This is a long running question and one of great contention.  

When first starting out in triathlon I read many articles and spent hours on forums and questions about what is regarded as a run come up aplenty. The following were some of the responses:

A few spoke of the 6mph or quicker is running.

Both feet off the ground at some point, otherwise its jogging.

Not having both feet on the ground at the same time

Its only a run when there is a session goal.

It has to be 10k or more to do any good.

Heart rate has to be elevated above 80% of MAX

A run is when you are moving faster than you would be walking

The stigma attached to a run and what it is needs to be removed – every individual has their own running gait, style and speed and that means a run is different for everyone. There is no minimum distance to be classified as a run, there is no minimum speed.

I love running and love to run at what feels comfortable to me, in the past this has been too fast for long term improvements, ending in injury after injury and ultimately surgery – post surgery I carried on the same, that is until Summer 2019. After researching various articles about running I came across MAF running – (Maximum Aerobic Function) – the theory is that you run at your MAF HR and improve your MAF over time, thus improving running in general and reducing risk of injury. Initially this is very difficult for a seasoned runner as it is likely you will run at a much slower pace than you are used to – it feels counterintuitive and wrong – it takes some time to get used to. On occasions I had to walk to keep HR down, especially on inclines, even months after starting this method of running some inclines still mean walking. 

You shouldn’t let speed put you off running, if you have to walk a bit, then go ahead and walk and keep moving. We all started off not been able to walk or run, it is a learning process and enjoyment should come out of running. So long as you elevate your HR and are moving forward you are making progress, increasing the time spent with elevated HR.  

Not everyone is a speed demon, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all enjoy going for a run – starting MAF running has changed my perspective somewhat of what is good for me – I now don’t have to keep an eye on my average speed or try overtake other runners while training, just happy in my own mind that I am doing what makes me happy – running at my pace within my MAF limits and making progress, hopefully injury free.