Runningmonkeys

Who told you that you would feel better if you slowed down?  Is this something that has been proven to you, or was it just what you imagine the truth to be?

When we are racing or training hard, sooner or later we will all fell discomfort, stress and sometimes plain old pain.  Is this to do with the speed we are running or the time we are running for?  I believe that it is more to do with the time than the actual speed.  If this is the case, then slowing down won’t actually make us feel much better.  All we are doing by slowing down is making the pain last longer.  For example if we reduce our speed by 10% will this decrease the pain by 10%?  I don’t think so, but it will definitely increase the time we have to enjoy that pain (time on the road) by 10%. 

So the other option is that we can choose to either keep our current pace or dare I suggest, increase it and see what happens.  Sometimes I find that I experience less discomfort at a higher pace than at a slightly slower pace.  Why is this so?  I have no idea.  Is this just psychology at work?  Maybe, but who cares…It works for me!

Try it for yourself.  Next time you are running fast and suffering, see what happens if you speed up just a fraction.  Sometimes you will find you slip into another “zone”  and it all feels better.