Distance Running BASE PHASE

Try to keep a good % of your runs at 60-90 seconds a mile slower than 10K race pace. Hills, strides, long runs, tempos, fartleks are usually incorporated during the base phase.

Try to pay closer attention to your breathing and overall exertion. If you aren't paying attention, sometimes you'll pick up speed and get going too fast (I never understood why, but it happens). Go out easy and see hwo that pace feeld after 5-10 minutes. Once you get a good idea of how much exertion you're putting out, then just try to maintain that effort for the whole run. Pay closer attention to what your body is telling you, and its easy to stay in that zone.

another really easy trick is to run with someone else and go at "conversation pace," meaning that you can actually talk to the person more than just a few words at a time.

dont listen to the tool bag post above he probably is an old timer to worried about you burning out. go faster then convo pace, not to much, but you can still utter 2-3 words at a time then take a breath and finish your thought. train like you mean it not like a puss. thanks.

don't listen to the ignoramus above.

hard days are hard. easy days are easy. roughly 2/3 of the days should be easy. you can exceed that at low mileage no problem. at high mileage it is counterproductive.

as for "training like a puss", nobody gives a shit about who wins the workout

I'm an advocate of doing base mileage at an easy pace. But, to answer your question, don't put a straw in your mouth. I can't imagine that you'd be able to get enough air for even an easy run that way.

Run with a toothpick in the corner of your mouth. If you run too fast and start gasping for air, you swallow the toothpick. OUCH.

Don't forget the proper technique for a moderate paced run just below threshold: ask the person you are running with qestions that require lenghty answers. If your running enough milage, there is plenty of room for all types of runs - fast when you feel good, slow when you need it or have good company. If you run enough, you won't be able to make everything a tempo.

kid train how you want to train. whatever works for you. as you can see 10 people jump in and have 10 different ideas, dont waste your time on hear looking for answers. go run and figure it out for yourself.

training with a straw in your mouth sounds like a recipe for choking to me...But as for running, at least this time of year easy running is the way to go, it's only May and should be the beginning of the summer base. Save the hard stuff for later in the summer/fall.

Here's what I do to ensure I keep the pace fairly easy:

1. Try to run about 180 strides per minute

2. Breath in once every six steps (every 2 secs)

3. Breath out once every six steps (every 2 secs)

So I'm either breathing in or out every three steps (once per second). Daniels might discuss this in DRF, can't remember for sure.

Nugatory wrote:

Here's what I do to ensure I keep the pace fairly easy:

1. Try to run about 180 strides per minute

2. Breath in once every six steps (every 2 secs)

3. Breath out once every six steps (every 2 secs)

So I'm either breathing in or out every three steps (once per second). Daniels might discuss this in DRF, can't remember for sure.

yeah, that's where it comes from. i found it helped me relax more on my easy runs.