Elliot Giles is a middle-distance runner and two-time European medalist who has competed at the Olympics and World Championships. Talking to Giles, a man who is beyond question very fast, is profoundly calming. It turns out that most of the time, his training comprises slow running. He enjoys that enormously.

“People can be fixated on times, distances and all the rest of it, but there is a beauty in running slow,” he tells GQ, offering up a decent explanation of why it’s important to take the term sexy pace seriously. “I ran today and I was basically almost walking. There’s a place for slow running in an elite athlete’s training plan because slow running is where you build your foundations.”

Giles’ training week splits about 80-20 in favor of slow runs. “The 20 percent is so hard you have to do the 80 percent slow,” he says. Even as an international competitor, he is able to find the mindful pleasure in moving at a gentle pace. “This morning I went for a run and I didn’t even bother wearing a watch. I’m in St. Moritz currently and it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. I just embraced what was happening around me. A slow run is my time to de-stress.”

Sexy pace improves your speed and endurance levels

Running slowly inevitably leads to running faster, which is why elite athletes spend so much time at a fraction of their maximum effort.

“The quicker you’re running the more likely you are to be exposed to an injury, the faster you run the more stress you put through your joints. Fewer injuries means more consistency and more consistency will inevitably make you go faster. Run slow to run fast,” Giles adds.

For me, at its best, running is a form of mobile meditation. At the risk of sounding like someone who talks to trees, there is nothing like a comfortable 10k through a rural setting to remind you being alive is really excellent. Until that is, a senior citizen overtakes you. How does Giles feel when someone glides by at a faster pace when he’s enjoying the landscape?

“My ego isn’t big enough. I just think good luck to them. My competitiveness is saved for the track and it’s like an on-off switch. Let them go. Let them do it.”