Too fast on easy and you'll recruit more anaerobic fibers which goes against what you're trying to build with aerobic easy runs.
This explanation is not correct.
By using fast twitch fibers more often and especially longer, you make them 'more aerobically'. By not using fast twitch fibers (=you run too slow) you make them stronger (more anaerbically working). So the whole training week/year has to be considered, no only a single training unit.
Go by feel. Try not to focus on pace and if you start to pick it up and it feels easy, thats your easy pace. You don't always have to slog there is no set pace to recover at.
I didn’t even need to read your post to know that no, you are not running your easy days too easy.
I’ve trained with sub-2:20 marathoners who run 9:30 pace on easy days.
Care to post a link to any 2:20 marathoner who does 60%+ of their training at 9:30 pace. Pretty much every sub 2:25 person I see is doing easy runs at 6:00-7:00 pace with the occasional morning run where they stagger around at 8:00 before doing the real workout of the day at the faster pace
I didn’t even need to read your post to know that no, you are not running your easy days too easy.
I’ve trained with sub-2:20 marathoners who run 9:30 pace on easy days.
Care to post a link to any 2:20 marathoner who does 60%+ of their training at 9:30 pace. Pretty much every sub 2:25 person I see is doing easy runs at 6:00-7:00 pace with the occasional morning run where they stagger around at 8:00 before doing the real workout of the day at the faster pace
How about the vast majority of elite Japanese marathoners? Yuki for example has said he does all his easy runs around 5 min/km (8:02/mile). The guy i mentioned who does a bunch of runs at 9:30 pace is an outlier for sure, but I’m just using him to demonstrate a point that easy pace is not that important as long as it’s not too fast.
I didn’t even need to read your post to know that no, you are not running your easy days too easy.
I’ve trained with sub-2:20 marathoners who run 9:30 pace on easy days.
Care to post a link to any 2:20 marathoner who does 60%+ of their training at 9:30 pace. Pretty much every sub 2:25 person I see is doing easy runs at 6:00-7:00 pace with the occasional morning run where they stagger around at 8:00 before doing the real workout of the day at the faster pace
You’ll be waiting a long time. Going that slowly you leave fibers on the table that have a large capacity for aerobic development.
There’s a sweet spot. Too fast ,no good; too slow, no good.
Easy runs are first and foremost about aerobic development. That’s why Lydiard said “Miles make champions.”
Of course you know that the faster easy day means faster race day performance. So get that easy pace under 5 and sub 4 will be yours for the taking. 🤔
Seriously though, easy days easy, hard days hard. There's no magic formula that fits everyone best. Do what feels good to you. Ignore everyone else's training pace. Make your statements at the meets, not at practice.
coach in colorado wetmore doesn't believe in easy days. I actually agree with him cause I went sub 9 in high school and all my "easy days" runs were like 6:25. but when I went to college i started running "easy days like everyone suggested" like 7:30-7:45 pace and I can tell you that was a mistake ran pretty terrible that year
if you are the type of guy when your coach tappers you, you lose fitness and run worse (typically at the end of the season) than do what this guy does. run your easy days fast and don't listen to the rest of these idiots who think everyone has to run their easy days easy.
Everyone one is different and there are a lot of people here who think they know better but are just plain wrong. The most experienced coaches are aware of this (Albert Salarzar and Mark Wetmore) that some athletes will do significantly worse by taking a true easy day so they usually keep things solid.
Don't listen to guys who don't have experience with truly fast running times.
Most of these guys saying stuff like "I run 9:30 pace and run under 2:20 in a marathon are straight up lying". That is literally unheard of, and just not possible or provable.
Care to post a link to any 2:20 marathoner who does 60%+ of their training at 9:30 pace. Pretty much every sub 2:25 person I see is doing easy runs at 6:00-7:00 pace with the occasional morning run where they stagger around at 8:00 before doing the real workout of the day at the faster pace
How about the vast majority of elite Japanese marathoners? Yuki for example has said he does all his easy runs around 5 min/km (8:02/mile). The guy i mentioned who does a bunch of runs at 9:30 pace is an outlier for sure, but I’m just using him to demonstrate a point that easy pace is not that important as long as it’s not too fast.
8:02 is almost 90s faster than 9:30. Again post a link to a 2:20 running that slow.
Care to post a link to any 2:20 marathoner who does 60%+ of their training at 9:30 pace. Pretty much every sub 2:25 person I see is doing easy runs at 6:00-7:00 pace with the occasional morning run where they stagger around at 8:00 before doing the real workout of the day at the faster pace
You’ll be waiting a long time. Going that slowly you leave fibers on the table that have a large capacity for aerobic development.
There’s a sweet spot. Too fast ,no good; too slow, no good.
Easy runs are first and foremost about aerobic development. That’s why Lydiard said “Miles make champions.”
Yes. And no one is going to argue 30s too fast is worse than 30s to slow. But there is also a reason why Lydiard didn't have his guys running 8min miles. they got better results by running mid 6s. You know slow but not super slow..
GPS is great but has become a crutch for most runners. Easy runs should feel easy, regardless of speed. Start running, does it feel easy? If yes, great. If no, slowdown. It really is that simple.
I didn’t even need to read your post to know that no, you are not running your easy days too easy.
I’ve trained with sub-2:20 marathoners who run 9:30 pace on easy days.
Care to post a link to any 2:20 marathoner who does 60%+ of their training at 9:30 pace. Pretty much every sub 2:25 person I see is doing easy runs at 6:00-7:00 pace with the occasional morning run where they stagger around at 8:00 before doing the real workout of the day at the faster pace
Not exactly what you're looking for, but a 2:25 guy who does a lot of 9:00+ jogging.
Chris Sloane is a runner from Gaithersburg, Maryland. Join Strava to track your activities, analyze your performance, and follow friends. Strava members can plan routes, participate in motivating challenges, and join clubs. G...
If you are young, (in high school / college) there is absolutely no reason for you to running easy days in the 8 minutes. You have a body that is very capable of fully recovering after a solid pace. Don't ruin your running potential because of this bullsh*t nonsense about easy days.
I noticed the correct answers get downvoted hard here. I assume this is because most of the guys on letsrun are old folk who don't understand how fast a young runner can recover.
If you are worried about not recovering or burning out take an ice bath and get 10 hours of sleep. simple.
Simple Forumla - don't run easy days (that pathetic 8-9 pace nonsense)! run solid days! don't go into this weak mentally that brings everyone down with you, also treasuring your "easy days"
some of the guys on here could be a lot faster if they took running a little more seriously and didn't buy into this easy day nonsense. there is absolutely no way you can convince me a 4:30 miler 16 old who sleeps 9 hours a day should be running 8 minute pace. that is way to slow he should be running 7:30
I'm with the folks advising you to ignore the people telling you you need to be fast on your easy days. At 16, you have a lot of room to grow. You already are running solid times. You get faster on your workout days when you push yourself into different zones. Running marginally faster on easy days does nothing to improve you physiologically and might hinder your recovery for the harder days.
Whether "easy" means 7:30 pace or 8:15 pace is up to you, but you should be felling good at the end of those runs, not worn out.
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