I’m a casual runner so maybe this is a stupid question, but the more I get into running the more I’m finding it hard to run at any pace other than the one I settled into.
If I run slower or faster, it’s moderated by my stride length, but my feet hit the ground in sync with a 145BPM. If my feet are hitting the ground at anything other than 145BPM it just feels wrong.
I now have a spotify playlist with about a dozen running songs at as close to 145BPM as possible (as little as 2 BPM deviation feels rushed or dragging).
Is this just a mental thing? Is it a bad habit to settle into? Am I alone in this?
You must log in or register to comment.
Depends on what the pace is and whether you plan on improving your running.
If the pace is slow, it should be fine. Lots of people (I was one of those) get into running thinking that going as fast as possible, all the time, is the way to go. Then they get injured, like I did.
Running slow greatly reduces the chances of injury, and that’s one of the reasons behind the 80/20 philosophy (80% slow, 20% fast runs).
However, your body will get used to it and will stop improving. There are people who also insist that given enough time of performance plateau, you may start going the opposite way and begin losing progress. As far as I know there’s no science to this claim, but it is clear that the first part will hold water (the part where your body will get used to it and will stop improving).
If you’re fine with that and the pace is not putting you at greater risks of injury, you should be fine.
Yeah I run for personal enjoyment and general fitness. I run for as many loops on my route as feels good, and though my pace stays the same my distances covered and time spent running are increasing without any real push on my part, if that makes sense. I only track my numbers out of curiosity. Unless there’s a downside to a steady 145bpm run I don’t see myself changing things up any time soon.
Yep, got it. You’ll be fine. If you decide that you want to improve your running or fitness, then you can look into a running plan with varied runs.
Nothing wrong necessarily. If you are casually running, whatever gets you out there and keeps you injury free, is fine.
There are exercises you can do that can help a different pace feel more right, like cadence drills. I suspect, your muscle memory is just quite strong at that one pace, but there isn’t anything inherently making another pace impossible for you to learn.
It’s probably habitual, since there’s no practical reason I’m aware of that a runner has to be locked into such a specific pace, but as long as you feel comfortable running at that speed, I don’t see why there would be any problem with it.
Walking, jogging and sprinting, each speed is using your muscles differently, so the speed that you’ve settled into is probably just the speed you’ve practiced the most, so it feels the most correct to you, which is fine as long as you feel comfortable at that pace and you aren’t pushing yourself too hard.
I just jog at whatever feels comfortable, I never try to push myself and stress out my body unless I feel like it, which does sometimes happen.
I’ll occasionally feel like sprinting, pitching up the pace or walking and I’ll sprint for a couple blocks or something or walk if I need to work a muscle out or if I’ve just been running for a while and want to break, but I usually just stay at my pace that feels like feel-good exercise and not work.
I guess I’m really just landing on listening to your own body and going with what feels comfortable and healthy.
It’s what I kind of mentally tagged as my “forever pace” - the pace I can go at steadily for an hour or 2 without having to stop for breaks. I can go slower if I force myself to but it takes a conscious effort and pulls me out of the zone. I’m already at a snails pace (at least it feels like it to me).
I only noticed the 145bpm thing by accident when I was suddenly stepping in time to one of my favorite running songs (Antireal by Glitch Mob) and realized it would help me keep at my “forever pace” and from straying into going too fast and then getting winded or gassing out, which I would do when I first started going on runs instead of walks. Then it really helped me get into a zone, and it’s been 145bpm ever since lol.
Cool, it sounds like you figured out what works for you, I wouldn’t change anything beyond that.
Preferring a particular pace doesn’t seem weird at all to me, I definitely know when I’m jogging at my own pace, and am aware if I’m going slower or faster than it, even though I haven’t tracked it down to a BPM.
I’m nowhere near an expert, just a casual runner. I know if other runners that have specific BPM playlists. I listen to podcasts as they don’t have beats. I think you’re OK with a specific timing.
Even the other runners I’ve heard from that have BPM playlists seemed to switch it up. Maybe it’s different if you’re pushing yourself harder?
Likely. All my running friends are just casuals like me.
I enjoy being casual. It also meshes better with my lack of disposable income lol
My 3 year old running shoes that were worn out 2 years ago agree with that sentiment.
For a lot of people, 180 spm is the sweet spot for efficiency, whether they are running fast or slow. I recommend giving it a try.
Thanks! I’ll give it an honest shot and see how it feels, though it’ll have to wait until after the current heatwave hitting us
Not at all, that’s actually a lot more common than you might think. If you’re just running for the sake of running and not trying to train or compete then maintaining a stable cadence is an excellent habit to develop. If you are overly obsessed to the point that 144 or 146 feels wrong, then that would be a little weird. But there’s nothing wrong with finding a consistent cadence that suits you.
The only thing I would say is that 145 BPM is a very low cadence and you might want to think about increasing it. At 145, I struggle to imagine you doing anything other than hitting the ground quite hard and potentially causing damage to your knees. If you increase the cadence you will become more efficient and can reduce the stress on certain areas of your body. With a higher turnover you just naturally get lighter on your feet. As someone else said, many people like to run around 180 - I personally run at around 176 because I used to listen to these 176 BPM mixes back in the day and it’s just sort of become ingrained in me.
EDIT: And just to be clear, you can run faster or slower paces with higher or lower cadences. The two are not mutually exclusive so I’m just assuming you are concerned with cadence here. There is definitely nothing wrong with running a consistent pace, that’s a habit many amateur runners strive to develop.
Thank you very much for this - you all make some great points. I do wonder about my form, and my footfalls do seem a bit heavy sometimes. Definitely going to try a few faster pace runs when I go back and I’ll be paying attention to where I’m feeling it in my legs, knees & feet. 👍
You can try listening to genres like Drum & Bass and Hardcore/J-Core/Freeform if you want to practice running at a higher cadence. They are all generally 170+ BPM. Or just play a metronome set to a higher BPM if you don’t like the music.
