Hey runners,
I am always taught that easy runs should be easy. It should feel easy and heartrate should be low (at least 50bpm below HR-max). But when I finish an easy run at 9+min/mile I doubt whether these runs will really benefit.
PB on 5k track is 15:3x. My competitors all run their easy runs much faster than I do. What to do? Just try to increase my easy run pace?
My best distance is 1500m
Are these intended to be recovery runs? (Some might differienate)
At a 9 min pace you are recovering, which is a good thing. I'm kinda surprised that a 15 min 5K guy runs that slow but don't worry.
You should be running as fast as you can while still recovering.
There is a considerable margin where you can run faster without hindering recovery.
Are you still improving? If so, then don't change anything.
@jsisj
At this moment I can't see improvements in for example my treshold pace. I run a little slower than a few weeks ago. But I have no reference regarding races.
@joho, I run 6 times a week. Two track sessions and 4 easy runs. But I think not all these runs should be purely for recovery... Btw, I can even run 10 min/mile.
@SMJO,
How can I know the margin for me?
I think 7:30/mile easy run pace would still be considered recovery pace for a 15:30 5k guy, as a conservative estimate. I wouldn't run any slower than that for my easy days, at a minimum.
Some days that aren't recovery, but more of base mileage could be done faster, say 6:20-6:50/mile pace might be considered typical for a faster base mileage day.
I'd probably run these runs in 7:30-8:00 range, but that's because I do less mileage overall. If your pumping out 100 mile weeks with workouts 9 min. miles don't sound that crazy.
HansfromHolland wrote:
@SMJO,
How can I know the margin for me?
Experiment.
I'm not saying it won't work for you to run that slow, but I can't imagine ever running that slow. When I was recently just a 17:00 guy I never ran slower than 7:30. I find even 8:00 pace or so makes me feel terrible.
That pace is fine. I regularly do 8 to 9 min pace and I am under 15 for the 5k. I used to worry until I got a HR monitor and realized that I was running too fast on my easy days to recover and workout properly. Easy running is for recovery, don't worry what other people are doing.
50bpm slower is (did I ever think I would say this?) a bit too slow.
My easy run HR at 7:15 pace at altitude at age 41 (well before I switched to cycling) was maybe 125 avg. In a 5k race maybe 160 avg (at 5:15 pace at altitude). (My resting rate was 39, so everything was low). My rates at every pace got slower as I got older (even before I slowed down with age). I always did easy runs about 35 bpm lower than 5k race pace. When I ran 14:56 for 5k, 1:08:26 for half when I was younger, my easy runs were just as slow (7:15ish pace maybe with a slower first few miles).
That's the trouble with relatively fast guys using themselves as concrete evidence as to the merits of slower recovery running.
It's better to know if they also experimented with going a bit faster as well.
Much was made out of Farah saying that doing his easy days faster was a difference maker in his performances.
I would be shocked if that was optimal pace for you. If you want to increase your overall pace just pick it up in the middle or end of your runs to get a better feel for it. If it is going well, do more and more at the faster pace until you can adapt. As long as your workouts are going well and improving then you can keep running the faster mileage. Do you do a long run once a week? That would be a good place to try out some faster running.
Use this web page to get your training paces or the Mcmillan one.