Moderate may not be the right term, but basically that 10% slower than MP pace type effort.
What's the trade-off of just doing the whole thing easy, or mostly easy + a few miles at MP? Is "moderate" a non-useful pace?
Moderate may not be the right term, but basically that 10% slower than MP pace type effort.
What's the trade-off of just doing the whole thing easy, or mostly easy + a few miles at MP? Is "moderate" a non-useful pace?
It's useful. Sometimes you want to add a bit of extra stimulus to a long run. You don't have to add extra miles, or turn the dial all the way up on pace, so you close with some miles at steady pace. It's like eating your vegetables at dinner; it won't solve all your problems, but overall it's good for you.
Steady state long runs and throwing in some good hill surges in them are a excellent base phase workout. But during track season, keep it easy, save your legs for the harder efforts and races.