If you feel go run as hard as you like.
If you feel sluggish, worn out etc, go as easy as possible.
If you feel go run as hard as you like.
If you feel sluggish, worn out etc, go as easy as possible.
I'm in 15:30 shape and don't run that fast.
Slowfeetdonteat wrote:
Me and a couple of my teammates are in good shape and because of that tend to go fast on our easy runs, not that fast (6:20-6:40 pace) but our teammates say we’re gonna burn out and stuff. Is it bad to be running that fast on easy runs if it feels comfortable for us
To give some context we’re in 16:30ish shape rn
Old trick a former coach did; make guys that run too hard on easy days, run with the girls, and not go any faster than them.
Slowfeetdonteat wrote:
Me and a couple of my teammates are in good shape and because of that tend to go fast on our easy runs, not that fast (6:20-6:40 pace) but our teammates say we’re gonna burn out and stuff. Is it bad to be running that fast on easy runs if it feels comfortable for us
To give some context we’re in 16:30ish shape rn
As someone that used to have a very bad habit of hammering easy days to about 4:00/km, there is a definite benefit of doing so but save this only for your longest two easy days of the week. They say "5km Race Pace + 2 minutes/mile" (1:15/km). While true that it may be geared towards those that are running 16:00 or under, fact of matter is you guys aren't that far off in which it's unreasonable to respect the 5km Pace + 2 Rule. I still think because your 5km is at least a decent time, at the fastest this should be 5km pace + 1:00/km if you are to be doing all your easy runs at the same pace. And Keep it at that pace, don't run faster on your easy days if you are improving - the faster you are racing, the more distance you will want between race pace and easy pace.
Even "Faster Road Racing" only recommends that you do the later part of your long runs at 6:35/mile for 16:30 5km shape. Because you guys are already doing this, you may actually be sabotaging your easy runs and workouts because you are doing this every day. How many workouts are you doing per week? Now if you guys do insist on doing your long runs at that speed, I would advise doing the rest of your days at the fastest 5km pace + 90 seconds/km. I've found a real benefit to splitting up the days between "easy" and "aerobic" as you don't want to be slogging away on the long run, but at the same time you will want to recover in between sessions.
- On 2 workouts/week, do 2 of your easy days at the pace you are currently doing it at.
- On 3 workouts/week, only do your long run at the pace you are currently doing your easy days at.
Otherwise, slow yourself down to at least 7:15-7:20/mile. I would even advise 7:30s for the time being.
Slowfeetdonteat wrote:
I know what you mean but like we’re really competitive against each other and other teams so we just naturally end up going fast like it’s inevitable
You CAN control yourself. Limit the fast runs to once a week.
logiceagle wrote:
Slowfeetdonteat wrote:
I know what you mean but like we’re really competitive against each other and other teams so we just naturally end up going fast like it’s inevitable
You CAN control yourself. Limit the fast runs to once a week.
Maybe not once per week but definitely a limit of twice per week and for a mix of both mechanical and aerobic reasons, those '1-2 faster runs' should be your longest runs of the week. The shorter the easy day, the slower it should be imo.
I'm going to have to agree with the previous post. From a physiological standpoint easy runs @ 7:00-7:30 would be more efficient than running @ 6:30. That doesn't mean that it is wrong to run faster but you will receive almost the exact same benefit for less work. Lactate Threshold pace would for them would be around 5:45, A mix of those would be way more efficient than doing all of their runs @ 6:30. Don't forget to include Intervals and Repetitions in your training as well.
Perhaps I could have run slightly faster, but I PR’d every year after coming in with a 9:35 PR for 2 miles in high school. Graduated having run 8:30 for 3k and 14:45 for 5k. Then ran around 50 mins for 10 miles a year after graduating. I have the right body type to hold up to hammering most days.
Slowfeetdonteat wrote:
Me and a couple of my teammates are in good shape and because of that tend to go fast on our easy runs, not that fast (6:20-6:40 pace) but our teammates say we’re gonna burn out and stuff. Is it bad to be running that fast on easy runs if it feels comfortable for us
To give some context we’re in 16:30ish shape rn
Then why do you title it "hammering out easy runs?"
I think another point a lot of people overlook is that there are runs that have to exist between what we call "easy" and our workout days. Not every non-workout day has to be "easy." There have to be some days that are just "normal". They aren't necessarily for recovery, there's no workout coming up, no races coming up, etc. On those days, I see no problem with a 16:30 guy knocking out 6:30 pace.
