Finding a New Way to Run

For the last 10+ years, running has been my primary form of cardio exercise, and often my go-to exercise of any type. The last 6-8 months has been a little trying for me with my running.

Since a little over halfway through last year, I’ve been struggling to run at the same pace I had in the past. I had been able to do 3-4 mile runs regularly averaging 9:30-9:45 minutes per mile, sometimes faster, sometimes slower. I could go longer too with a slight drop in pace.

All of a sudden, I was hovering around 10:30 minutes per mile. And not only that, but I would feel like death after 3 miles and an absolute wall at around 4 miles. Given my propensity for running, this has been less than great. I’d been trying to keep at it with the hopes of having more runs help re-acclimate myself to it.

I’ve been trying to figure out why this started. Best guess is that I might’ve had COVID in May 2023. I tested twice, both came back negative, but the tests had expired. The doctor didn’t turn up anything, so long COVID is currently the best explanation. Other than this, I don’t have any other symptoms though.

Recently, I read an article talking about keeping your heart rate in zone 2 while running. Like the author, I noticed that a lot of my runs have my heart rate hanging out in zone 3, 4 & 5.

Figuring there’d be no harm in keeping my heart rate on the lower side, I decided to start running focusing on keeping my heart rate in zone 2 (130-141 bpm). For the first couple runs it was a little tricky for me finding a pace that keeps my heart rate lower.

I’ve now been doing this for 2 weeks across 8 runs. I’ve gotten better at finding the appropriate pace I need to keep myself in zone 2, although it’s still a struggle sometimes to slow down. I’m just so used to just going at whatever pace my body lets me. I’ve been running at a much slower than before, now around 12:00 minutes per mile, but I’ve felt much better during and after my runs. I don’t feel anywhere close to death after runs, and I’ve blown past my 4 mile wall, having hit almost 6 miles once (only stopping early to not overdo it).

My Apple Watch has allowed me to keep tabs on my heart rate while running. I have it set to alert me with both audio and vibration alerts whenever I enter or leave the zone so I know where my heart rate currently stands.

I’m hoping that I can keep at it and hopefully continue to improve both the distance I can run, as well as the pace at which I’m running it. At the end of the day, I’ve never been a fast runner, and while it’d be nice to be able to run faster, I’m happy to be able to just run.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. Don’t take what I’m saying as medical advice, it’s just something that has been helping me. If you’re dealing with medical issues, please see a medical professional.