McMillan pacing VS. running by feel?

mcmillan paces are for "easy" runs, not "recovery" runs.

i've found that when i was new at running, mcmillans paces seemed too slow. but now that i'm faster, mcmillans paces seem too fast.

mcmillan says my paces should be about 6:10-7:10, like OP, but i'm usually in the 7:05-7:15 range for easy/recovery runs.

One of the biggest mistakes runners make is to run too hard on easy days. You should definitely go by feel. There are plenty of great runners who run easy days at 7:30 pace or even slower. The old saying about running at a pace where you can hold a conversation with someone is true.

The purpose of easy running is recovery. I will quote Sarah Crouch, who is a professional runner and two-time Olympic Trials qualifier: "You cannot run too slowly on a recovery day, only too fast. Make sure you understand that. It is a simple concept that is notoriously hard to grasp. Slow, easy running helps to flush oxygen-rich blood through the legs and also heals micro-tears and other damage that a workout creates. As soon as you begin to push the pace, you are creating more damage to your legs rather than helping them heal."

ALWAYS BY FEEL. There is no other way. Pretend the McMillan calculator never existed.

There's a difference between easy runs and recovery runs. I dont know how you and the OP are missing this. It says it right on the website - easy pace, long run pace, then recovery pace.

Recovery runs are for recovery. Easy runs are not.

So Al Sal is an idiot who made Mo run faster on easy days. No wonder he has sucked since he joined NOP. He should have been coached by Sarah Crouch instead.

Look at "coach's notes" below the calculator. "Every runner is unique, so over time, you will learn how to interpret and modify the Race Times and Optimal Training Paces to fit your particular strengths and weaknesses."

Run on feel, check your pace afterwards if you have to. I don't think anyone on this board with half a brain tells you to run all your easy runs at sub 7 pace.

Just Another LRC idiot wrote:

So Al Sal is an idiot who made Mo run faster on easy days. No wonder he has sucked since he joined NOP. He should have been coached by Sarah Crouch instead.

Do none of you know how to read?

reading friend wrote:

There's a difference between easy runs and recovery runs. I dont know how you and the OP are missing this. It says it right on the website - easy pace, long run pace, then recovery pace.

Recovery runs are for recovery. Easy runs are not.

Bingo!

I'm a high-17 5k runner (aka, bottom 0.001% of LR.C), so my paces are:

Easy (on a good day): 7:00

Easy (most of the time): 7:15-7:30

Easy (hot, hilly, etc.): 7:45-8:00

Recovery: 8:00-9:30

My HR varies just as much as my pace, so that's no much good, either.

My respiration, however, is pretty consistent.

Easy: Can breathe through my nose for a while, but it's much more comfortable to use deep mouth-breathing. If running with a buddy (purely theoretical, nobody on LR has friends), we could carry on a conversation with more-or-less full sentences, but if I called someone on the phone they would ask what the heck I was doing.

Recovery: pure nasal respiration is possible and comfortable. I could probably carry on a phone conversation without the other party knowing what I was doing.

About the same for me. On true recovery my legs are unable to withstand a pace that could elevate my breathing or HR.

I do most of my runs between 6:30-7:10 pace by feel, and generally know the pace before checking my watch. Several days after a tough workout it's physically harder to run that fast and what I think is 7:00, and feels like 7:00, is actually 8:00 when I look at my watch. Always go by feel. I would be laboring so much more on those easy days if I tried to run at 6:30.

So I guess my next question has to be, whats the difference between easy and recovery? Is a recovery run the run following a hard workout? I usually almost always have a race or workout the day before my mileage runs, so which of them are recovery and which are not? If everyone's saying that a recovery run is the run following a workout, then I have a recovery run pretty much every time I do mileage.

McMillan pretty much nails me for easy and tempo paces. I do not try to hit a certain pace for easy runs and normally they are a progression from 8:20s or so all the way down to 7:20s or so. For me there is a difference between easy runs and recovery runs. Easy runs are runs where I just get out the door and hit cruise control, going at a pace that feels good. Recovery days I control myself and give myself paces that I will not exceed.

kod3200 wrote:

So I guess my next question has to be, whats the difference between easy and recovery? Is a recovery run the run following a hard workout? I usually almost always have a race or workout the day before my mileage runs, so which of them are recovery and which are not? If everyone's saying that a recovery run is the run following a workout, then I have a recovery run pretty much every time I do mileage.

Well don't you need to recover after every workout or race? Summer mileage and preseason is for easy runs. If you are having workouts and races every other day during season, then you should mostly only be doing recovery runs.

This is so true. I'm learning this this year, and went from 20 mpw on Feb. 6 to 40-45 mpw on April 6 (today), simply due to EZ running at 9:30 pace. I did a few pickup miles at 7:05 pace yesterday and felt great (7-mile fartlek at different speeds, from EZ to hard). I had done 4 miles in 38 the day before (9:30 pace).

Today I ran just by feel and only looked at the watch at the end. EZ shuffle the first mile, that eased into a slightly harder (but not breathing hard at all) pace for my 8-miler in 67:25, at 20% effort.

As I stack miles and hit 50-60 mpw, with the bulk of it EZ, I'll be able to go faster in my workouts.

For years I'd try to hammer each workout at a consistent rate but I saw how it could lead to burnout.