How to Run Slow with Proper Form and Technique

Coach Jeff

If you’re a long-time reader, then you know how frequently we discuss the topic of taking your easy days slow; and if you’re new to the site or need a refresher, here’s a great article on why we believe running slow is so important and how to determine your optimal easy pace.

I think we’ve done a good job educating runners on just how important running easy is.

But there’s still an issue.

4 out of every 10 runners who see their optimal easy pace immediately ask the question – “how do I run that slow?”

It’s a good question since running with efficient form is paramount to staying healthy. And, as you may have realized yourself, the slower you try to run, the harder it is to run with good form.

So, in this article we’re going to explain how your gait, or your running form, changes as you run slower and give you 5 simple form cues to help you maintain solid running technique when slowing down.

1. Keep your cadence up

While we used to think our cadence (or how many steps you take in 1 minute) needed to stay at 180, we now understand that cadence will naturally increase or decrease slightly when your pace changes.

The “trick” to maintaining good running form while slowing down is to make sure your cadence doesn’t drop too much.

I recommend runners stay within 2-4% of their normal or marathon pace cadence (here’s how to calculate your cadence).

That doesn’t mean you should try to lower your cadence if you don’t feel like you need to. However, it does mean that you should increase your cadence if it does drop below 2-4% of your normal.

As an example, if your normal marathon-ish pace cadence is 170, then you want to make sure you don’t fall below 164 when trying to run super easy or slow on your recovery days.

How to do this

Simply speaking, take shorter steps.

I think one of the issues runners have when trying to run slower is they want to maintain their normal stride length.

Stride length has a direct correlation to running speed. So, it’s okay for your stride length to shorten when trying to run slow.

I like to imagine I am running on an ice patch.

On ice, you can’t take long, loping strides since your foot will slide out behind you. This forces you to take shorter steps. It also cues you to land on your mid-foot and under your center of mass (hallmarks of proper running technique) to maintain balance.

If imagining yourself on a sheet of ice doesn’t work, try using a metronome app. App stores have a plethora of options, so finding one isn’t difficult. Set the app to the cadence you want to maintain and follow the rhythm.

2. Reduce your arm swing

Often neglected, your arm swing can actually have a great deal of influence on your running form.

If your arms swing side-to-side, so won’t your hips and lower body.

And because arm swing can help produce a propulsive force, the more you drive your arms forward and back, the more your legs will want to follow suit.

Your arm swing should thus automatically adjust as you do run slower – but for some runners this doesn’t happen.

How to lessen arm swing

Every runner is going to have an individual degree of arm swing, so there’s no magic number to shoot for.

What I recommend athletes do is visualize brushing their pockets or hips with their thumbs when trying to run slower.

This will generally keep your arms from swinging too far forward or back since they have a longer distance to travel. Plus, since you’ve extended the lever (physics term for extending the arm and thus requiring more effort to swing), arm swing will naturally slow down.

3. Hip flexion or Leg lift

Normally, I don’t recommend runners focus on hip flexion or driving the leg forward when they run.

I believe that knee lift should be a function of the stretch recoil generated by proper hip extension.

Hip extension is basically how far back behind your body your leg travels during push off. As your leg travels back behind you, it creates a stretch on the hip flexor muscle that, just like a rubber band would, releases the stored energy in the hip flexor as you transition to the swing phase.

However, when running at a slow pace, it’s very difficult to generate hip extension since you don’t need to produce a lot of power. As such, you can’t take advantage of the stretch reflex.

Therefore, you need to more actively focus on driving your leg forward when running slow.

How to do this

Because focusing on knee lift conflicts with the principles of proper technique, I don’t think it’s something you should actively focus on changing when you’re running slower.

My approach is similar to my thoughts on maintaining cadence as you run slower – focus on landing mid-foot and with your foot under your center of mass.

For most runners this will generate proper hip flexion since it’s nearly impossible to land this way without lifting your leg.