The Pleasure Of Running Slow(er)

I believe I’ve been misconstrued and misrepresented.

My participation in certain running events in the past two weeks (namely the Long Branch Half Marathon and the 10K Virtual Club Run) have brought some unexpected focus and attention to the velocity with which I traverse the roads. Most casual friends and RBFs, upon reading my last few posts and others’ comments, have been led to believe that I am a fast runner. In actuality, nothing can be further from the truth. Those who have run with me know that I am not fast. Just because I’ve won a few accolades (thanks Nancy for naming me a Legend of Loincloth!) and PR’d most of my races so far, it’d be wrong to equate the Laminator with speed, because truthfully, I do slow just as often as I do fast. In fact, the most pleasurable runs I had in the past few days have been some of the slowest miles I’ve logged all year! I’ll detail just a couple of examples to illustrate my point.

Slow Run #1 happened last weekend when I ran with my fellow blogger friend sRod. I know most of you have probably read his race report (since he used it as his virtual 10K race) by now, but what you didn’t get was my thoughts and my experiences running with him. Although the pace was slower than what I was accustomed to, it was exactly what I intended and wanted that particular run to be. For starters, I had done my own 10K virtual race the previous night, so my legs were more than a little stiff heading out so early in the morning. Secondly, I was planning a 16-mile long run that day, which would not have been possible if I was running my usual pace for the duration. Thirdly, I needed to run slowly so I could be conversant. (To be honest, I was running at my conversant pace while he was doing his race pace, which meant that it was a one-sided conversation the whole way through for the most part!) Finally, I was secretly hoping to train him to run faster by starting out slow and ever so slightly increasing the pace when we were in the midst of a deep conversation. All in all, I think the run was a major success. We caught up on things; sRod ran his 10 miles and got a PR (Woohoo!), while I ran slow for 10 then faster for 6 to finish my long run of 16 miles at a pretty decent pace.

Slow Run #2 just happened today when I convinced a friend of mine to join me on a six mile run around Central Park. Over the weekend, I had come out early to cheer her on as she ran the Mother’s Day 4-Miler for her first official NYRR race. Afterwards over breakfast, she told me that the race wasn’t as tough as she thought it’d be and that she had plenty left in the tank even at the finish. So I did what any runner would do and challenged her to run the Healthy Kidney 10K with me this weekend. She seemed intrigued, but was hesitant because she had never ran that distance before and wasn’t sure what to expect. So I offered to take her around the course after work one day as a preview to race day. She agreed, signed up, and met me promptly today for her tour. Anticipating this run, I had headed out an hour and half before to do my tempo run and track work so that by the time I’d meet her, I’d be tired and ready to run slow. We started on a slight downhill, and so was able to management a fast first mile. Once we got going, I allowed my friend to dictate the pace, always holding myself a step or two back so as to not lead the way. Because she seemed very focused on her running, I did not bother her with much conversation throughout the run. Instead, I allowed my thoughts to wander and really took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the surroundings. Although she struggled at parts, especially during those big gigantic Harlem Hills (honestly, who wouldn’t), my friend managed to finish the six mile loop without stopping at a 9:10 pace. I was very proud of her for sticking with it (it was totally dark when we finished the run!) and proud of myself for not running ahead or messing up her tempo. I make great company on these slow runs, my friend told me as we were parting ways. For once, I couldn’t agree with her more.

So you see, fellow runners, I consider myself a runner just like the rest of you – not fast or slow, or both fast and slow. Speed, as I’ve come to learn over the years, is a relative term, and as such, has no merit on its own. As runners, we should use it only as a basis of comparison with ourselves and as motivation to perform up to our own athletic capabilities. The fact of the matter is that I’m a runner, and whether I’m fast or slow really has no bearing on the kind of runner that I am.