How slow or fast should the pace be when you're ascending to peak volume. I've heard that it should be very slow, but how slow is too slow, how fast too fast.
I understand that it needs to be easy while you're building up, but I'm not sure how easy. How much strain?
for the record, i'm just starting out with long distance stuff. i started a thread here on it a few weeks ago. 1:54 800 guy, looking to get up to 100 miles a week and do some 5k/10k and ultimately marathon soon.
As slow as you need to go in order to get in the mileage.
First get the mileage under your belt, then you can think about pace. I'd leave the watch at home except for an occasional fitness check- run at the same solid, strong (but not overly straining) aerobic effort. As you get fitter, the pace this effort yields will quicken.
If you're up in the 90s or 100s for the first time, though, your body is going to need you to go very easy until you get used to it. That's going to be different for everybody- but just go as slow as you need to in order to get the miles in, at first. Once you're used to the miles, the pace will naturally come down.
bump
bump
Actually, Lydiard would say first get your pace in order then add the distance. If you are running 70 miles a week at 6:30 pace but have to drop to 7:00 pace at 90 miles a week then you are doing it wrong and making the jump too quickly.
Alan
Bump... Nobby or Kim, care to comment on this?
Lydiard advised running as much as possible at steady state while building up. He wasn't into the slow stuff at all, except for supplementary easy jogging that wasn't included in the overall mileage numbers.
Arthur would have told you just to put in the distance and to enjoy yourself. You aren't going too fast if you're able to do each day's run as planned and you don't need to worry about going too slowly because you'll go faster as you get fitter.