How far would just doing easy runs + strides get you?

That is the majority of what I am doing right now, longer easier runs for aerobic development and strides over a variety of terrain and surfaces for power and technique. Absolutely loving it, fewer injury niggles, and really looking forward to hitting the track next year for some PRs.

I believe you can come very far. You get that aerobic conditioning plus the muscular toning. Keep this up for a good time, then start adding some ~threshold work, and you'll see amazing results.

Nice man it seems like an overall sensible training approach; less chance for injury as you noted and you're still enhancing your aerobic strength, maintaining speed.

I've been thinking of following this approach for a good 3 or 4 months and then adding in more intense stuff (like the threshold training you noted) while still maintaining the easy runs and strides. I actually just started running 2-3 months ago and not only do I love it but find reaching my potential a nice secondary incentive to do it. Thank you for the experienced advice guys :D

You'd be very undeveloped if you do this. If you trained this way for a year and your 1600 was 4:20, then your 1600 could be 3:50 if you trained like a real runner. This was part of the experiment for my Master's thesis.

So what would be the best way to train? Sorry for the terrible question haha

Just do a tempo at least once a week or if you can twice (one longer one 6-7 miles and one shorter one around 3 miles)

fartacus wrote:

Hi guys,

Silly question but I was curious how near your potential over 1600m - 10000m you could get just doing easy runs and strides (assuming a 2 - 3 year period where you built up your mileage)? Not that this is the way I run; I'm just wondering.

Thanks :)

I unintentionally did something like this. uped mileage from around 50-60 with workouts to 100 mpw doing low HR running prob 8 min mile pace and no workouts. didnt do as long as you said. went from sub 1 hour 10 min half marathons(1:08 avg) to 1:15 half marathons. didnt do any shorter races, but trust me there was no speed in me!

fartacus wrote:

Hi guys,

Silly question but I was curious how near your potential over 1600m - 10000m you could get just doing easy runs and strides (assuming a 2 - 3 year period where you built up your mileage)? Not that this is the way I run; I'm just wondering.

Thanks :)

Ideally would be to do slow runs and do a sprint once in 10 minutes.

There is a small trick with doing this: when you stop, you will forget the pace you had before the sprint. It will allow you to stay at an optimal pace.

Because if you run at the same for too long, some tension may build and make you think that you are at the optimal pace.

However, I would add some hill sprints once a week.

It is a good method to build base and aerobics. 2-3 years of base is a healthy way of establishing a long running career.

I think it depends on your background but about 20 weeks into it I think you would be running very average times in races for your ability.

I think that how frequently you would be racing is an important additional factor here.

If you race every week or two and maintain that mental and physical edge, then you could do this for years and probably improve quite a bit and get to 80-85% of your potential, roughly (not even sure what that number means but its just my gut reaction). The tempo's and interval work and structure would get you to 100% in this example.

I think what happens, from experience, when you totally throw workouts and hard sustained running out the window on purpose and think " I am only running easy and strides " you can lose your "edge". When you get in a race it may be harder to push mentally, I think. An underrated benefit of periodic sustained hard running is the mental strengthening and additional comfort with running hard that you do not lose, say during a summer base building, but can be lost with 2-3 years without hard long running that really makes you go to that tough mental zone you need to access when racing. Sorry for the run on sentence.

In the 1500, about 80%. In the 10k about 93%.

If you're going to put yourself through the mental and physical stress of racing, why would you not want to train more thoroughly?

thanks for the replies so far guys, cleared up a lot for me

not very far

I ran 1500- 5:36 5000-19:00 10000- 41:25 could have gone much faster. Ran 1:20 last quarter over trails FTW. This was after all a month

A college teammate of mine ran 14:10 for 5k off a full-spectrum college training plan, and probably was in 4:08 shape for the mile at the time. A few years after college, while doing nothing but easy running and strides, he ran a mile in 4:19.

I ran 3:43.11 for the mile off just easy running and strides. That idiot el guerrouj did all that hard work for nothing

I knew more than one Olympic distance runner that follows just that method. Actually there's not real evidence that physiologically it's any worse than intervals/reps for 5k+, and it's a whole lot easier.

I'd been experimenting (until I hurt my foot) but I found you don't even need to do 10-12 x 100m-120m strides to gain a benefit, and actually 5-6 x 80m-90m once or twice per week takes your aerobic fitness to a slightly higher level.