9 Reasons You're Running Slow (and how to fix them)

[@19Ricky9]

1. Sleep more (ideally 8 hours+) 2. Reduce stress wherever possible 3. Eat enough food 4. If feeling weak, check iron levels 5. Running fast needs ideal weather (adapt training to weather conditions and rely on effort level) 6. Eat plenty of carbs in your diet 7. Do a long run each week 8. Increase your mileage (If you've been running the same amount for a long time, gradually work on building your mileage) 9. Run a variety of paces throughout the week (structured speed workouts consistently 1-2x per week and strides after easy runs)

[@novennelagua3151]

Back then I run fast ,hard, no rest days and that leads me to more injury and no progress. Now 80percent of my mileage is easy, good diet, hydrate and makes me injury free and got a huge progress.

[@JasonFitzgerald]

hell yeah

[@jeffh4505]

"Run the easy days easy so you can run the hard days hard"

[@40hills1]

Totally. I'm doing about 90% of my running easy. Makes my Strava posts look slow, but I'm therefore fresh for harder runs... it has also allowed me to virtually double my weekly mileage over the past 6 months and stay relatively injury free.

[@YeNZeC]

@@40hills1 You're base building. My long run has gone from 13k to 30k in a few months. I run at 9 minute mile pace for all my milage currently. Yet i can run a sub 20 5k so it does work. Run slow to run fast. If you can run 30k at 9min/ mile 5k at 6/mile is easy.

[@40hills1]

@@YeNZeC awesome! Yes, my easy pace is about the same as yours. My progression has been intentionally slower because I'm older and want to avoid injury, but I also have gone from about 10-15k long runs up to 20-25k in the past 6 months, all at that same pace 👍

[@michaelpiccirilli2264]

I am 67...not running as fast as when I was 40...my wife says it is because I am getting older...but she is not a runner...so what does she know?

[@giovanbattistafichera8439]

she knows she's right.

[@michaelpiccirilli2264]

Yep...the truth hurts...

[@twiston43]

She's probably just jealous...

[@Thomas_Smaling]

she knows your getting older

[@ronlanter6906]

It depends, are you running AWAY from her or TOWARDS her? 😉

[@TheSandkastenverbot]

After every one of your videos I have the feeling that I gained the knowledge of a whole book in just 15 Minutes PLUS a bunch of motivation on top of it. You always provide a very comprehensive view based on your many clients instead of just "that works for me". Thank you so much for this!

[@closmasmas9080]

Same

[@Glauberoliveira1409]

Excellent video. We all must be sure we are doing the right thing considering all these things you mentioned. Sleep, stress, eat carbs, iron levels, increasing milleage, enough calories, pace variety in trainning.

[@davidhughesa5177]

Good work Jason, all makes common sense.

[@johnfornace8327]

I have been listening to your podcasts since April 2022. Just started watching videos past 1-2 weeks I recommend both, but personally I have noticed better concentration and retention with your videos.

[@romanbenedit8190]

Great Video Coach , 7:00 ,Extreme weather . 60 degrees ( lol )Summer in Miami, 7:00 am ,86 degrees 90% humidity

[@CanalSDR]

I am learning English and how to run better with your videos. Thanks a bunch

[@whycantiremainanonymous8091]

Strides: a wonderful way... to ensure you get injured within a few weeks at most. All my recent injuries were during, or shortly after, strides.

[@StrengthRunning]

If you can't run a stride without getting injured, the problem is not the strides. The problem is your resiliency.

[@whycantiremainanonymous8091]

@@StrengthRunning I can do one, or several, but within a month or so of regularly doing them, the injury comes, reliably. I'm running about 65k a week, doing regular strength work, tempo runs and intervals, on top of lots of slower running. Nothing else got my hamstrings pulled. Just the strides. Any suggestions for improving resillience, then? Or maybe I'm doing my strides wrong?

[@matttherunner1396]

@@whycantiremainanonymous8091 Make sure you never do strides before running at least 1 or 2 slow km first.

[@whycantiremainanonymous8091]

@@matttherunner1396 Yep! That was my lesson from the first strides injury. My lesson from the second was not to do strides at the end of a speed workout. If I ever come back to doing strides, I'd rather learn my other lessons from somebody else's experience, though.

[@TheSandkastenverbot]

The faster you run, the more your posterior chain is taxed relative to the muscles you usually need for running. And the p.c. is very commonly an under-trained part of the body. The fact you pulled your hamstrings points exactly into that direction. My favorite exercise for that: one-legged good mornings

[@bsmoov7]

Comment about monthly vs weekly mileage resonated with me. I remember moving one end of week evening 8 miles to the beginning of the week the next morning. Weekly mileage showed 22 and 38 instead of 30 and 30. Monthly is easier to get accurate numbers.

