Easy Run Paces During Base Phase?

Training Advice/Discussion General

9 years ago 07/27/2014 5:30pm EDT

I know that when you're doing 2-3 workouts a week during season, your easy runs need to be based on feel and pretty slow so that you can recover and hit some more beneficial workouts.

Buuut, what about during base phase? As in, when you're doing almost no workouts except for the occasional tempo run, etc etc.

I've heard you should keep the miles slow so you can run even more mileage.

I've also heard that you should be doing them faster to get some cardio out of it since you essentially have no "crucial" or "important" runs to be doing.

I believe it was wejo who has said to do it slowly. But I have also heard the opposite on here. And I know some people who did their "easy" base miles pretty damn fast. like sub 6:30 for a 16:30-17 minute 5k guy, and they did manage to make some pretty big improvements that way.

I just wanted to hear your guys' opinions.

Thanks!

9 years ago 07/27/2014 5:50pm EDT

re: ThatAverageRunner

Take off your watch and run whatever pace you feel like. When you feel good, go faster. When you feel rough, run slower. It's not rocket science.

9 years ago 07/27/2014 5:58pm EDT

re: ThatAverageRunner

run more

run faster

your welcome

9 years ago 07/27/2014 6:11pm EDT

re: John Stuart Mill

You can run the bulk of your base mileage by feel too. It's just that, without races and hard workouts, you'll often feel like going faster. That's good. Let it rip sometimes.

9 years ago 07/27/2014 7:07pm EDT

re: ThatAverageRunner

If you are a runner who likes to jump into an occasional race here and there, running by "feel" or slower mileage is no problem. However if you run in competitive races that are timed, then I believe it is best to do all of your training guided by specific time goals. If you use specific paces for "all" your training you should be able to know at any point in your training where your fitness ability is at. If you know that you need to be running say 5:20 pace for 5 mile tempo at a certain point in training and you have run a lot of "by feel" training, you may not like the outcome of that approach.

9 years ago 07/27/2014 7:28pm EDT

re: ThatAverageRunner

Run base miles comfortably. Wejo is right. Don't check pace. There are times when you feel good and want to push, esp as you get fit. View those efforts as fartlek. Visualize a lot--preparing to race. Become a cardiac monster. Really talented not totally slow switch guys like Pre will have a faster easier than the rest of us. As base proceeds,what is comfortable will pick up. When running feels effortless, time to move on to quicker stuff. This isn't science. People adapt differently. I don't like running a ton of base miles because I'm always fairly fit and they tend to slow one down. Base makes sense for linear periodizers. I do have seasons. Dallas is hot in the summer and that's base time. I don't waste much energy on workouts, except sometimes getting prefatigued with an easy hour and then track quarter alternations. Other summers, I have recently run one really long effort a week, like 20s. Putting a watch on hot weather running is, to me, useless because we all slow down.

9 years ago 07/27/2014 7:29pm EDT

re: ThatAverageRunner

If you are more of a fast-twitch muscle fibre runner, keep the runs really easy. If you are more of a slow twitch muscle fibre runner, you can run at a faster, steady state pace ... even approaching tempo pace at the end of a few runs each week.

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