Whether you’ve been running for years or just bought your first pair of trainers, you’ll no doubt have heard about the benefits of running slowly.

While your instinct might be to push yourself every time you head out for a run, slowing down your pace at least some of the time not only makes running easier and more enjoyable, but it can also make your heart stronger, improving your endurance in the long run.

If you’re used to running at a threshold pace (a little bit slower than your race pace) for most of your runs, slowing down will feel weird at first. But don’t worry – many runners find slowing down their pace tricky, not least because it can feel like a bit of a blow to your ego.

Working out what on earth ‘slow’ even means can also be tricky. You might have heard of the ‘conversation test’ before: if you can’t talk while running, you’re not going slow enough. But what do you do if you’re running on your own?  

You can, of course, just try running one or two minutes slower than your average 5k pace, but regularly checking in on your pace can make the idea of speeding up feel all too tempting.

So, what’s the answer? As someone who really values slow running as part of my weekly routine, I’ve discovered a few simple things I can focus on besides pace that really help me to keep things under control. Some I’ve been told by experts, while others I’ve picked up along my running journey; all of them are great for helping you to switch off the pace-focused part of your brain and tap into the benefits that slow running has to offer.

So, without further ado, here are five simple things you can focus on besides pace to slow down your runs and reap the benefits of a relaxed, easy jog. 

If you’re used to running fast, relying on feeling alone to set the pace of your slow runs probably isn’t a good idea. While you might end up running slower than usual, your body might still be under a lot of strain – meaning you won’t be able to reap the benefits slow running has to offer.

Instead of relying on how my body feels, I like to keep an eye on my heart rate throughout my slow runs. Not only does my heart rate give me a clear idea of how hard my body is working, but it also fluctuates depending on any number of factors, including the weather, our emotions and caffeine intake, so trying to keep it below a certain level allows me to adjust my pace to meet the demands my body is facing on any given day.

Many experts believe trying to keep your heart rate in zone two – around 70-80% of your maximum heart rate – is a good place to start, but I find my heart rate tends to increase quickly no matter what exercise I’m doing, so I focus on keeping it in zone three instead.

Of course, this is only possible if you have a fitness tracker – on my Apple Watch, you can swipe down once from the typical ‘workout’ screen to get a visual marker of what zone your heart rate is in. Garmin offers a similar function. 

Your running cadence is the number of steps you take per minute while running. According to the Runna app, an optimal cadence is around 180 steps per minute – a number many of us don’t reach because of overstriding. But increasing your cadence is good because it not only reduces the amount of strain that’s placed on your body, but also makes your running more efficient.

Now, you might think that increasing your cadence is impossible when you’re running slow – after all, how can you take more steps per minute if you’re not moving fast?

In some ways, you’d be right – in the long-term, increasing your cadence will improve your speed. But focusing on cadence for the first time takes a lot of brain power, which will automatically slow you down.

To do this, you’ll want to focus on taking shorter steps where your foot strikes the ground underneath you, not in front of you. Taking smaller strides (and not overreaching) will also help to slow you down at first as you’ll be covering less distance. 

When you’re running slowly, you want your breathing to be under control – and focusing on your breath can help you to work out whether you’re running slowly enough.

Many long-distance runners use nasal breathing, as it tends to be more efficient and can help you to recognise when your heart rate is in a lower zone. As your heart rate increases, so too does the amount of oxygen you need – increasing the urge to open your mouth and take in big gasps of air.

By focusing on my breathing, I’ve been able to ensure I’m running slow enough; if nasal breathing starts to feel too difficult, I know I’m going too fast. It’s worth flagging that nose breathing is something you get better at with practice. My easy runs are helping me to improve my breathing technique across the board. 

In the same way that focusing on cadence can slow you down by giving your mind something to focus on, so too can paying close attention to your form.

When you’re running fast, it’s hard to focus on anything but the burn in your chest and how far you are from the finish line; using my easy runs as an opportunity to focus on my form has not only helped me to improve my technique, but also given me a reason to slow down beyond the heart-strengthening benefits.

Some of the areas I try to focus on include striking the ground with my midfoot before moving on to my toes instead of landing on my heel and keeping my core and head upright rather than slouching over.

I’ve struggled with heel striking and subsequent shin splint injuries in the past so this doesn’t always feel natural, but that’s exactly what leads me to slow down and really pay attention to what’s going on. 

Last, but by no means least, I try to do my easy runs without headphones and pay attention to the world around me. I get it: for some people, the idea of running slow without any entertainment to alleviate the boredom may sound like some kind of hell, but I’ve found being more mindful of what’s going on around me stops me from getting carried away and breaking into a faster pace.

This is especially important if you tend to run to quite high-energy music, as you might find yourself matching the beat of the music without even realising it.

I tend to do my easy runs around my local park so I can guarantee there’s plenty to look at, and I try to practise some grounding exercises – such as noticing things I can smell, hear and see – at random intervals throughout the run.

It’s not for everyone, but just being more mindful and giving myself time to enjoy the run and being outside really helps me to slow down and be in the moment. 

Images: Getty