[@michails.maipas814]

I am looking many running videos, but running fast is it healthy? or just jogging but 100 miles per week?

[@kerricappy4890]

Very timely. Ran a pb in a virtual marathon in December. Killed it for the first few weeks back then started to struggle and have been on a downwards slide since. I am getting an iron infusion next week but I'm not sure if that will do the job.

[@calebfoster552]

Super helpful for this rookie- thank you

[@thesheb8311]

I feel better about my hours running intervals at the track in 100 degree heat. I was getting frustrated with my pace and exhaustion. I still feel like it’s worth pushing through once a week till the weather is better.

[@ronlanter6906]

Running in high heat and humidity will improve your endurance. You will notice it in the fall (autumn).

[@today-nl]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@chrism589]

Yeah I get carried away and end up running my long and easy runs too fast!

[@msfkmsfk]

This has been a very beneficial video. Thank you very much StrengthRunning.

[@dannygrays]

Just discovered your channel. Great advice in this vid. I will give these a try, especially sleep!

[@gaelmenes6444]

Thank you for your advice. It helps me a lot. The essential things are often the simplest (sleep, food ...).

[@adam_tri_hard]

Brilliant thanks Jason

[@JJCA82]

I am running 4 times a week. 2 slow runs for 10k, one intervals training focused on speed runs and walking around 8 - 10k when I include warmups and cool downs and 1 race run sometimes tops speed 5 - 10k sometimes a slower speed 15k - 20k. I keep trying to get faster but it isn’t happening.

[@davesharratt917]

Race attempt every week? No one recommend this. One day effort per week (intervals, tempo, hills or something) sure, but not with a race effort too. Switch it for a slow long run and build some aerobic capacity. It's more fun, less risky and you'll get faster. Or so say all the experts.

[@qcomberette]

So here is my question, if running in the heat slows you down, how do you adapt to it? I am a Canadian now living in Malaysia, it is hot and humid all years around all day and night long. I have been here for 3 years and I can definitely deal with the heat better now, I can run way longer (I actually ran a marathon last year) but my performance is not getting better and I find it hard to maintain a low heart rate. Any tips?

[@ronlanter6906]

When you go to a milder climate, you will immediately see large improvements. I also live in a hot and humid climate but when I travel to milder climates (San Diego, etc), my endurance, breathing, speed, is so much better.

[@fastinradfordable]

Training in the hotter the better. While Blood is used to cool your skin- Your muscles adapt to having less oxygen available. It’s similar to high elevation training. It’s a good thing. I wait til the hottest part of the day for hard runs.

[@allid4283]

About sleep: I've heard this a lot and have tried it but I was sluggish and always tired. When I let my body naturally wake up, 6 hours seems to make me feel really good. Some nights I get 7 or 8 depending on what I did that day. Is this okay?

[@tinakohf]

I think there is a caveat to the carbohydrate and calorie intake points. I've lost 20 pounds over the past year and a half. Taking off 20 pounds definitely increased my speed. Part of how I took off the weight was moderating my carbohydrate intake. I never met a carb I didn't like. I had to decrease my carbs by 30-50% and increase my fat and protein intake. You can't outrun a bad diet and you have to factor in realistically how much you are consuming versus how much you are burning.

[@juliakwatlhai3533]

Hi Christina. Do you mind sharing what you eat in a day ( breakfast, lunch, dinner). My biggest mistake is thinking I can outrun a bad diet. I like your comment 🙏

[@tinakohf]

@@juliakwatlhai3533 Hi Julia, well, my diet does vary and right now I am trying to observe Lent. (Not as hard as it sounds.) Basically, I don't really have a proper breakfast bc I'm never hungry in the morning, so I have coffee with some creamer and sweetener. If I'm hungry, I may have some cereal or I make a smoothie. Those things, are carb loaded, however, my typical run is in the morning, so I burn a lot of those carbs. I also have a physically demanding day as I am moving all day long. I am the opposite of desk bound! Lunch is probably my healthiest meal with a salad, or some meat/fish and veggies. Dinner is probably a protein and some veggies and I will have pasta, rice or bread with dinner. The biggest thing that has helped me lose weight is cutting out snacks! Especially snacks after dinner. That is my Achilles heal. Every once in a while, I do snack after dinner, but I try not to. The thing that will kill a diet is chips, ice cream, candy, chocolate, etc. And don't forget alcohol. You got to get rid of the low lying fruit. Eat healthy. Good luck!

