After a 7x800 workout avg 2:27 (on grass) with 90 sec rest i felt super tired the next day on my 7 mile easy run my legs felt super flat i ran 8:15 pace which is about a minute slower than my easy pace. Is it ok that im going this slow or do i need to try to recover harder to grind it out and go 7:15-7:30 pace
After a 7x800 workout avg 2:27 (on grass) with 90 sec rest i felt super tired the next day on my 7 mile easy run my legs felt super flat i ran 8:15 pace which is about a minute slower than my easy pace. Is it ok that im going this slow or do i need to try to recover harder to grind it out and go 7:15-7:30 pace
You are supposed to feel tired the day after a workout. You should slow down even more. That would be the only way to "recover harder". Running faster is counterproductive.
Hard days HARD
Easy days EASY.
If you are worried about running too slowly on your easy days, you are missing the point.
After a 7x800 workout avg 2:27 (on grass) with 90 sec rest i felt super tired the next day on my 7 mile easy run my legs felt super flat i ran 8:15 pace which is about a minute slower than my easy pace. Is it ok that im going this slow or do i need to try to recover harder to grind it out and go 7:15-7:30 pace
You are supposed to feel tired the day after a workout. You should slow down even more. That would be the only way to "recover harder". Running faster is counterproductive.
Hard days HARD
Easy days EASY.
If you are worried about running too slowly on your easy days, you are missing the point.
If you feel "super tired" the day after a workout, then the workout was too hard. A workout is not a race effort.
Agree to the two top replies, I often feel super tired so take the jogs super easy and you will be fine the day after (the day after easy jogs) to do your next workout.
This is fine. After doing a workout like that my first easy day after I'm 30-45sec slower per mile. Two days after I'm back to normal and day three I'm working out again. Listen to your body. As you get fitter you may not run as slow.
I agree with everyone above, though I do suggest getting bloodwork done. Many high schoolers are vitamin D and iron (or ferritin) deficient. Being tired is normal--you're a 16 y/o that gets up at 6 AM for school and practice. A blood test couldn't hurt, though.
What are you doing between the workout and the easy run? * Are you sleeping 8+ hours? * Are you eating 1-2 well-balanced meals? * are you rolling out of bed first thing the next morning or giving yourself a few hours to get going?
& 8:15 pace doesn't seem slow for a recovery run at all 😃
I obviously agree that you shouldn't worry about a pace on your post-workout recovery days, but you may be able to 'not feel as bad' with a few small tweaks.
One thing I used to notice as a high school coach was that many runners would have lunch at noon, practice at 3:30, and not have dinner until 7pm or later... That's a very long catabolic window on a young body. To remedy this, I had parents provide Gatorade, bananas, Clif Bars, Boost drinks, etc and it was "mandatory" that everyone got a snack while we finished practice with some strength and flexibility work.
If this case might apply to you, be sure to bring a post-run snack and/or recovery drink every day with some carbs and protein to consume immediately after your run. How many calories will depend on when you might eat dinner, but I would suggest 300-500kcals to kickstart the recovery process. Drink lots of water, as well.
Again, you should typically run easily after your harder days each week. However, if you are running 7mls+ w/ bad mechanics and feel awful at ~3:00+ per mile slower than race pace you are likely increasing your injury risk. Better to do two short, slow runs or take a rest day if you feel that bad...
Another factor no one else has mentioned may have been the temperature and humidity. If it was particularly hot/humid the day after your workout, the drastic slow down in your pace would be expected. In hot/humid environments, blood flow is increased to the skin in effort to provide cooling. Consequently, there is less blood flow to the working muscles, resulting in heavy legs.
Anouther possibility is that you did the workout in hot/humid conditions. The enviornmental conditions caused you to exert more than usual to hit the paces you wanted to. Even if you didn't "race your workout", the heat can impair recovery and can make you feel very fatigued.
I recommend not looking at your pace until you finish the recovery run. Hard workout at a super fast pace, easy workout at a super slow pace, isn't that the tried-and-true way to get faster?
Another factor no one else has mentioned may have been the temperature and humidity. If it was particularly hot/humid the day after your workout, the drastic slow down in your pace would be expected. In hot/humid environments, blood flow is increased to the skin in effort to provide cooling. Consequently, there is less blood flow to the working muscles, resulting in heavy legs.
Anouther possibility is that you did the workout in hot/humid conditions. The enviornmental conditions caused you to exert more than usual to hit the paces you wanted to. Even if you didn't "race your workout", the heat can impair recovery and can make you feel very fatigued.