Do easy runs even do anything?

Base maintenance and recovery

I've been thinking about this a lot recently too. I'm in the middle of 6 week block of easy running with some strides...or periodization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_periodization) before I get into the hard stuff.

I'm training for 1600m-5K....so why do I spend so much of my week slogging a pace that I never plan to use in a race. It seems to me that your plan is more logical. Or something like doing the bare minimum of running between the days where you are practicing hitting your pace. Example, running 4-5 miles of recovery twice a week and then three other days doing the hard quality stuff.

I still believe in the long runs on weekend...but the mid-week filler seems like a waste of energy/time.

I agree with above, also keeps stimulus to the muscle you have, most people also do form drills or lifting or plyometrics along with an easy run, but cross training works for a replacement Im sure

as a newly injury prone 40+ runner, this has been on my mind too. I used to run 13/14 days - now I'm at 6/7 and considering going to 5/7.

Problem is that I love to run, I really do. harder to get through the day without a run to look forward to.

After several years of frustration with a persistent recurring injury, I came to the realization that my body simply cannot handle more than 30 miles of running per week. It's unfortunate, but I manage to stay in pretty good shape with cross training. Usually I'm on a 4/3 split, 4 days running and 3 days biking.

I've always wondered why distance runners don't do more swimming. It's a good recovery thing because the water supports your weight. It lets your muscles recover.

But it's great aerobically. Fantastic general aerobic fitness without extra strain on your legs.

You're still getting the running fitness as well.

I don't get the easy run either. If it's easy, I don't see that you get a huge amount of aerobic fitness out of it. And shy does a base mileage have to maintained? What's the point of long, easy, plodding runs that aren't really testing your breathing? Toughening up your body or putting extra wear and tear on it?

Karma Police wrote:

I've always wondered why distance runners don't do more swimming.

It's called "specificity".

You guys will never, ever, ever be as good as you could possibly be by eschewing the easy runs.

If you're fine with that or past the age where you think it matters, then by all means forget about them. If your goal is to maximize your improvement, though, then you WILL have to do them. No other way around it.

Everyone is different, but taken individually easy runs make no difference, it's more of an accumulative effect. When my mileage gets in the 60-80 range I start to notice fatigue even running all easy miles. Adding workouts slows down those easy miles even more. You want to keep the pressure on without going over the edge, which is the main benefit of easy miles.

Easy runs do alot of things. They built up your aerobic system, the strengthen muscles, ligiments and tendons, all in preparation for harder running. And when training at harder paces, easy days help to keep blood flowing to the muscles at an accelerated pace to help clear out waste products and heal the damage.

I've been replacing recovery runs with biking on what would have normally been double days. So, I guess they're singles now, with active recovery... I have more energy to do my hard workouts harder because of this. (Thirty something year old, with ankle injury history.)

Different things work for different people. I loved easy runs because running felt physically good to me--not just afterward, the way it is for a lot of people, but actually while I was running.

But if that running is *not* physically pleasurable, and especially if your easy-day running is going to include a movement pattern that's really pretty far from what you'll be using in races (so that the main effect of the run is just some cardiac stimulus), you can probably get the same *or greater* benefits by doing something besides run.

One (rather extreme) example: for some people, the two-hour easy session on Sunday is better as a run; other people would be better served by making it, say, a tetrathlon of four aerobic activities (run-row-bike-swim or elliptical-row-stairclimber-aquajog, etc.) for a half-hour each.

Currently injured, starting cross-trainer next week.

Amphibiankingkev

ScottDye wrote:

Easy runs do alot of things. They built up your aerobic system, the strengthen muscles, ligiments and tendons, all in preparation for harder running. And when training at harder paces, easy days help to keep blood flowing to the muscles at an accelerated pace to help clear out waste products and heal the damage.

If we replace some of the easy runs with cross training such as swimming, elliptical or stationary bike, how much of benefit do we lose?

(I have been suffering from recurring injury recently, and I wonder if limiting the mileage might be the answer to avoid injury.)

(I have been suffering from recurring injury recently, and I wonder if limiting the mileage might be the answer to avoid injury.)[/quote]

That might work for you, but replacing with other activities in contrary to the concept of specifity. You might stay in shape, but not as good running shape.

middle distance duude wrote:

This has me thinking - what the heck is the point of easy runs?

Well, my two cents: easy runs, ones that don't really damage tissue, put a little bit of stress on your body to stimulate strengthening what's already there, since muscles and tendons respond to some tension. More significant workouts actually break down tissue: the strongest tissues survive and the weaker ones break, giving your body a chance lay down new fibers, a portion of which will be stronger than the ones that broke. This constant application of strengthening stimulation alternating with break-down of weak and inflexible tissue is what creates a net increase in muscle fitness.

I will add that I'm not an expert on this stuff. It's just my lay impression of what's going on based on my own experience and what I've read.

Running economy is vastly improved by nothing other than running. Granted, intensity is more important than volume for maintaining fitness, but you will have an edge in increasing fitness by putting in more miles (within reason, and specific to your body).

For some mid to late season conditioning when laden with injury, or trying to fight off something that would be season ending, low volume/cross training combined with event specific stuff can work wonders.

readist wrote:

Karma Police wrote:

I've always wondered why distance runners don't do more swimming.

It's called "specificity".

You guys will never, ever, ever be as good as you could possibly be by eschewing the easy runs.

If you're fine with that or past the age where you think it matters, then by all means forget about them. If your goal is to maximize your improvement, though, then you WILL have to do them. No other way around it.

Why?

ScottDye wrote:

Easy runs do alot of things. They built up your aerobic system, the strengthen muscles, ligiments and tendons, all in preparation for harder running. And when training at harder paces, easy days help to keep blood flowing to the muscles at an accelerated pace to help clear out waste products and heal the damage.

"built up your aerobic system" - really? You don't efven puff that much. A tough swimming session, without the shorter resistance stuff, would do more for you aerobically

"the strengthen muscles, ligiments and tendons" - or put extra, unnecessary strain on them. Depends on the person and your point of view.

"And when training at harder paces, easy days help to keep blood flowing to the muscles at an accelerated pace to help clear out waste products and heal the damage" - Can't comment on that.

lease wrote:

...and especially if your easy-day running is going to include a movement pattern that's really pretty far from what you'll be using in races (so that the main effect of the run is just some cardiac stimulus), you can probably get the same *or greater* benefits by doing something besides run.

So a 5-8 mile easy run at 7' per mile isn't doing a lot for say an 800 runer. They could do something else to reduce wear and tear.