Why can I run 7:45 pace on easy days and still run my race times?

The Gray Zone wrote:

A wise old runner once told me, "Most people run too hard on their easy days and too easy on their hard days."

I saw the benefits of heeding the first part as most people do as their first running epiphany but as a result started neglecting the second part. Its difficult when you do one right the other becomes more alien. Now I have come full circle doing the hard stuff as hard as I ever done them.

Good question, and I've wondered the same myself. Like you I was a sub 16 min 5k (15:40) runner in my prime (28-35),but always felt that my easy jogging pace was relatively slower than those of my training group who had similar 5k times to me. I tend to think it is due to the overall percentage of slow twitch fibers an individual runner is endowed with. I am more of a middle distance runner (1:59 800m and 4:03 1500m), but those I ran with were definitely stronger as the distance increased toward the marathon, whereas my times would drop off. However, my 200/400/800/1500 times tended to be faster than theirs. If runner A has 50% fast twitch fibers and 50% slow twitch fibers, yet runner B has 20% fast twitch fibers and 80% slow twitch, and both have a similar 5k time, I would think that on any given easy run runner B would probably run his a bit faster at the same perceived effort. He has a greater amount of slow twitch fibers to call on to provide the energy required, so each fiber would have relatively less work to do to maintain the pace with runner A, or he would run faster if each fiber was working at the same effort as those of runner A. Runner A would probably be faster during top end speed sessions, but would probably need easier recovery jogs between each effort. I hope this helps, but I don't profess to have any particular knowledge other than my own experience. Check with your training group and find out if they are stronger over the longer distances or are more natural speedsters. I'd be interested to know what you find out.

I am a mid 15 5k runner (26:15 15:28). I admit I am one of the slower members of my team but we have no one under 14:40 on my team. we workout tues/thurs long run saturday. In between days we lift 3 times per week. He mandates we run 6 min pace for all our runs. Our long runs start at 6 and get faster. Does anyone else find this absurd?

p.s. we are low mileage 60-70 per week.

FYI. Geb, Tergat, Bekele, Komen, El G, Morceli, Kipchoge, Kipsang, Khannouchi, Sihine, Rupp, Mo, etc, etc, etc, never did their training runs at 7:40.

you have to crawl before you can walk.

That actually makes a lot of sense. I am more of a mid-distance guy. I also used to play other sports prior to running, and did a lot of explosive weight work. That might have contributed to early development of my fast twitch fibers, so I may have more of them than the typical distance runner. I'd like to look further into that theory.

Many people are manufacturing their training runs. Those pace calculators are just an estimate of a range in which you are perceived to be. Easy is a feel; it's not a pace. If that's what feels easy, go for it. It's better than artificially messing with your runs by hitting F:CE just to say you did.

Trackjacket wrote:

Many people are manufacturing their training runs. Those pace calculators are just an estimate of a range in which you are perceived to be. Easy is a feel; it's not a pace. If that's what feels easy, go for it. It's better than artificially messing with your runs by hitting F:CE just to say you did.

If you're a 15:30 5k person, training runs are not easy runs. Easy runs are what you do after a hard track workout. They're sometimes referred to as a "cool down." If you feel you have to go "easy" on a training run, it's probably better to just take the day off.

okpkopoi wrote:

FYI. Geb, Tergat, Bekele, Komen, El G, Morceli, Kipchoge, Kipsang, Khannouchi, Sihine, Rupp, Mo, etc, etc, etc, never did their training runs at 7:40.

Yes but all of those you've listed had/have far better credentials than the OPs 15:xx 5k. Apples to oranges.

Also, more anecdotal evidence:

Just Sayin'' wrote:

Trackjacket wrote:

Many people are manufacturing their training runs. Those pace calculators are just an estimate of a range in which you are perceived to be. Easy is a feel; it's not a pace. If that's what feels easy, go for it. It's better than artificially messing with your runs by hitting F:CE just to say you did.

If you're a 15:30 5k person, training runs are not easy runs. Easy runs are what you do after a hard track workout. They're sometimes referred to as a "cool down." If you feel you have to go "easy" on a training run, it's probably better to just take the day off.

Okay, there's where I was confused. On that note, it's even WORSE to manufacture a recovery.