Running below your aerobic training threshold to stay healthy

Running Slower to Get Faster

As a runner, one of your main goals is to probably get faster, whether that be at a 1 mile, 5k, half marathon, marathon, or even a longer race. You might think that if you just run faster in practice you will naturally get faster in your races. In reality, aerobic training is a very important part to getting faster.

In fact, the irony of running is that if you run fast too often, you will most likely get slower overall. Needless to say, this can be very demotivating for a lot of people. You though you have done all the right things and killed yourself on each of your runs, only to fail miserably in your race when trying to achieve a PR.

In reality, the best way to get faster is actually run slowly more often. This will help you prevent injury, reduce burnout, and allow you to build up your aerobic capacity.

What Is Aerobic Running?

If you are new to running or exercise in general, you might not be familiar with aerobic threshold.

Quite simply, your aerobic threshold is the range of physical intensity when your body switches from using mostly fat oxidation as your source of energy to using mostly carbohydrates instead.^[1]Trail Runner – When (and Why) to Train Below Aerobics Threshold

In other words, if you are running below your aerobic capacity, your body has enough oxygen to function properly without producing lactic acid or other harmful byproducts from harder exercise.

If you are running above your aerobic threshold, in your anaerobic threshold, your heart rate increases, lactic acid starts building up in your muscles, and it takes longer to recover from the workout.

The tipping point between aerobic and anaerobic training is called the lactic threshold. However, you shouldn’t think of this as a point, but rather as a range of intensity levels which depend on several factors including: weather, stress, and age.

How To Find Your Aerobic Threshold

Now that you know what aerobic threshold running is, how are you able to tell that you are doing it?

One of the simplest ways to do so is the 180 Formula which will help calculate your maximum aerobic heart rate.

Start by subtracting your age from 180.

(180 – age)

Next, you can modify this number using the following categories below.^[2]MAF – Want Speed? Slow Down!

Subtract 10 more points if you currently are or are recovering from a major illness such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or are taking medication.
Subtract 5 more points if you haven’t exercised before, are inconsistent with your exercise, have allergies, or have 2 or more colds per year.
Use the (180 – age) formula if you have been exercising at least 4 times a week for 2 years without any of the problems listed above.
Add 5 more points if you have competed, improved, and not experienced any problems over the last 2 years.

For example:

If you are 30 years old and have allergies, your 180 Formula would be:

180 – 30 – 5 = 145

Therefore, when you go out on your runs, you should make sure that your heart rate does not go above 145 beats per minute (BPM) in order to stay within your aerobic running threshold.

Use a Heart Rate Monitor

As you can see, knowing your heart rate is very important with regards to understanding your aerobic training zone. You can just check your own pulse; however, this is difficult to do while running and is not very accurate. Therefore, it is much easier to use a heart rate monitor that can give you consistent heart rate feedback.

However, there are many heart rate monitors out there and it can be very confusing to know which one to choose.

A few popular options include:

All of these watches are great. If you are looking for just the basic feature of heart rate and GPS tracking, you can go with the Garmin Forerunner 35. However, if you are interested in multi sport and want more data about your running consider upgrading to the 235 or 935.

While it is completely necessary starting out, you might find that a wrist based heart rate monitor is not always the most exact. If this is you, then consider getting a chest strap to use with your watch. They will help give you the most accurate heart rate monitoring to make sure you are running are your aerobic threshold pace.

A great one to use is:

Garmin Garmin HRM-Run $78.90

However, if you want to know a bit more about the nitty gritty of heart rate monitors and what you should be looking for in one, make sure to check it out here.

Prevent Bonking

When you running too fast for too long, you are bound to experience a symptom runners like to call “bonking”.

This is the point in your run where you will physically not be able to run anymore no matter how much you want to. The best you might be able to do is slowly walk. In addition, you will most likely also feel light headed, dizzy, and nauseous. This is because you don’t have enough blood sugar in your body.^[3]RunnersConnect – Bonking vs. Fatigue vs. Cramping: What You Need to Know

However, this is not the same feeling as fading at the end of a race.

So how do you prevent from bonking?

One of the best ways to do so is by doing a majority of your training in the aerobic zone. In other words, this trains your body to be more efficient at using fat as your primary fuel source.

However, it is important to note, that when running a longer race such as a marathon, it is nearly impossible to do so using fat as your only fuel. Perhaps if you were running slow enough you could, but if you are going out there to run fast, you need to also include a good fueling strategy for your race.

Running Slower Is Healthy

Not only does running slower at your aerobic threshold help you get faster in the long run, it is also great for your health.

