Recovery vs. Easy Running (paces)

You can be a tough guy and run 6:40 all summer and be overtrained/tired when it matters most, or you can take some days off and be ready for your best performances late in the season. Your runs are tearing your body down, even if they aren't "workouts". It is when you take time off that you rebuild and make improvements. Running 365 days a year is for hobby joggers who want to say they did it... if you really want to be fast, you need to take time off to recover.

I did exactly what you are describing bteween my Freshman and Sophomore years in college. I ran between 95 and 105 miles per week almost all of it at between 6:30 and 7:00 per mile. 8-10 miles easy every morning and 5 miles easy each evening six days a week and then a 15-20 miler on the other day.

I was lean and had incredible endurance by the end of the summer but it too me forever to get any pace and speed back in my legs when XC season started. I didn't have the XC season I should have had given the work I amount of running i did over the summer.

In hind sight I should have added in a weekly tempo run and some occassional short quick stuff to keep my leg turn-over.

Mix in some trail runs with some good climbs if they are accessable. That will naturally slow you down and then you won't have to worry about so called recovery days. In june I have been running 9 out of 10 days and I run the flats during the work week for 1 hour or so and do 2 longer runs through the canyons on the weekend. It balances pace and workload nicely and I feel stronger for it.

I agree. 6:40 over trained? WTF...I do the majority of my base runs in 6:10-50 just based on how I feel.

What times did you run in HS and what are your pr's? 6:40 could be way fast, or right on the money. Just depends on your background.

I've run 15:55 and 9:25, for whatever it's worth. Right now I'm at 65ish miles per week with 8 runs.

I'm at ~65mpw as well (maybe a bit higher). PRs of 16:10 and 9:20. Like I said, run on feel. I rarely go under 6:10, but if I'm feeling fresh I will go out and do 7 or 8 @ 6:15. Other days I'll take it easy start at 6:45 and build down to 6:20 for the last couple. As someone else said the hills will naturally slow you down and are great for base.

This may sound like a broken record but LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.

Regardless of pace you need to go with what your body is feeling on your easy days. If you don't feel good there is no need to force it. However, if you have a scheduled workout or long run you need to suck it up and do it as hard as you can.

Easy days are meant to be easy.

quack wrote:

You can be a tough guy and run 6:40 all summer and be overtrained/tired when it matters most

By running 6:40 pace? No. That IS a recovery pace.

lajsdf wrote:

quack wrote:

You can be a tough guy and run 6:40 all summer and be overtrained/tired when it matters most

By running 6:40 pace? No. That IS a recovery pace.

For some it may. For some it may not.

Start easy EVERYDAY. Finish faster is you are feeling good. Do a few Fartlek sessions if you must. Don't hammer all your runs. Just be ready for me to kick your ass come fall!