How do people do easy runs so fast?

If you are a 16:37 5K runner and you need to run 9:00+ paces my then something is wrong. Sorry bro....

Easy runs are gucci wrote:

Everyone on here that matches my 5K PR does their easy runs at like 7:15, and sometimes even below 7. Mine are consistently above 8, sometimes in the 9's after a tough workout. My PR is 16:37, and my "hard" long run pace is 6:25 for 12 miles. Am I doing something wrong?

Running 1:30-2:00+ slower (call it 6:50-7:20) than 5k pace isn't exactly hard run. Maybe a bit harder than you want to do but not by much. Frankly I don't know how ANYONE runs 9+ mile pace for extended periods of time. It just isn't running. Either you really drop the cadence or end up with a race walker stride length. About the only time I can remember do that when I was running sub 17s in HS was maybe for the first 10 mins or so on a morning run til the body wakes up and you speed it up to the normal 7-8 min/pace. There are obvious pace exceptions (your are at 8k feet of elevation, ran a marathon the day before, running up a mountain,....) but if your a 16:37 and you are finding a need to run 8:30+ pace for extended periods of time on a regular basis, you are screwing somethign up in your recovery/training.

Now what was a bit crazy in HS was when we cranked it up to 6 min pace for 7-8 miles as 15:30-16:30 runners. It might have been ok for the 15:30 guy (call it a marathon pace run) but for the 16:30 guys it was a hard tempo run. Which would have been fine if we weren't do a workout the next day (after doing a dual meet the day before). Granted being 17 lets you get away with all sorts of stupid things and it definitely wasn't a normal occurence. Just every couple weeks someone would be feeling good and pick the pace up a bit and things snowballed.

Randy Oldman wrote:

Reality check... wrote:

They don´t

Ethiopians do.

https://www.facebook.com/EastAfricanAthletes/posts/476463622408348

Where do you see anything in there remotely approaching 7min/km?

Duty free wrote:

There was this quote from some college coach talking about his freshman recruits that did 40 mpw and less. When they went to college they started to do 60-80 mpw and the coach forced them to do their easy runs at like 7:30 even though they were used to 6:15 pace for all their miles. The coach had a great response:

"If you only did 40 mpw you better be going 6:15"

"Some college coach" was Rojo.

Your knowledge of Solinksy is in correct and some elites run their mileage slower, to name one, Donn Cabral.

JoggerJoe23 wrote:

That's interesting. I've read quite a few studies that have concluded that if you don't run at an easy pace after a hard effort workout, you're actually going to be doing more damage than good. I haven't read any studies that have concluded that you should take your hard days medium and your easy days medium effort.

What study ever suggest running 3:00 +/mile slower than your 5k pace?

There is no such thing as a true "recovery run"! At NO pace does your body RECOVER WHILE RUNNING that is not how the body works. Every step you take will cause more muscular damage and put more stress on your cardiovascular system. Otherwise why wouldn't we just run all day long if it was recovering our bodies.

NO we recover when we rest. Eating and sleeping are when we recover.

The point of the recovery run is to give your body some additional stress when it is already tired in order for your brain and body to find new nuero-muscular pathways to running. thus you are working on the skill of running both neuro-muscularly and cardiovascularly (Brain Training for Runners - Fitzgerald). The recovery run should provide some additional stress and be a part of the cumulative workload, without stressing your body too far.

In my mind after a hard workout I am not fully recovered the next day even after eating and sleeping well. The goal of the recovery run or runs is to get in enough work so that by the next Workout I am nearly totally recovered. So essentially you should do the most possible and the fastest possible on your recovery day while still being able to be 98% ready for the next workout.

Accumulated fatigue or the trials of miles and miles of trials is really the best way to train.

I'm not suggesting every run is medium, but that every run serves a purpose. 3:00 off your race pace literally serves no purpose, whereas 1:30 - 2:00 off race pace does give you a benefit.

Straight Outta Eldoret wrote:

At NO pace does your body RECOVER WHILE RUNNING

BS.

Most runners who run a couple of miles in the morning after a workout the day before will feel better in the evening run. Recovery isn't only simplistic things ex phys pseudo-scientists can measure.

They feel better in the evening run because they rested between the runs! The run may help them feel better because of releasing endorphins, but does not recover the body. Otherwise you could literally run all day.

Running never recovers the body. It only increases stress on the muscles and cardiovascular system.

And yes I have run... 3:54 (1500) , 14:26 (5k) , 30:08 (10k)

OP, I'm the same way. I'm even faster - 15:30 - and estimate my easy runs at 7:45 to 8:00.

I attribute this to being a middle distance guy.

You're not necessarily doing something wrong. Many people are successful under the "easy days easy" philosophy. I think the key with easy runs and recovery days is to feel them out. If you're feeling good on an easy day during a base training phase and you're rolling, great. If you just ran a race or a tough workout the day before, it's not a problem to run them a little slower.

Honestly, being a 16;37 guy, you should be able to comfortably average 7:30 pace for your easy runs. Being able to take more initiative on easy days might be an adjustment that takes you from a 16:37 to a sub 16 min guy. I think you said you're relatively new to running.

Also, the fact that you're being ambitious with your long run is promising.

Just remember this: It's called and easy run, NOT and easy jog.

9-minute miles???

At that point the motion isn't even relevant to actual running. Go swim or bike for recovery if you're reduced to the pace of a 30-minute 5k. Run when you can actually move.

Dude, if your legs are so trashed you can't go faster than a 9 minute pace the next day then don't even bother running that day. Take the damn day off!

Same here, almost the same 5km pb, and mid 3:50s for 1500m. Running faster than 7:30 on an easy day has always felt tough to me. Running sub 7 miles for an hour will leave me more exhausted than a semi-hard track workout.

samesie wrote:

OP, I'm the same way. I'm even faster - 15:30 - and estimate my easy runs at 7:45 to 8:00.

I attribute this to being a middle distance guy.

Someone claimed that Jama Aden's group runs half an hour at 8:45 pace. So I don't think you need to worry.

2:06.57 marathon dude with a boatload of 12k in 60 minutes runs:

http://www.bunnhill.com/BobHodge/TrainingLogs/inubushi.htm