Dead days and listening to your body.

Depends. just run easy. Do strides if your speed is average at best.

My easy pace is typically 7:20 to 6:40, i wasn't even able to get under 8 minutes and i was so sluggish and my legs felt so dead. Had i would've kept going easy i would've gone 9 minute miles probably

Something felt off

Listen to your body. Run super easy, take the day off, or run/walk. Could do some strides afterwards just for leg turnover

Another thing is try when your legs feel dead is cross-training instead of easy running. If your legs feel so terrible that you have to slow down a ridiculous amount from your easy run pace, your heart rate is probably not high enough to recieve sufficient aerobic benefit. Cross training in these circumstances would give the opportunity to provide more aerobic benefit while still giving your legs a break.

Socialanxietyrunner wrote:

My easy pace is typically 7:20 to 6:40, i wasn't even able to get under 8 minutes and i was so sluggish and my legs felt so dead. Had i would've kept going easy i would've gone 9 minute miles probably

Why are you focusing on some imaginary number to define easy? Are you a robot?

Socialanxietyrunner wrote:

Should you push through dead days?

Today i felt like my easy run was not easy so i cut short to make sure i recovered enough.

You did the right thing.

Pushing through dead days seems nice and tough at the time. Then, a few weeks later when you're sick, or injured, or unable to complete workouts, or flat and racing like crap, you wonder why...

In general, I try to always start the run, or workout. If I'm just too tired, then I pack it in -- drop the workout for something easier, or just run easy. Or slow down / cut short easy days. Then I know I've done all I should do for the day.

Socialanxietyrunner wrote:

Should you push through dead days?

Today i felt like my easy run was not easy so i cut short to make sure i recovered enough.

I got another good Moses Kiptanui story (via Bob Kennedy). In 1995 1 week before he became the first man under 8min in the steeplechase. Kiptanui was going for a run in Bushy Park, London with Kennedy. The jogged super easy to the park and then Kiptanui stops and says "I don't feel great - I need to rest". He turned around and walked home. Bob said he didn't run another step before flying to Zurich - he just basically slept and watched TV for 4 days straight. Bob told me he remembers thinking if this dude can't even run 40min easily and hasn't run in a week there is no way he's breaking 8min.

Moses ran 7.59.18.

Don't push through dead days. Either go for a walk or go to bed early - take lessons from the greats.

Survivor bias. Lots of people take 4 days off and sleep and watch tv and have miserable r@cbecause of it.

thats a nice story. thanks for sharing!

It depends. In Covid recovery, there were days when I'd slog through a mile, realize it wasn't happening, and slog home. And other days where the first mile was a slog, but I pushed a bit and the next mile was less of a slog, and then things kept improving to where I could manage a reasonable easy run after that.

When trying to decide how to make the call, one thing to look at is your form. What's your stride like? Is your footstrike normal? Or are you flailing all over the place? If your form has broken down, call it a day before you injure yourself.

Also, watch what your pace is doing. Gradually getting faster from a slow start? You're good to go. Slowing down after you've gone 4 miles? Time to call it a day.

Socialanxietyrunner wrote:

Should you push through dead days?

Today i felt like my easy run was not easy so i cut short to make sure i recovered enough.

About once every 10-14 days I have a day where I do literally no phyiscal activity or maybe just a short 1-2 mile walk. It's important for your body to rest every once in a while.

rrrfdr wrote:

Survivor bias. Lots of people take 4 days off and sleep and watch tv and have miserable r@cbecause of it.

True, Kiptanui was just lazy and just got lucky.

jazzytherunner wrote:

Another thing is try when your legs feel dead is cross-training instead of easy running. If your legs feel so terrible that you have to slow down a ridiculous amount from your easy run pace, your heart rate is probably not high enough to recieve sufficient aerobic benefit. Cross training in these circumstances would give the opportunity to provide more aerobic benefit while still giving your legs a break.

Yes this is good advice. Sometimes, running on dead legs can make them feel better the next day, but the downside is that form will not be good and you learn bad mechanics plodding around very slowly because it hurts so much.

Cadence should be kept to 170+ even if legs are very beat up, otherwise the mechanics just aren't there.

What makes you feel like easy pace is 6:40-7:20? Do you feel like you could benefit from moving up to 7:00-7:40? It may help you recover better and possibly even allow you to run higher mileage.

I used to run all my easy days between 6:40-7:00 just cause I wanted the flex of saying my easy pace was sub 7:00. I was constantly injured our burnt out and in hindsight that might be the biggest reason.

I now slowed my easy runs to between 7:15-7:45 for the most part and have been able to improve mileage drastically, along with the fact that I haven’t been injured or felt too dead to run in nearly a year.

With this increased mileage at a lower intensity, I’ve improved by about 25 seconds in the mile with the proportional results to come with all the way through 10k. So it obviously works! I’d give it a try.

Good advice. The concept is really this simple. If the run you are doing is not for any type of gain/building etc - whether that be anaerobic capacity/threshold or aerobic capacity/threshold, it can never be slow enough. More running speed, even at way below even basic aerobic capacity pace uses valuable energy that could be better directed in helping you recover and be stronger for you next session.

Running "no slower than pace "x" on recovery days is physically meaningless and probably counter productive - it's just for you own peace of mind which you need to overcome.

The reason i go 7:20 to 6:40 is because i feel smoother and get the run done quicker, i pass by people without having them glimpse at me. I also do it to make sure i am getting some aerobic benefit from doing so without doing another tempo or interval workout. If i am feeling good whats so bad about going a little faster on my easy days? Also i would rather train my body to run at maintained easy pace speed of 7:20 to 6:40 rather than increasing the mileage from 70 to 80 while going 15 seconds slower per mile.

i just have established a good foundation and would like to stick to it.

I am feeling fresh now.

Socialanxietyrunner wrote:

The reason i go 7:20 to 6:40 is because i feel smoother and get the run done quicker, i pass by people without having them glimpse at me. I also do it to make sure i am getting some aerobic benefit from doing so without doing another tempo or interval workout. If i am feeling good whats so bad about going a little faster on my easy days? Also i would rather train my body to run at maintained easy pace speed of 7:20 to 6:40 rather than increasing the mileage from 70 to 80 while going 15 seconds slower per mile.

i just have established a good foundation and would like to stick to it.

I am feeling fresh now.

You are not feeling good, remember? What are your PR’s? I’ve got a bud who’s a upper 13:00 5k’r that runs easy days at 8:30 pace frequently.....are you a 13:00 5k runner?

My fastest pr is 15:31, but what does times have anything to do with the correct way to train? Aren't all bodies different and people train at there own level and style? And i am feeling good, i just finished my longrun this morning just fine with an average pace of 7:20, feels easier, smoother and better than my sluggish 8:30 runs.

Second of all, how is your friend not in the Olympics with a time like that?