Running Isn’t Rocket Science
It’s More Interesting Than That
Most of us learn to run the same way we learned to ride a bike—someone said “go,” and we did. Years later many of us still treat running as something that either “feels good today” or “doesn’t.” At Pherform we approach it a little differently. We treat running like any other skill you’d train in the gym: break it into parts, measure the parts, improve the parts.
Picture two runs. Same shoes, same route, same playlist. One day your stride feels like you’re floating down the promenade; the next, every step lands with a thud. Most beginners chalk that swing up to mood, weather, maybe breakfast. Our coaches at Pherform know a different story is playing out—one written in heart-rate curves, muscle-fibre recruitment, neuromuscular timing and even the angle of your elbows.
If that sounds a bit… much, stay with us. You don’t need a sports-science degree to enjoy running, but acknowledging the layers beneath “left foot, right foot” is the first step toward progress that actually sticks.
The Pace Spectrum
New runners often lace up, pick a speed that feels “challenging” and hope for the best. The body, meanwhile, adapts to a spread of efforts: some speeds build the aerobic engine, others sharpen your ability to resist fatigue, and a few quick bursts teach the legs to turn over efficiently. The magic isn’t found at one single pace; it’s hidden in knowing when—and why—to switch gears.
Heart-Rate Colours
Most smartwatches flash a number on the screen, but the meaningful part is the context. Staying in an easy zone on purpose can be the difference between a run that nurtures fitness and one that quietly digs a recovery hole. Push into the higher colours too often and fatigue compounds; touch them strategically and stamina blossoms. The knack lies in telling those two scenarios apart in real time.
Cadence, Ground Contact, & Other Invisible Metrics
Count how many times one foot hits the ground in a minute and you’ve just met cadence—a rhythm that influences impact forces all the way up the kinetic chain. Tweak it by only a few beats and knees, hips and lower back can feel completely different. That adjustment is simple once you know what to listen for. Until you do, it’s invisible.
Energy Systems: Two Engines Under One Bonnet
A long, unhurried Sunday loop draws mostly on oxygen and patience; a short hill sprint taps into a faster, glycogen-hungry engine. Blend the two wisely and you’ll be the runner who can cruise and kick, not just one or the other. Blend them randomly and you may end up tired but unchanged.
Form Fundamentals
Posture, arm swing, foot strike—tiny tweaks here turn into big pay-offs later, especially when mileage climbs. Most people never see their own stride; once they do, light-bulb moments happen within minutes.
Strength: The Silent Kilometres
A single-leg squat in the gym might feel worlds away from the seawall, yet the stability it builds decides how fresh you feel at the 4-km mark. Running works better when strong muscles handle impact so joints don’t have to.
Why We Obsess Over The Details
Because life is busy, and wasted effort is frustrating. When you understand the pieces—pace ranges, heart-rate cues, cadence rhythm—you know exactly why today is easy, why Thursday is brisk, and why Sunday starts slow and finishes strong. Consistency follows clarity every time.
Ready to Peek Under the Hood?
Our next six-week running program - Run Further, Run Faster - explores all of these layers in real workouts, with real feedback, inside a community of women learning the same lessons together. It's one program with two parallel tracks:
• Run Further – focused on building distance and endurance
• Run Faster – focused on improving speed over shorter races
If you’re curious to see how much more there is to running than “just go faster,” we’d love to chat. Send us a WhatsApp to learn what the first session looks like and how the program could fit your goals. No pressure, no jargon—just a quick conversation about turning your next jog into a smarter one.
by: Laura N.
