Rhythm And Grit How to feel

A FRESH TAKE ON MAXIMISING YOUR RUNNING ENJOYMENT

BY CORY WHARTON-MALCOLM

THE SKILL OF RUNNING ‘by feel’ isn’t reserved for Olympians. We feel our effort level every time we run, though we might not pay much attention to it. But developing it will be of great benefit to you in the long term. It’s why runners do race-pace runs. They want to get used to a pace, to know what their body does, what the leg turnover feels like and how far they can push it before their body says nope. But you need to learn how your body reacts to different paces first. Here are a few pointers.

01 G A auge great you way r breathing to start is to think about your breathing and how much it correlates to effort. I’d been running for a few years, but due to my lack of experience, I’d be gassed out before I hit halfway. It wasn’t until I paid attention to my breathing that I began to get it right and set out at the right pace. As time passed, I got used to what my body did at certain paces. The fitter I got, the faster I could run and still speak comfortably.

ALL THE FEELS

Learning how your body reacts at different effort levels is a key running skill

02 Easy run f On an easy eel run, it should feel comfortable to breathe – you feel like you can have a full conversation with no trouble. If you’re with friends, do just that. If you’re by yourself, sing your favourite song, or tell yourself repeatedly how amazing you are for getting out. If we were to rate this effort, it should feel like a three or four out of 10 – one being strolling on the beach and 10 being running flat out from a dinosaur for fear of being eaten.

03 Medium run feel On a medium- or moderate-pace run, your breathing should be a little heavier but not laboured. It should still feel somewhat comfortable, but it’s a little more challenging, too. Conversation is now shorter as you’re starting to choose your words a little more wisely to save air. Your effort should feel like a five or six out of 10. This is really the pace that you’re looking for if you’re new to running and are planning to take on a half marathon or a marathon.

Cory founded the Track Mafia running crew and is a Nike Run Club head coach. Instagram: @bitbeefy; @trackmafia_ 04 Ha On rd run a hard feel run, your pace is uncomfortable but manageable for a certain amount of time, and you can just about manage to say a few words at a time. But you’re not happy that someone has asked you to speak. This effort would feel like a seven or eight out of 10. With training, this is around the level that you’re looking for in a 5K or 10K.

05 The My f 400m riends rep and t I est would go to the track and time how long it would take to run a 400m rep. Then, we would run another rep without looking at the watch and try to match that time, just using the cues from our bodies, based on how we felt in the timed rep. We would do it over and over again until we felt like robots flying around the oval. We took what we learned on the track and applied it to longer distances and road runs. Even if you don’t have a track nearby, try it in a park or around the block. Don’t be afraid to experiment – and let me know how you get on...