Does an elite 6 min/mile easy pace feels just like a hobby jogger 8 min pace?

Your friend is an idiot

I was never elite, but a good runner. And I can tell you that we used to chat and tell jokes with my roommates on flat 6:00-6:15 pace runs of about 8-10 miles. Now, I run 7:30 pace for 4 miles and it feels like I'm finishing an all out 800 meters the entire time.

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oooooh boy wrote:

Your friend is an idiot

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Effort-wise, it might even be easier depending on the fitness of said hobby-jogger (are we talking soccer moms or weekend warrior types?). But the speed would feel different.

A friend's husband said there was no reason for anyone to run their easy pace faster than 7:30. I e-mailed him a video of Rupp conducting an interview on a treadmill run at 6:00 pace and he told me he was running too fast.

Said husband ran about 26:30 for the 8k in college, but since he ran DI he of course knows everything.

Actually, 6-minute pace for your proposed marathoner is less than a minute per mile slower than his race pace, so that's really not all that easy. More like "steady."

Anyone who can talk and hold a conversation on a run...The very definition of a hobby-jogger no matter what pace ;)

First of all it depends on how you feel at around 7:30 pace.

Jack Daniels' recommended easy pace for a 2:13 marathoner (5:05 pace) is exactly one min/mile slower (6:05 pace). So yeah, 6 flat pace would feel easy for him.

I meant proportionally

So for example if said hobby-jogger ran his easy pace at 35% of his marathon pace, would it feel the same if the elite marathoner ran 35% of his marathon pace, even if that was 6 min miles?

I do know that 6:00 pace felt the same at 40 what 7:00 feels like now.

Flannigan and Cragg sure were talking a lot at marathon pace in the trials.. Most people would be gasping for air..

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AdrianCh wrote:

I meant proportionally

So for example if said hobby-jogger ran his easy pace at 35% of his marathon pace, would it feel the same if the elite marathoner ran 35% of his marathon pace, even if that was 6 min miles?

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Awhile back Renato Canova was talking about Caleb Ndiku and he said something to the affect that there was literally no benefit for him to run at slower than 4:00/km, not even for recovery. I think that is around 6:25/mi.

Considering Ndiku is a higher quality runner than your average 2:13 marathoner, I might infer that 6 min pace is easy/recovery for his level. For the 2:13 guy, it's probably "easy feeling" but is slightly faster than recovery.

I'll let you guys know how 6:00 pace feels when I'm a 2:13 marathoner

In college 6:45 felt like 7:45 does now. At the end of a season, 6:20 felt like 6:45.

If you can't talk at marathon pace, you are going too fast.

If you are laughing and making elaborate hand gestures, too slow.

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Almosrsbs wrote:

Flannigan and Cragg sure were talking a lot at marathon pace in the trials.. Most people would be gasping for air..

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AdrianCh wrote:

I meant proportionally

So for example if said hobby-jogger ran his easy pace at 35% of his marathon pace, would it feel the same if the elite marathoner ran 35% of his marathon pace, even if that was 6 min miles?

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oh please wrote:

Awhile back Renato Canova was talking about Caleb Ndiku and he said something to the affect that there was literally no benefit for him to run at slower than 4:00/km, not even for recovery. I think that is around 6:25/mi.

Considering Ndiku is a higher quality runner than your average 2:13 marathoner, I might infer that 6 min pace is easy/recovery for his level. For the 2:13 guy, it's probably "easy feeling" but is slightly faster than recovery.

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AdrianCh wrote:

So I have been arguing with a friend.

We have been talking about a marathoner that can do a 2:13 marathon. He does his general not workout runs at around 6 min pace.

I say he feels just like we feel at around 7:30 min pace, while my friend says 6 min pace can never feel easy and that they guy is training medium hard all the time (about 120 mpw)

So who is right? Can you run 6 min pace and still tell jokes all day long?

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AdrianCh wrote:

I meant proportionally

So for example if said hobby-jogger ran his easy pace at 35% of his marathon pace, would it feel the same if the elite marathoner ran 35% of his marathon pace, even if that was 6 min miles?

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