why do the elite Kenyan runners sometimes run ridiculously slow? what's the fitness benefit of running way slower than a normal recovery pace?
why do the elite Kenyan runners sometimes run ridiculously slow? what's the fitness benefit of running way slower than a normal recovery pace?
Just to relax and destress I guess. Sometimes i 'run' with my girlfriend 12 minutes miles and after that i feel a lot more relaxed. Although it does nothing for my fitness I think.
This is a slight misconception. Yes, they start very slow, but will speed up once they've warmed up. I think we Americans and our trusty watches are too concerned about a couple really slow miles bringing down our average pace.
minong wrote:
This is a slight misconception. Yes, they start very slow, but will speed up once they've warmed up. I think we Americans and our trusty watches are too concerned about a couple really slow miles bringing down our average pace.
LIKE.
recovery run wrote:
why do the elite Kenyan runners sometimes run ridiculously slow? what's the fitness benefit of running way slower than a normal recovery pace?
Because not everything done is about fitness, it is about development. The myth is also that every Kenyan goes slow. The older, matured championship runners do not go slow for the whole run, throughout the week (slow, as opposed to easy).
As a developing athlete, long slow recovery days are still working the biomechanical and mental elements of hard training for later in life. Getting used to committing 4 hours to training a day, getting tendons, ligaments, movement patterns, etc. used to the activity for that duration all matter for development.
A HS team that did 10M recovery days at 9' pace would set themselves up for more success as post collegiates, but at the expense of the dual meet and invite that weekend.
Fort wrote:
recovery run wrote:why do the elite Kenyan runners sometimes run ridiculously slow? what's the fitness benefit of running way slower than a normal recovery pace?
Because not everything done is about fitness, it is about development. The myth is also that every Kenyan goes slow. The older, matured championship runners do not go slow for the whole run, throughout the week (slow, as opposed to easy).
As a developing athlete, long slow recovery days are still working the biomechanical and mental elements of hard training for later in life. Getting used to committing 4 hours to training a day, getting tendons, ligaments, movement patterns, etc. used to the activity for that duration all matter for development.
A HS team that did 10M recovery days at 9' pace would set themselves up for more success as post collegiates, but at the expense of the dual meet and invite that weekend.
Similar to what ultra runners call "time on feet" (TOF).
You can still exaggerate muscle groups you don't primarily rely on and work really hard at a slow pace. Like a continuous drill.