TANAKA’S SLOW RUNNING: RUNNING SLOW TO RUN BETTER
What if, to improve as a runner, you had to learn to run more slowly? Slow jogging, developed by the Japanese physiologist Hiroaki Tanaka, proposes a simple training method: running at a very low intensity, almost at a brisk-walk pace, while maintaining a comfortable level of effort. A strategy that is interesting both for getting started in running and for developing the aerobic base, accumulating minutes of activity, or performing recovery runs.
What is slow running?
The slow jogging or slow running is a form of low-intensity running popularized by the Japanese researcher Hiroaki Tanaka, professor at Fukuoka University. Its principle is simple: run slowly enough to be able to hold a conversation and even smile while you run.
Tanaka popularized the Japanese concept “niko niko”, which can be translated as “smile.” The idea is to use the smile and the ability to speak comfortably as practical signals that we are running at an appropriate intensity.
An article from the Natural Running Center precisely captures this philosophy: if you cannot smile, talk with ease, or even sing, you are probably running too fast. (Natural Running Center)
It is not about setting a universal speed. The approximately 6-7 km/h figures that commonly appear associated with the method are only a reference: for some people it will be a very easy jog and for others it may be even slower. What matters is the relative intensity and the sensation of comfort.
The smile test
Here is a very simple way to know if you are doing slow running:
Can you run and maintain a conversation without running out of breath? Can you smile naturally?
If the answer is yes, you are probably at the right intensity.
If you keep an eye on the clock, pant, or need to concentrate to keep the rhythm, slow down.
And this concept also has an interesting scientific backing. A study conducted with 24 trained runners observed that smiling while running was associated with lower oxygen consumption and better running economy compared with frowning or a control condition. The authors suggested that smiling periodically could be used as an attentional cue to promote movement economy. (ScienceDirect)
Smiling will not automatically make you a better runner on its own, but it fits perfectly with Tanaka’s philosophy: relaxation, comfort and absence of unnecessary tension.
How is it done?
1. Start much slower than you think.
Forget about pace per kilometer at first.
2. Look for the “smile pace.”
You should be able to talk with ease and maintain a sense of control.
3. Slightly shorten your stride.
The goal is to run lightly, relaxed, and not to advance by taking large strides.
4. Keep the body relaxed.
Avoid tensing shoulders, arms, or jaw. The sensation should be of easy, fluid movement.
5. Walk when necessary.
For a beginner, alternating light running and walking is perfectly valid.
6. Increase time first, then speed.
The priority is to build exercise tolerance, not to show how far you can go on day one.
Should you run on your midfoot?
Here it is useful to separate Tanaka’s philosophy from what science actually says.
The book title of Tanaka refers to “Run with Smile, Midfoot Strike”, and the slow jogging approach promotes light running and a soft landing of the foot. (Natural Running Center)
However, I would not recommend that a runner artificially force a midfoot support thinking it will prevent injuries.
The majority of long-distance runners use a heel or rearfoot strike. A systematic review and meta-analysis found that around the 79% of distance runners initially landed on the rearfoot, a proportion that rose to 86% with increasing distance. Moreover, the available evidence does not conclusively show that running with a midfoot or forefoot strike provides a performance advantage. (PubMed Central (PMC))
Another review concluded that deliberately changing from rearfoot to midfoot or forefoot strike has not demonstrated improvements in running economy nor a reduction in injury risk by itself. (PubMed)
Therefore, the practical recommendation is much simpler:
Do not focus first on where the foot lands. Focus on running relaxed, with a comfortable stride, without artificially lengthening it or pounding the ground.
What benefits can it bring?
Slow jogging shares many of the benefits of low-intensity aerobic exercise: improved cardiorespiratory capacity, increased energy expenditure and stimulation of the leg muscles, as well as allowing you to accumulate physical activity in a relatively comfortable way.
In a trial involving about 81 adults aged around 71, a 12-week program combining one-minute intervals of slow jogging and one minute of walking significantly improved aerobic capacity and performance on a chair-stand test. Improvements were also observed in various measures related to leg body composition.
Research specifically on Tanaka’s method remains limited, so we should not attribute miraculous properties. What it does have behind it is a solid principle: regular aerobic exercise is one of the best strategies to improve and maintain physical capacity.
A tool also for trained runners
Here is one of the most interesting applications for Sport Life readers.
Slow running is not only for beginners or older people. A trained runner can use it for:
The philosophy of Natural Running Center also presents it as a recovery tool: the activity should ideally leave you, when possible, better than when you started, not add more stress to what you already carry in daily life. (Natural Running Center)
What about fat loss?
Running slowly does not have a magical effect on body fat. Fat loss depends on the energy balance maintained over time and on factors such as diet, activity, rest, and body composition.
Its advantage may lie elsewhere: a comfortable intensity makes it easier for certain people to sustain activity longer and turn it into a sustainable habit.
For an athlete, moreover, gentle aerobic work can complement quality sessions without adding as much fatigue as more intense training.
Slow running and longevity
Perhaps this is the idea that matters most: running slowly can help you keep running for many years.
We do not need all our sessions to be intense. Endurance training yields important cardiovascular and metabolic adaptations, while low-intensity work allows for volume to accumulate and keeps us active with a lower recovery cost.
Therefore, slow running can form part of a longevity strategy for athletes: it’s not about training less, but about learning when it is worth training slower.
6 mistakes to avoid
1. Turn it into a race.
If you go out thinking you have to prove how much you can run, you’ve lost the concept.
2. Obsess about pace.
The 6-7 km/h range is a reference, not a requirement. Your slow-running pace depends on your fitness.
3. Forcing a midfoot strike.
Don’t change your foot strike pattern just because you think it’s healthier. The strike pattern is individual, and the evidence does not justify turning it into an obsession.
4. Running too long from day one.
Slow does not mean there is no load. The body needs adaptation.
5. Thinking it substitutes all training.
A runner also needs strength, mobility, quality sessions when appropriate, and rest.
6. Ignoring pain.
Running slowly does not make an injury safe. If persistent pain appears or it alters your running form, stop and assess what is happening.
SPORT LIFE TEST: ARE YOU RUNNING SLOW ENOUGH?
Try this test on your next workout:
✓ You can hold a conversation.
✓ You can smile effortlessly.
✓ You don’t feel like you’re competing.
✓ Your breathing stays controlled.
✓ You finish with the sense that you could have kept going.
If you meet all five, you’ve probably found your slow running.
And there’s something even more important: don’t be afraid of being overtaken by walkers. It’s one of the most enjoyable ideas of Tanaka’s method and also appears in the Natural Running Center approach: if you need to run very slowly, run very slowly. Other people’s speed has nothing to do with your training. (Natural Running Center)
IN SUMMARY
SLOW RUNNING = RUNNING SLOW + RELAXATION + CONSISTENCY
Intensity: low and comfortable, at a conversational pace.
The reference: the “niko niko,” running with a sensation comfortable enough to smile.
Technique: a natural and relaxed stride. It is not necessary to force a midfoot strike.
Ideal for: beginners, veteran runners, recovery runs and athletes who want to increase their aerobic activity.
The key: not chasing pace, but controlling effort.
The philosophy: running today in a way that allows you to run again tomorrow.
FOR A TAKEAWAY PHRASE
“If you can’t smile, you’re probably running too fast.”
More than a rigid scientific rule, it is the best practical translation of Tanaka’s niko niko philosophy: to make running feel easy, sustainable, and enjoyable again.
Scientific references