How long did it take you before 7 minute pace was your easy pace?

I dream of that day.

1 year of consistent running in total. Started with junior xc (20-25mpw) - 20:56 for 5k, no winter training, junior track (20-25) - 5:27.49 mile, summer (30), senior xc (35-40mpw avg) 19:08 before injury (during overtraining), many injuries during winter training (10mpw avg maybe), senior track - ran 4:56/10:59 - equivalent to 7:05 e-pace, ran throughout the summer around low 7:10 range, late summer I started doing 7:00-7:10 more often.

It always has been my easy pace, give or take.

My first year of running as an adult was with work colleagues who made it their mission to run 7 min pace or faster.

In my first adult race I ran 39 mins for 10km. Over the next 6 years I dropped to 30.30 at best, now, another 6 years gone and I'm in the 32-33 range.

Mileage has been sustained at up to 120 per week at the highest. Last 7 years average more like 60mpw. An increase in volume usually sees a corresponding slow down in my easy pace - it then catches up after 3 or 4 weeks at that volume.

My easy run pace since I can remember has been in the 6.40 to 7.20 range, main variable being what I did the day or two before.

7 min pace ... lol

After six years of consistent training I finally managed to push my easy run pace down to 7 min/km.

10/10

Evdawg wrote:

1 year of consistent running in total. Started with junior xc (20-25mpw) - 20:56 for 5k, no winter training, junior track (20-25) - 5:27.49 mile, summer (30), senior xc (35-40mpw avg) 19:08 before injury (during overtraining), many injuries during winter training (10mpw avg maybe), senior track - ran 4:56/10:59 - equivalent to 7:05 e-pace, ran throughout the summer around low 7:10 range, late summer I started doing 7:00-7:10 more often.

A 10:59 3200 runner should not be running 7 minute pace for their easy pace, it is close to half marathon pace, estimated around 6:45 to 6:50 pace. That person should be running 7:30 pace for easy runs or a little slower.

It took me 4 years to get to 7 minute pace for my easy pace, at which point I was 1:58/4:30/16:20.

I'm guessing it will be about 15-20 more years of running before my easy pace is that slow

I started running when I was 7.

It took me until 7th grade (age 11) to break 7 for the mile.

By senior year of HS (age 16-17) I was running 7-minute pace on non-workout days. I ran 4:58 for 1600m and 10:17 for 3200m my last season of HS track. I think our team ran about 40mpw.

I kept running 7-minute pace on non-workout days until about age 25, by which time I was running high 16s for 5k. My mileage increased during that time to a high of around 80mpw and an average of about 50mpw.

After that, my easy pace got slower and my race pace got faster. At age 29 I ran 15:40; at that time I was running 7:40-8:00 pace on non-workout days. My mileage increased slightly--only a few weeks above 80, but more consistent. Maybe 60mpw year-round average.

I am now (age 33) running a lot more trails, which affect pace dramatically. On a flat, paved easy run I might average 7:45s; on an easy trail run I'll average between 9:15 and 10:45, depending on hills. I run ~70mpw with the odd over-100-mile week; I could probably run in the low 16s for a track 5000m right now but I mostly do longer trail races, so it's hard to compare PRs.

These are data points and you can use them how you wish. There is no need to point out how slow I am--I'm well aware.

"Easy Day" is a relative range with lots of variation...depends on the day....in the context of training (mileage, other hard workouts etc). Can you easily carry on a conversation? Is it really under 70% of your max HR.?

In hs (I ran 16:23 for 5km as a frosh), we used to blast our "Easy Days" at 6:30 pace for 30-min. It didn't feel good and we were running about 35mpw at the time. Way too hard and a big injury/overtraining risk. But younger/newer runners are overeager to improve usually.

It wasn't until jr and sr year of high that I realized I could slow down and relax most days...then came the 7:00-7:30 per mile pace (we used it to estimate our mileage actually....49-min was a 7 mile run back then!). Ran 15:17 for 5km and 8:46 for 3km that year.

In college we ran a lot on trails and were probably in the 7:30 pace range for most "Easy Days." Guys that ran 4:00 for the mile, low 14s in the 5km and sub 30-min 10kms were going this "slow"!

At Hansons-Brooks we were back on the 6:00-6:30 "easy day" pace on 120-140 miles a week (bunch of 2:15 marathoners on average)...but even when I ran 1:04 for the half and 2:16 for the full I probably did my 2nd Easy Runs closer to 7:00 or slower.

Still running 7:00-7:30 Easy Days training for a sub 2:19:00 marathon right now....120 miles a week.

That being said on actual hard workout days we would drop sub 5-min miles all the time. And Long Runs (20-mile + could go sub 6:00 most of the time).

So my advice: Don't worry about your "Easy Run" pace....instead worry about your "Tempo Run pace" and your actual "Race Pace."

Run relaxed with good form, go as slow as you need to go so you can:

1. Build up your weekly mileage without getting hurt

and

2. Hit actual fast paces on hard workout days.

sensible stuff. Amazed people like sage still post here lol

run 1:52/3:56 and my easy pace is still only 7:10s

If anything as I have gotten faster my easy days have gotten slower.

In high school our "easy days" were often 7 min-7:30 pace

In college our coach told us anything slower than 7 minute pace was not beneficial and people wouldn't run with me on recovery days when I ran 7:30 pace.

These days I probably run 8:00-8:30 pace for at least 40% of my mileage and I'm faster than I was then. Still not a phenomenal runner, but I've dipped just under 15 min for 5k and 1:10 for half.

I think "easy pace" is vastly overused. It doesn't have to be either hard or easy. Consistent moderate pace gets very good results. I see a lot of runners burn out because they run workouts all year-round. Even if it's a phased approach, that's too much. Do lots of steady, high-end aerobic running and put in tons of volume. Watch your times drop.

DII runner here, been running since November 2014. I didn't run track or cross country in high school, I'm finishing up my first Xc season now, consistently the second fastest guy on our team in races, not that that means much. I rarely run 7 or faster on easy days, more often 7:30 or slower. I've averaged 50-60 miles a week for the past five months and my prs are 2:03 for 800m, 4:19 for 1500, 4:41 for the mile, 16:36 for 5k (XC), 17:02 for 5k (road), 27:06 for 8k (XC), 35:23 10k.

It's easy for anyone who is not fat. Middle school kids run 7 min pace.

Oh man. If you are going to troll, do it properly. My original screen name was "Mike in San Diego," not from. LOL You look foolish. Thanks. Mike (the original "Mike in San Diego")

Mike from San Diego wrote:

After six years of consistent training I finally managed to push my easy run pace down to 7 min/km.

When my 1 mile dropped to about 4:40 and my 3 mile dropped to about 16:20 was when I usually ran around 7 minute pace or faster on easy days. That was around the end of my sophomore / beginning of junior year in high school, and I didn't start running till HS. So almost 2 years.

I'm currently getting back into shape right now as a 27 year old, and after 2 months I run around 7:20 average, and can run about a 17:30 5k. I think within a month and a half it'll be 6:55 average and a 16:50 5k.