I think this discover is what ultimately led to my love for running. If you’re part of the #runnersofinstagram community then you won’t need to scroll far down your feed to find this advice. We are constantly reminded and rightfully so, to keep our easy runs easy.
Not only that, but the majority of our weekly training, should be done at an easy pace. I think some runners are put off by the idea of training plans and taking running too seriously. In fact it’s often the opposite, where you are encouraged to run less or at a lower intensity.
In a World where we feel the need to share our daily activities with friends and peers we are often too anxious about what others might think. The term “slow” is branded around far too often, normally by the individual themselves.
I encourage my runners to focus on their perceived effort rather than pace. So rather than pondering if the run was too slow, you should be questioning whether your effort level was correct.
Pace can be influenced by many factors including sleep, fuelling, weather, stress, hormones, niggles, mindset, the list goes on. So an easy effort one week might be 10-20 seconds slower km than the previous week. Don’t fret. That’s fine. It’s the effort level that is important.
What is an easy pace?
If you have a Garmin or GPS watch you may have seen the 5 Zones which are based on heart rate. For easy runs we want to be in Zone 2. However from my own experience my Garmin is absolutely hopeless at measuring my heart rate and unless you purchase a more accurate heart rate monitor to wear on your arm or chest, I would recommend you ignore those readings.
Your easy pace should allow you to comfortably hold a conversation. I ask my runners to rate their perceived effort out of 100 and for easy runs this should be between 30-40%.
My easy pace is at least 90 seconds per kilometre slower than my 5km pace. So if your current 5k time is 25 mins (5:00 min km), your easy pace might be as high as 6:30 per km. Does that sound slow? It’s meant to be. That’s the point.
At the end of an easy run you should feel like you could comfortably carry on.
What are the benefits of Easy Runs?
REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURY – By slowing the pace down you are putting less demands on your body. It gives you the opportunity to run more miles, building up strength and giving yourself the opportunity to recovery from your harder interval sessions.
ENJOYMENT – 2nd only to avoiding injury on my coaching priority list is enjoyment. For most of you, running is a hobby. You should enjoy it. As with effort I ask my runners to rate each session out of 100 for enjoyment. I’ve found when the effort level is low, the enjoyment rating is generally high. Coincidence? I think not.
IMPROVE YOUR RUNNING FORM – When we run easy it’s a great opportunity to work on your running form. Improving your form won’t always lead to faster times but it can certainly make you a more efficient runners and reduce the risk of injury further down the line. So when running easy, stay relaxed and run tall.
INCREASE WEEKLY MILEAGE – For those of you wanting to improve your running, adding more mileage to your weekly plan is a good place to start. Easy running allows you to do that without putting too much strain on the body.
BURN FAT AS FUEL SOURCE – I won’t go into too much scientific detail right now in this post but easy runs make you more efficient at burning fat as a fuel source. Ever been on a long run and completely run out of energy? That will be due to your depletion of your glycogen stores. So if we can use fat as a fuel source we won’t be so reliant on our glycogen, meaning we can run for longer.
STRENGTHEN YOUR MUSCLES – Any form of running will help strengthen your muscles. By adding variation to your speed during your training week you are using different parts of your muscles and not putting too much demand on them.
INCREASE MITOCHONDIA – Slow easy running works our aerobic system (more on that later) and will help increase the quantity and size of Mitochondria. Again without getting too scientific the consequence will be you can produce more energy for your muscles allowing you to run faster and longer.
STRENGTHEN HEART & LUNGS – Easy runs will aid in strengthening your heart and lungs. You can increase your stroke volume which means the heart can pump more blood around your body for the same work.
Quotes
Don’t just take my word for it. Here are some quotes I found on the benefits of easy running.
“The most common mistake most runners make is that they think if they’re running easily then they’re not getting much benefit,” Brian Rosetti.
“Many runners run their easy runs too fast. Many runners think their easy pace is easy when it’s actually moderately hard” Whitney Heins
“consistent, slower workouts actually will help you get faster in the long-term because it allows your body to seriously grow its aerobic abilities.” Dr Phil Maffetone
“A lot of the benefits that are going to make you a good runner are achieved through lower intensity running,” Kaitlyn Baird
“When you’re running slowly, and your injury risk is lower, you can run more often, more miles, and build up slowly,” Claire Bartholic
Summary
So if you always find running hard, you are not running at a pace which is easy for you. Slow down. It’s that simple. It is also important that you combine these easier runs with some interval sessions. Running easy 100% of the time will see your fitness plateau or drop off. But add in a speed session to your weekly plan, where you do put a strong effort in and the combination between the two will almost certainly see your fitness improve.
If you would like help with your training then I offer plans for runners of all abilities to help you stay injury free, enjoy your running and improve.