[@jacobfaughtrunningproducti974]

Last year at this time my PR for the season was a 19:07, and I did run an 18:56 back in July, but I just haven't been getting faster, I've been doing around 25-30 miles a week, around 5-6 times a week, and my times this season have been 19:50, 19:17, 20:26, 19:43, 19:27, and 19:49. And I'm just worried that I haven't gotten faster, because I should be running faster as a sophomore than I was as a freshman, and I just don't know why I'm not.

[@fastinradfordable]

25 miles per week isn’t enough. Up to 40 mpw

[@jacobfaughtrunningproducti974]

@@fastinradfordable I'm up to 50 a week now and run 17:30, first meet of junior year is next week and my goal this season is to drop below 17 and make it to state

[@ericccc1]

Good for you!😛

[@michails.maipas814]

You are very correct! I like run 800 miles per week but slow down speed in order to complete many only ultramarathons and bcz I am thinking only health and to increase my lifetime 😊😊

[@albertoguerra3351]

Thanks! Great content!!

[@drorkoblenc7417]

Thank you

[@mikomelandro]

Insightful! Thanks so much for this. 👍🏻🙏🏻⚡

[@bhavneshhadiyel1341]

You touched many personal points thank you to give your best solutions

[@BostonCycling_]

This man spits the truth. Subscribed!!

[@avwel3827]

Awesome info!!!!

[@digambarpawar5053]

Very helpful video

[@gilbertflowers8707]

Great info!

[@1man1year150]

question, any siggestions on what to consume? I've been running for getting closer to a year now. Any suggestions? I am a vegan so be gentle haha. Love the stuff though. Glad I found the channel :)

[@fastinradfordable]

Spinach

[@dtrjones]

Excellent video Jason, so much good advice. I dare say many of us know and can relate to some of this but hearing this advice in one video makes it so much easier 👍. In a world of confusing and sometimes conflicting training videos this one stands out in my opinion and no matter what level you are, something here will improve you as a runner!

[@meganyeahbuddy6353]

If your not eatting calories in the day can that slow you down I’ve noticed that last year I could do a 200 run easy last year and this year I can’t even hit the corner without slowing down to a jog

[@JungleSoundzperc]

Yes! ... it’s like that !

[@panagotube]

Just thanks..!

[@Gatcombe]

I must do the long slow distance run every week, but I'll have trouble getting a full 8 hours at night :-(

[@yolandacroes5491]

Hot weather is going to slow you down, even 60 degree weather. Me, living and running in the Caribbean:

[@monetemert4916]

You mean watching running videos at 1am isn't good for my recovery? 😜

[@leaveyoushaken]

Performance plateau - Yep that's me!

[@mintcloud5026]

I thought it was interesting that you didn't mention intervals as part of your recommended speed work. Is that because of the injury risk, or something else? I recently pulled a muscle in one of my quads quite badly whilst running intervals during marathon training and I'm questioning why I was bothering with the intervals at all when the marathon is an aerobic event.

[@StrengthRunning]

I talked about running a faster workout every week. That could include intervals. "Intervals" simply means you're running repetitions of something. It doesn't dictate the distance of those reps, the recovery, or the pace. So you could run an aerobic interval workout.

[@wanokmorrisson3513]

Interval speed training is a must if u want to run faster even in marathon

[@changemymind8692]

I think that many people start running to lose weight when they should run for performance. The weight issues correct themselves for the most part if you're consistent in your training program.

[@FTStratLP]

Sorry to correct you, but REM sleep is not deep, it is actually the sleep when you are dreaming, which is assumed to be the reason for the R(apid) E(ye) M(ovement). So essentially REM sleep is the "opposite" of deeep sleep.

[@StrengthRunning]

I included many types of sleep including delta wave sleep. Let's not split hairs - it's all important.

[@andyhagan6466]

@@StrengthRunning No. REM sleep is actually bad for you. That is, REM sleep is worse than no sleep at all and undoes part of your "good" sleep. Go to the research 😄

[@TheSandkastenverbot]

​@@andyhagan6466 Why is it that "go do the research" always comes with the most ridiculous assertions?

[@johnnytyj1]

I'm 55...is my running considered slow... running 10km below 85 minutes...

[@TheSandkastenverbot]

Try going for 60 minutes. I'm sure you can do it!

