Easy pace for 19:40 5k runner

This is probably true for most runners at 5k, 20 min and slower. They probably don’t realise this, unless they wear an accurate chest strap, and pay close attention to hr. They may look at an inaccurate average hr from the wrist at the end of the run, and get a false picture of how hard they ran.

This can work to an extent, especially on hilly routes, and there is nothing wrong with walk breaks on an easy run. But, generally, if you are having to run your easy runs as intervals, this is an indication that the pace is too fast,

I wouldnt say you hammer them, but if you have to ask yourself that question its very likely a bit too fast. You even describe it yourself - 'not always comfortable' shouldnt be used when doing an easy run... easy is a feel... mostly a feel that makes you wonder if you even trainined. Also i agree with the if you cant run like this every day or feel fresh for fast running you have to go slower no matter what ypu think is right, eg i run my easy very often pace between 830 and 9min despite running around 16mins for the 5000!!! Many local runners cant believe this but its whats needed for me to be feel recovered for workouts and hitting some decent miles, even running every day....Keep them at 1-2/10.

If you run easy with correct form and hitting fast speeds multiple times a week your stride doesnt get compromised at all! Focus an forefoot strike and a light bouncy feeling, coming from your hips. Never strain or 'muscle' your way through, always use ypur elastic energy. When running slow like this it feels almost like using no muscle force at all, a bit like relaxed jumproping.

I assume ypur younger which means you shpuld be running slower than someone running the same times but is way older and more experienced like some posters here. Its because lifetime miles and efficieny matter and with age the top end range fades, but lot of older folks keep a better percentage of their racepace than their younger counterparts...

Give us this 12mpw schedule where the hard day are so hard that you need to run like a snail to recovery…..

I have seen 15-20mpw training plans. They hammer every day….

i'll bang u out bluddd

And you aren't training the right energy systems.

I don't see what people find so abhorrent about low-intensity running.

Every good runner in the world does a hell of a lot of it (most do 80% of their weekly volume as low-intensity).

So, why do so many try to avoid it - or argue that it's of no benefit?

Just stop being so self-conscious and train properly.

There are different ways to "train properly." Running a faster pace with recovery breaks can be a form of low intensity training. Peter Snell told me that if you're looking to turn your fast twitch fibers into slow twitch you need to be running not much slower than 7:00 pace. I had a lot of questions about the arbitrariness of a flat number like that with no allowance for other factors but he was convinced that you had to be around that pace no matter what. I asked him how people who were pretty close to all out at that pace were supposed to train and he said they needed to do intervals which would not be that different from what van Aaken and his son were doing.

I know HR training gets sh*t on all the time, but the an HR in the 137-145 range is about right for me when it comes to easy training. I check my HR every 15-20 mins to make sure I'm in the ballpark.

It has the benefit of keeping effort consistent in different weather, terrain, various treadmills, and across all levels of fitness and even cross-training.

Going by feel doesn't work great for me. If I'm coming off a rest day and feel refreshed, I almost always run my easy runs too fast.

I ran 19:46 and 10-11 min miles. Probably on the slow end, I don’t know anyone that runs that slow

That is an interesting perspective. But, even if it is true(?), should that be the objective of an easy run?

HRE, very wisely, often comments that most runners do not run enough, and would improve just by running more. Running more mileage, both consistently and sustainably, needs the easy runs to be kept very easy.

I've lurked on here long enough to know that a) you know what you are talking about and b) have a ton of experience. So with the caveat that I don't mean this to be disrespectful in any way:

I don't disagree with you, but most runners are too stupid and inexperienced about training to do what you/Snell describe. 99.99 percent of runners will screw up an Igloi-style workout of 7:00-pace 100m "on" and 11:00-pace 100m "off" or whatever it is.

Far simpler to just tell them to slow the eff down on their easy runs.

Yeah, but Ovett also had some 5 milers in 35 minutes. So just about exactly half as fast as his 800m race pace.

sites.google.com

Distance Running Training - Steve Ovett

Arthur Lydiard: Ovett, of course, admits he does big mileages. But if you think anyone is going to succeed on what Coe says - 50 miles per week of anaerobic running - well, I'm sorry, I just don't believe it. Source Runner's...

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Now we can get into exactly what we mean by an easy run. I would define easy runs as what you should do most of the time if for no other reason than to be able to run as much as you need to. One way to do that is to run slowly. Another way to do that would be break the runs up with a bit of walking. Again, van Aaken was absolutely sure that nearly all of your running needs to be easy but also advocated walking breaks during many runs. I've seen profiles of the training of a couple of his athletes from the early 60s. They ran LOTS but there was nearly always some walking during those sessions and part of the reason for that was that it lowered the effort levels of the runs.

After upwards of fifty years looking at this sort of thing I think the main thing you need to do to run well is make sure you're running enough, whatever "well" and "enough" mean for you. If fairly slow running makes that more doable, do fairly slow runs. If walking occasionally during a run makes that more doable, walk a bit. Or do both on different runs.

Thanks for the respect. And I won't disagree with you completely. Telling people to slow the eff down can be a lot simpler. But not always anymore. I see threads here from people runing mid twenties and up for five km asking about what zone they should be in and when and how much time at a particular threshold and that's not simpler.

And there are many people who just feel awful and awkward at real snail's paces, let's say 12 minute pace just for the heck of it. So we tell two people of similar age and ability to try to get to six miles a day. One runs at about a 9 minute pace and has 18 minutes of walking in the rest of the time and the other runs a steady 12 minute pace. To me what matters is the six miles, not how each got there.

They’re looking for a short cut. If they just find the right workout they won’t have to run so much.

The reality is that distance running training is not glamorous. It’s mostly about grinding out a lot of miles.

Watching runners at all levels over the course of many years, I’ve seen nothing to disprove Lydiard’s “Miles Make Champions”

10:00???

Wow, that is SLOW.

I can't imagine running OVER 3m30s SLOWER THAN 5K PACE PER MILE.

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Recreational runners with jobs and children should train "at least" 1.5 hours per day???

You are out of touch with reality.

Why on earth do you feel the need to keep your HR under 65% of max on your easy runs?

The entire point of intensity restriction to 65-70% on easy runs is to allow for HIGHER VOLUME of total running and also threshold workouts.

Not for you to be lazy on go slow during your low-mileage training.

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