Long, slow running has several benefits including:^[4]Running Warehouse – AEROBIC THRESHOLD RUN, A MID WEEK LONG RUN

Increase in your mental strength
Increase in the size and number of your mitochondria (the power generators in your body)
Increase in your aerobic enzyme activity
Increase in capillary blood vessels in your muscles

Aerobic Running Helps You Be More Consistent In You Training

In addition, one of the most important things to improve your running is consistency. If every time you got out on a run you are going as fast as you can and feel completely exhausted, you will require a longer period of rest between workouts.

This is also relevant for your longer runs. You must be careful to not to do too much too quickly. You might think that if a 60 minutes run is good, then a 90 minute run is even better! While this might be true, there is a rate of diminishing return for the longer you run. This is especially true when you are switching over from the aerobic to the anaerobic threshold. By running at a higher pace, you are tiring out your body, including your immune system, making it much harder to recover and much more likely to get sick. Therefore, running at a slower aerobic pace can help prevent you from overexerting yourself.^[5]MarathonPal – Fat as a Fuel for Marathon Training

Does It Burn More Fat?

One of the biggest claims is that aerobic running burns more fat.

However, is this true?

Unfortunately, this is a bit of a misconception. This idea came about due to a misinterpretation of the scientific data. When you run aerobically, your body uses more fat compared to carbs as its source of fuel.

The opposite is seen when you run anaerobically. In comparison, you use more carbs than fat when running at a higher intensity.

However, when you run with a greater intensity, you also burn more calories than running at a lower intensity. Therefore, it is important to know that you will burn more fat calories when running hard than when running easier.

Calories Burned

Men use the following formula:^[6]Verywellfit – Your Fat-Burning Zone and Weight Loss

Original Formula

Calories Burned = [(Age x 0.2017) + (Weight x 0.09036) + (Heart Rate x 0.6309) — 55.0969] x Time / 4.184.

Calories Burned at Low Intensity (65% MHR) = [(Age x 0.2017) + (Weight x 0.09036) + ^[7]214 – (Age * 0.8 x .65 x 0.6309) — 55.0969] x Time / 4.184.

Calories Burned at High Intensity (85% MHR) = [(Age x 0.2017) + (Weight x 0.09036) + ^[8]214 – (Age * 0.8 x .85 x 0.6309) — 55.0969] x Time / 4.184.

Women use the following formula:

Original Formula

Calories Burned = [(Age x 0.074) — (Weight x 0.05741) + (Heart Rate x 0.4472) — 20.4022] x Time / 4.184.

Calories Burned at Low Intensity (65% MHR) = [(Age x 0.074) — (Weight x 0.05741) + ^[9]209 – (Age * 0.7 x .65 x 0.4472) — 20.4022] x Time / 4.184.

Calories Burned at High Intensity (85% MHR) = [(Age x 0.074) — (Weight x 0.05741) + ^[10]209 – (Age * 0.7 x .85 x 0.4472) — 20.4022] x Time / 4.184.

Calculation

For instance, here’s my formula based on a 49 year old male weighing 155 for a workout where my heart rate averages about 148 bpm throughout a 60-minute FitCamp workout.

[(49 x 0.2017) + (155 x 0.09036) + (148 x 0.6309) – 55.0969] x 60/4.184 =

[9.8833 + 14.0058 + 93.3792 – 55.0969] x 14.3403 = 891.47 calories (or 15 kcal/min)

Max Heart Rate (Male) = 214 – Age * 0.8

Max Heart Rate (Female) = 209 – Age * 0.7

How Can I Include This In My Workout Plan?

So now that we know how important aerobic running is, how can you include it in your training plan?

Above all, make sure to include easy running!

Many people forget about this because they are so focused on getting faster that they think the only way to get faster is by pushing yourself really hard.

However, as we stated earlier, running easy has many benefits including:

Building endurance
Promoting good running form
Facilitating recovery

In fact, easy runs are so important to an effective running schedule that 65-80% of all your mileage should be easy running.

Previously, we talked about using a heart rate monitor. This is a great way to confirm that you are running at an easy pace.

However, there is another even easier way to know. If you are able to talk and keep a full conversation going while running, than you know that you are easy running.

For example, a few sample workouts that you can do to incorporate easy running into your training schedule include:

5 mile run at conversation pace. You don’t have to hit any specific paces. However, make sure that you resist the urge to pick up the pace.
1 hour run at conversation pace. Just like the previous workout, focus on keeping it easy. However, the main difference here is that you aren’t trying to go any specific distance.^[11]No Meat Athlete – 8 Running Workouts to Build Strength and Endurance

In addition, if you are interested in other types of running workouts, check out

Parting Words About Aerobic Training

While aerobic training might not seem as complex or sexy as other types of running workouts, it is still very important. In fact, it is the main chunk of the work you should be doing and what will help you get to the next level as a distance runner. By focusing on your aerobic training you are bound to get faster, stay healthier, and have an overall better running experience!

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