[@jazz3695]

I am training for a mile. I've been running for almost 4 months but my mile time is 6:30 how can I cut down one minute of it within 6 months.?

[@roberto8589]

run more

[@optimalsolution5389]

your'e a legend

[@gourami7]

But at what age does your performance just decline and go backyards ?

[@manuel3494]

Late 30s it starts to decline some i think

[@dri1811ya]

Sarah Hall and Eliud Kipchoge are in their late 30s, they're still hauling ass Abdi Abdirahman is even in his 40s, he's going to Tokyo. So my answer: I don't know.

[@gourami7]

@@dri1811ya but these are elites..

[@wildan2136]

@@gourami7 well thats even good example because athlete collect record. like football mostly player declined at early 30, basketball early 30 is their prime, boxing also 30 ish is prime. then running i think late 30 is still considered prime.

[@rubbershark17]

SOLID TIPS

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

It is completely possible to run as fast on low carb, you just have to give your body enough time to fully adapt to the new energy system. I'm talking months and years. I have been 98-100% carnivore for two years, and while my performance dipped for a while, I am now running PRs from 200m-5K. I am also MUCH healthier and more productive, on half the former mileage.

[@KrazyKrzysztof]

please no do not spread this carni stuff on here combined with health talk

[@christophermonson3214]

Love it!

[@juanchaves3662]

What is PR?

[@LifeLongRunner]

Your own personal record

[@toseelist9332]

Delta wave sleep = deep sleep REM sleep, a completely different phase, not considered deep sleep, not many delta waves.

[@magicf7076]

Great talk! But about carbs, I don’t agree. Since I eat more fats and less carbs, my overall performance did go up. Not so carb dependence and hungry anymore. Running on fat is great! Check all the information about LCHF from Tim Novak’s.

[@tak4043]

If you're new or even not so new to running the easiest way to get faster is: Buy a bicycle and use it instead of your car, if at all possible and use it like you mean it.

[@JStock1032]

Look like you're in week four of Boot Camp lol

[@teenakowbel4655]

Lol cold weather... Welcome to Canada 6months a year its cold.

[@Bentonrochester]

I eat so much though. I feel like I’m gaining wait running 30miles a week + xtraining.

[@michelleharnett1351]

So eat more (especially carbs) and run further and longer - sounds fair.

[@giovanbattistafichera8439]

yeah but that doesn't mean gorge on bread, baked goods and pasta. You're better off eating oats, (sweet) potatoes, brown rice, fruit and vegetables and minimally processed food in general.

[@Rohilla313]

@@giovanbattistafichera8439 why sweet potatoes? Aren’t regular potatoes good enough?

[@giovanbattistafichera8439]

@@Rohilla313 they're a different vegetable. Sweet potatoes are richer in vit A, C, and sugar, while white potatoes have more vit B and more proteins. I eat both :)

[@fastinradfordable]

7:00 Everyone is under identical conditions. Just because it feels hard for your friend. Doesn’t mean it feels easier for him than anyone else in the race. He may give up a guarantee win just because it feels hard. Not a good mentality

[@godfreydalereyna2058]

blinked twice, thought the thumbnail was johnny sins

[@giovanbattistafichera8439]

3:22 hear that desperate giggle? That's the reason I train - so I can run from women who want kids :D

[@yacineiheb7269]

how can lose weight by not fowilling ad diet

[@TheSandkastenverbot]

He advised against very low-carb diets and just eating too little while already being skinny. Losing extra weight helps with running because that wiggling body fat just costs a lot of energy. But going from lean to six-pack-abs MIGHT hamper your performance, especially the higher intensity stuff

[@Argonaut320]

I have been sleeping average 6hrs per night since 20 years...just saying.

[@JasonFitzgerald]

And you should know that outliers are exactly that.

[@ianhobbs2405]

Someone is interfering with the subtitles today. They are completely rubbish.. Shame...

[@firstmatepetethedreadful3696]

Me looking at my 3:32 and the school record of 2:23

[@kruegs1fan322]

Hey your video was great! My friend also makes running videos like this on KZbin. He’s posted a video about his half marathon he just did. Check him out and subscribe if you get the chance, JK Running Productions! 😄

[@aib2311]

A person who runs 40 miles a week doesn't need coaching.

[@StrengthRunning]

Fascinating how you ignore the best runners: HS, college, and pro athletes who all have coaches. In your small world, a person at 40 mpw is a superstar who's figured it all out. It's depressing to witness this fixed mindset in action.

[@aib2311]

@@StrengthRunning you've been skipping on a lot of brain days.