively often, but it’s typically dull and quite manageable. If I had to live with one or the other, I’d take the former. At least when you’re running hard, you can wrap your head around the idea that you’re probably uncomfortable due to the hard running. Why would easy running hurt?!
I think this might have been a big part of my problem (my step rate was probably down because of the pace):
“A study published earlier this year by the Am. College of Sports Medicine of 45 healthy shod runners who ran a minimum of 15 miles/week showed an average preferred step rate of 172 steps per minute. When they increased their preferred step rate by 5% and 10%, less force was transmitted to the knee and hip because there is less vertical center of mass on the foot at landing.”
Awesome humblebrag.
I find that the hardest part with running slower than my usual training pace of 6:30 is autograph hounds are able to catch me. #weird
i have been saying this for years now. i feel bad when i talk to people that are slower than me. honestly i hate it when they say jokingly that ‘you can’t run as slow as me’ because it’s true. just like this reads it sounds like me being a dickhead when i agree with them. it hurts to run slow. if i don’t have anyone to pace off from, most of my run tend to fall into the mid 6’s. this is why i have a hard time in the Iron distance races. my body needs to run slower, but it just doesn’t know how. it really is an issue that i’m trying to figure out.
Awesome humblebrag.
I find that the hardest part with running slower than my usual training pace of 6:30 is autograph hounds are able to catch me. #weird
What the hell? I ask an honest question and this is all you can offer? Here are my options in posting:
And can it really be true that with the amount of bravado that gets blown around here that 6:30 for 5 miles is even remotely exceptional?
Relax buddy, no reason why we can’t have a little fun.
Relax buddy, no reason why we can’t have a little fun.
Tone is lost in text. Sorry.
Awesome humblebrag.
I find that the hardest part with running slower than my usual training pace of 6:30 is autograph hounds are able to catch me. #weird
What the hell? I ask an honest question and this is all you can offer? Here are my options in posting:
And can it really be true that with the amount of bravado that gets blown around here that 6:30 for 5 miles is even remotely exceptional?
i liked it better when he was tormentor of the squirrels
for what it’s worth, i find slow running harder. can’t put my finger on exactly the pace, but when i shift from ‘running’ to ‘jogging,’ i need to really re-adjust my stride. that makes for extra banging on the joints as it becomes more pendular and less ‘sprung.’
also, and sort of related, i find walking sometimes worst of all. somehow on a hike, i can walk for 12 hours with a pack on, up and down the mountains, and i’m fine. but make me walk around a shopping mall for a couple of hours and i’m literally more foot-sore and leg-tired than after a long run. i’m not sure what the fatigue ratio is yet for running:mall walking, but it’s almost 1:1. for cycling, holy - i can ride 3 hours for every 1 i wander a mall, and make it 4 if it’s the mall at christmas.
-mike
Awesome humblebrag.
I find that the hardest part with running slower than my usual training pace of 6:30 is autograph hounds are able to catch me. #weird
What the hell? I ask an honest question and this is all you can offer? Here are my options in posting:
And can it really be true that with the amount of bravado that gets blown around here that 6:30 for 5 miles is even remotely exceptional?
i liked it better when he was tormentor of the squirrels
So do the squirrels.