Alger continues: “You’re looking to be working at a steady aerobic level, approximately 65-80% of your maximum heart rate. Whether you’re running or walking fast, this is the effort level at which we spend 80-90% of our weekly time on our feet.”

While most run clubs will have people who run at a range of paces, attending a run club dedicated to slow running can be a great place to start if you’re worried about being left behind or just want to take a gentle approach. Slow Running Club, which is based in East London, is one example of a club committed to an accessible pace.

2. Focus on your fitness

The point at which you get out of breath while running is all to do with your cardiovascular fitness, so increasing your fitness will put you in better stead to talk and run.

Alger explains: “The reason it’s tough to talk when running is breathlessness driven by a lack of oxygen. Your cardiovascular fitness is directly related to your body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently, and the less efficient you are the more oxygen you need and the more you need to breathe, so it’s harder to get the words out.

“The most direct way to improve your chatting abilities is to raise your fitness levels. Do this and your ability to use oxygen efficiently rises and talking while running at the same pace becomes easier than before.”

How to get better at talking and running to make the most of run clubs