So, you've been running for a little while now, but you still feel like it just sucks. You're not doing very good, you don't feel any better, and you're wondering when will running actually get easier? Well, I'm Jesse Funk and on today's episode of Runner's High, I'm gonna give you a few reasons that running makes it easier in your future and how to get there.
So, the annoying and tricky truth of the situation is that when does run get easier? It varies. There's no one universal truth to say running won't get easier this time for you because X. When I'm talking to you, I'm also talking to other people. And there's a lot of variables involved.
What's your fitness level in the past? Have you been injured? Do you have any kind of underlying condition or health problems? There’s a lot of things that make it seem like running is not going to get easier.
But the trick is, first of all, don't compare yourself to other people. So, if you find yourself saying, okay, you know, I wish I was like you, Jesse, and I could run seven-minute miles or something for a long run pace. Well, I've been running for a very long time, and I have a certain genetic makeup, so I'm able to do that. Now, don't use your genetics as a perfect excuse.
But it's an example to know that my history is not the same as your history. So, don't make a comparison between yourself and somebody else. Only make the comparison between yourself and yourself over time.
Know that if you're not feeling like it's getting easier, there may be something else at play. The first thing I always want to check when somebody says it's not getting easier is how hard are you actually going.
So, if you're just new to running, you're just beginning, you're just starting out, you don't know anything about running, you don't know how long you should go, how hard you should go, the tendency is to go too hard. And if you're going too hard, you simply cannot last. It's gonna feel like it's a drag every single time you go out.
So, the first thing to try is to go slower. It's just as easy as that. And for comparison, know that even the best people, the fastest people are going to go much, much slower on their long runs when they're going out and building aerobic base. That's what we do when we begin running than when they're actually racing. So, if you're saying, I want to run such and such time for a 5K, you're trying to run that pace every day, you're absolutely going way too fast.
So, again, that's a tendency of beginners to go too fast, too early and that's why you kind of peter out. If you don't know what I’m talking about when I'm talking about building base, hit that subscribe button in the bottom right-hand corner, then go check out the channel. I have a whole mini-series on periodization and setting up a schedule. So, I talked more about that in that video series.
Now without seeing your training schedule in particular, it's hard for me to say, okay, this is the upper level you should be going in. But one great way to come back to no matter who you are is to check your heart rate. Now, you need to know what your max heart rate is.
But assuming that your max heart rate is somewhere in the ballpark of 190 to 200 beats per minute, then you want to go to about 140 to 150 beats per minute maximum for your long run pace. Again, I have a whole other video that talks about heart rate training, how to calculate your heart rate, how to do all these zones, and to repeat myself, subscribe to the channel, check that out here in a minute.
But a heart rate is a good way to go back and say this is the appropriate effort level for this kind of run. And again, if you're just beginning you feel like it's not getting easier, you probably don't have enough aerobic base underneath you. And that's why you're feeling shortness of breath, your muscle is fatigued, you don't feel like you can keep going, those kinds of things.
And you have to also remember that people come at it from different places. I mentioned genetics in the beginning of this video, and as much as we want to say, it's all about effort, we know that genetics does play a role.
So, as an example, I know somebody who can go from basically sitting on the couch to running 5K times that other people would kill for. Whereas you may be are going to be somebody that I also know similar to your kind of complaint, it doesn't get easier who has to start out with we’re going 30 seconds at a time and then working up to one minute at a time doing on and off walking and running and building up that ability to go longer over time.
The trouble is that it takes a long time to build base. As a seasoned runner, I would say It takes several years to build a very, very solid base. And that's simply not where our brains are. We want things right now. You know, we don't want to wait. So, it may be a case of impatience as well on your part if you're saying things never get easier. But here's what I want to do for you.
Let me know down in the comments below if I've not covered your situation, if you're not going too hard, you've been at this for years and you feel like it's never getting easier, leave me a comment down below. I want to help you personally with what's going on in your particular situation. So, leave me a comment below. I will get back to you and try to troubleshoot your situation. As always, I'll see you next time on the next episode of Runner's High.