It doesn't matter. Long runs and workouts should be fast enough. Easy days, whatever.
To answer the question, 1 year. My freshman year of HS, I ran + or - 16 flat and did about 7 for easy pace. I started somewhere from 7:30 to 8:30 the year before.
I improved a lot from dropping mileage and taking some workouts more conservatively, later.
Good discussion here. Not a hobbyjogger question at all—very important topic for any serious runner looking to improve.
I am an old man now, but when I was in college in the 90s, we ran low miles, but too fast. Much like wejo and his “why I sucked in college”. We all underperformed.
We ran 60-70mpw, but Everything was TOO HARD. Easy days were always 6min miles. As others mentioned, it’s stupid ego: egos pushing the easy days, egos hammering the workouts. We always felt fried.
Strava has been a revelation in this regard. Follow as many elites as you can—I follow a range from 3:35 1500m men, to top collegians, to marathoners. The trend is clear: most run 80 to 100mpw, but apart from workouts, it’s almost all around 7 min pace.
I wish I had this knowledge when I was young!
I started running Freshman year at about 25 mpw
Sophomore year I picked it up to about 45 mpw
Junior year I picked it up to about 55 mpw
Senior year I have averaged about 60 mpw but I was hitting 70 all through July and August
For me, 7:00 pace became no-soreness conversational towards the end of XC junior year. I PRd with a 17:47 5K that season
Easy pace is looking like about 6:40-6:45 pace on a good day with a current PR of 16:08.
SiSenior wrote:
I started running Freshman year at about 25 mpw
Sophomore year I picked it up to about 45 mpw
Junior year I picked it up to about 55 mpw
Senior year I have averaged about 60 mpw but I was hitting 70 all through July and August
For me, 7:00 pace became no-soreness conversational towards the end of XC junior year. I PRd with a 17:47 5K that season
Easy pace is looking like about 6:40-6:45 pace on a good day with a current PR of 16:08.
That's not easy dude. It's definitely "not hard", but it's not easy. Kipchoge runs that pace on his easier days. Almost every guy running say 1:00:00/28:00/13:30/3:35 is running slower than you on there easy days.
If you're 800 focused, that's a little different. If you're an aerobically focused runner, 1500 and up, you're training harder than guys 20% faster than you. If kipchoge was your fitness level, he would be running about 8:00 pace.
Slow down and you'll get much better.
About a year when I started at 12 minute pace at age 51.
Rods faces wrote:
Good discussion here. Not a hobbyjogger question at all—very important topic for any serious runner looking to improve.
I am an old man now, but when I was in college in the 90s, we ran low miles, but too fast. Much like wejo and his “why I sucked in college”. We all underperformed.
We ran 60-70mpw, but Everything was TOO HARD. Easy days were always 6min miles. As others mentioned, it’s stupid ego: egos pushing the easy days, egos hammering the workouts. We always felt fried.
Strava has been a revelation in this regard. Follow as many elites as you can—I follow a range from 3:35 1500m men, to top collegians, to marathoners. The trend is clear: most run 80 to 100mpw, but apart from workouts, it’s almost all around 7 min pace.
I wish I had this knowledge when I was young!
malmo recently said that his easy pace was 5:40.
alain sodthelot wrote:
Rods faces wrote:
Good discussion here. Not a hobbyjogger question at all—very important topic for any serious runner looking to improve.
I am an old man now, but when I was in college in the 90s, we ran low miles, but too fast. Much like wejo and his “why I sucked in college”. We all underperformed.
We ran 60-70mpw, but Everything was TOO HARD. Easy days were always 6min miles. As others mentioned, it’s stupid ego: egos pushing the easy days, egos hammering the workouts. We always felt fried.
Strava has been a revelation in this regard. Follow as many elites as you can—I follow a range from 3:35 1500m men, to top collegians, to marathoners. The trend is clear: most run 80 to 100mpw, but apart from workouts, it’s almost all around 7 min pace.
I wish I had this knowledge when I was young!
malmo recently said that his easy pace was 5:40.
That's the extreme upper end, and I'd argue that was borderline easy. Lots of guys back then did a pretty decent "moderate" intensity volume.
I think guys today are clearly better, and that a big part of that training is better, especially for the longer stuff. I've only ever seen improvement with athletes when I get them to back off on the easier stuff.
10/10. I doubt I'll ever see that day (maybe 8:00 some day/ year from now)...but like seeing the responses!
" 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). "
I run 4:34 for 1600 and my easy pace is around 8 minutes. Easy days should be 100% recovery imo
Hey do you mind if I get your email or something? I have some questions about running D2 in college for someone who did not run in HS
I’m a D2 female runner. Our coach explicitly told us not to visit LetsRun forums.
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adizero Road to Records with Yomif Kejelcha, Agnes Ngetich, Hobbs Kessler & many more is Saturday
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