Using Ovett as an example above, and using the proportion that was posted (16:30 to 13:20 is a 1.2 to 1 ratio), Ovett's 5:12 day converts to under 6:25 pace for a 16:30 days. So, even Ovett had runs that existed between "easy" and "workout" days.
The other aspect to consider when comparing a high schooler to someone like Ovett or Molly Huddle is mileage. Ovett was running 120 miles per week. Huddle hits 100-110. They are considerably faster than this high schooler, but also need considerably more recovery from longer workouts and much more frequent running. A high schooler doing a single 7-8 mile run per day is not going to need to back off as much as a pro running 20 miles per day with much longer workouts and long runs.
Run farther instead of faster if the run feels too easy.
Presuming you are young, likely HS based on your time and you are on a team.
Knowing when and how to train, and when and how to race, are things that have to be learned. I get it that you feel competitive. And may want to finish ahead of your team mates. But distinguishing between racing and training is a valuable skill.
You may not fully notice how much going harder on your easy days impacts your hard days, and/or your races, because you are young. When you are young you have better recuperative/recovery powers than when older. You also may yet to fully learn how to truly push yourself 100% in races yet. You may not be able to notice being off 1-2% during your hard days/races due to fatigue from pushing too hard on your easy days.
Yes you should run your days easy and by feel. You should not "feel" like you are competing, orbe thinking about competing, on your easy days. You should feel like you are consciously going easy to rest and recover on your easy days. If you are competitive, think about how hard you will be able to go in a future hard day or race because you went easy on the easy days.
You called these easy days and I presume that is what they are, and there is no other intended/prescribed training benefit as
part of the run but to go easy.
A 16:30 5k runner should not be going under 7 min/mile on true easy days.
Don't listen to all of these hobby-joggers. There is going to be a phase in your running career where you need to hammer and get after it on a daily basis. Most of these folks have never gone through this - the point where you really get after it, make a big breakthrough and actually get good at running. If you truly want to make big jumps you need to take risks, push the boundaries, and do things that others aren't able to. There's no way to truly explain it, but if you truly truly want to be good you will figure it out. Surely there are days where you need to run extremely easy - and if you are smart and listen to your body you will do that. But there are also stretches of days, weeks, and months where you need to get after it.
People posting about professionals who post an Instagram post about one shakeout run at 10 min per mile pace .... please STFU. Do you not think that the 10+ years of hammering and going out of their comfort zone lead to where they are at now? They did not get where they are by jogging 9 minute miles .... sure that is definitely a piece of the puzzle, but any real runner will admit that at some point you have to go through this phase.
Beating a dead horse wrote:
Same old thread, it's been around like forefever. Run easy days by feel that's it. If you run low mileage like i do, your easy days will be probably on the quick side. If you run high mileage you'll be usually slower in your easy days, just too beat down to run hard.
Running forcefully slow is meaningless imho. Real recovery is in rest, every kind of running is training not recovering.
Also looking at the training of running legends is misleading, some jog easy days some fly at 5.30 pace. Everyone is different.
^^^ Yes, just run. Some days 6:10 is easy... Sometimes it 7:10. The stress of worrying about the exact pace of your easy runs inhibits recovery more than running slightly too fast would. All the great runners I know don't complain about running too fast or worry about 'burning out'. They just run and aren't afraid to blast an easy run every once in awhile... or run really, really slow another day. In addition, they're so confident they're going to smash everybody that they aren't so insecure to think that a couple 'recovery runs' at a slightly fast pace is going to completely devastate their season.
[quote]Angry Willy wrote:
Nobody gets a trophy for winning the Tuesday easy run.
Fast pace on an easy day isn't fast enough to give you much training effect, but it is fast enough to hinder recovery. The next time you do a hard day, you aren't fully recovered and cant go as fast as you could, if fully recovered. If you extend this out over a season or year, the net result is that you run medium pace all the time.
In college, we derisively referred to these types as "easy day racer". Occasionally, there would be a mock Breaking News report at the end of a run, asking the winner how it felt to win the Tuesday easy run.
Everyday at Arkansas was a race. Everyday. It wasn't uncommon for someone to run our tues or thurs afternoon 8 miler at 5:10 pace. The only thing relaxed were our morning runs- sometimes at 7:30 pace. Run how you feel, kid. Test yourself. Aim big, and you just might get there.
How did you guys manage this without injuries?
They didn't. They probably no longer run and weren't good enough to turn pro.