Maybe I Was Wrong about Running

“I’m a puzzle. I’m a walking contradiction.” – Luke Combs

Running isn’t all that popular in the strength coach world. After years in the strength and conditioning field, I became a “glass half empty” guy when it came to running. This view was largely shaped by professional experiences, as I’ve seen handfuls of clients injure themselves on a running program. Of course, they’d never say they were injured, just that “x” hurt and they either a) needed to take some time off or b) just “power through.”

My viewpoint was also shaped by personal experiences. Those who know me as a strength coach may be shocked to hear that I ran two half marathons in a prior life. I also made ALL the mistakes one could make when training for these races, some of which led me to developing plantar fasciitis, along with a few other knee/hip related issues too.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. And for the first time since 2011, I went out for a run.

You know what I realized? Maybe we’re all a little more resilient than I had previously thought.

To be clear, I still believe in the “get fit to run, don’t run to get fit” mantra. There are many people I would caution against embarking on a new running plan. You need to be strong enough to handle the pounding of 3x your bodyweight on your joints for miles on end. And if you’re serious, invest in a good run coach who can dissect your gait and technique, as well as a good quality running shoe that’s made for you. (Here’s a good list to start from.)

But the other important point is that I’ve been using two main rules for running that I wrote about a few years ago. Rather than run as far or as fast as I can, I’ve been focusing on:

1. Nasal breathing only.

2. Keep the heart rate under 140 bpm.

It sounds simple. But for anyone that’s tried them, “running” is going to seem like a generous term. “Light jogging” or “enthusiastic walking” might seem more appropriate. And that’s exactly the point.

When you run at a lower heart rate (130-150 bpm), you’re creating aerobic adaptions in your system to help you over the long term. These are: a larger heart to pump more blood, increased ATP (energy) production, and shifting your body into a less stressed state.

(If you’re interested in a bit more info on the aerobic and anaerobic adaptions, read this post.)

But when you’re constantly running at a higher heart rate (>150 bpm) you’re eliciting different adaptions. Your heart is beating too fast to maximally stretch with blood to make it larger; you’re going to be much more sympathetic and “fight or flight;” you’re pulling primarily from a different energy system (glycolytic) so you may see some initial progress, but it will plateau over the long term.

By limiting myself to nasal breathing, it becomes self-limiting. I have to consciously remember not to open my mouth, and run at a speed I can maintain through my nose. And because this isn’t a foolproof way to keep your heart rate low, I wear a heart rate monitor to make it double self-limiting.

For those that have attempted to do either of these, “running” is a generous term. “Trotting” or “laid back scampering” is probably more appropriate. But that’s the point. You may just be used to running at a higher speed than you should be, and you will improve. You’ll always have the ability to run faster, and by going slower, it’ll help you sustain you top speeds for longer too.

For those that identify as a runner and are training for marathons, this approach may not work for them. But for people that want to run as a) a way to get outside; b) want to help increase their quality of life; c) round out their physical training; and d) help burn off the extra food they’ve eaten while being cooped up in the house; these rules make a lot of sense.

Running isn’t for everyone. But if you treat it as something to round out your physical training, it’s a useful tool.