Find your Easy pace & Commit to it
You may have heard something like this before- “You should be running most of your runs at easy effort!” or “Slow down on your easy days!”. You may be thinking in response, “Running is HARD, what the heck does that mean?!”
If this all sounds familiar you may want to keep reading…
The easy run may at times feel harder than it should be. So here is a breakdown of your most commonly asked questions answered.
WHAT WILL EASY RUNNING DO FOR ME?
A common concern for most runners is that running slower will make them slower. The truth is running easy allows us to train our aerobic system. Simply put, aerobic training means “with oxygen”. These runs are also commonly called Zone 2 because we’re keeping heart rate below our bodies’ aerobic threshold (more on this later).
Our aerobic system is needed for every race distance from the 5k to the marathon.The percentage that is aerobic vs. anaerobic increases as the distance gets longer. For reference, the 5k is 84% aerobic and the marathon is 97-99% aerobic. Are you starting to see the benefits of running easy and training your aerobic system yet?!
So let’s get down to the nitty gritty of what is happening on the inside when we improve our aerobic system:
Increase in capillaries. Capillaries transport blood to our working muscles, so the more you have the more time it will take to reach fatigue!
Boost mitochondria growth. This helps your body become more efficient at burning fat for energy. We burn a combination of carbs at fat during easy runs.
Greater aerobic capacity. This is also known as VO2max, or the maximum capacity your body has to uptake oxygen and utilize it during exercise. Having a greater aerobic capacity means you’ll be able to race at faster speeds over longer distances. The higher your aerobic capacity, the longer you can run closer to your maximal speed. AKA reach new PRs!
Better recovery. Since running easy will be slower than race or workout paces, they by nature have less impact on your body. When running appropriately easy you can recover from harder effort days.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I INCLUDE EASY RUNS?
Easy runs are the foundation to every (good) training plan. Roughly 80% of your weekly mileage should be easy runs no matter what you are or aren’t training for. This becomes even more important when training for endurance events, like a marathon, where the mileage is increasing.
Running too fast or too hard for more than 20% of your weekly mileage can have some serious consequences like burnout or injury. The other 20% of your running or “hard effort” runs include track intervals, tempo runs, steady state runs, marathon pace work, and fartleks. These runs should always begin and end with running in Zone 2 to warm up and cooldown.
SOO…..WHAT SHOULD MY EASY RUN PACE BE?!
What I try to establish early on with my athletes is that easy pace is not, in fact, a pace at all. Easy pace is an effort. The sooner you can understand that, the more successful you will be. Your easy pace can be completely different from today’s easy run to the one you do next week.
Running by feel can take months or even years of practice.
So if you’re not there yet there are some other guidelines to get you started:
Use an online pace calculator based on a race result in the last 6 months. There are many out there, but one of the most trusted is the Jack Daniels’ VDOT calculator. Remember to meet your fitness where you’re at- if you put in your personal best race time from a few years ago the pace zones given will not work for training your aerobic system where it is right now.
For example if you’ve recently run a 25:00 5K (8:03 min/mi) PR, your VDOT predicted easy pace is 10:07 ~ 11:07 min/mi. This is about 2-3 mins slower than your 5k pace.
Perform the talk test. If you run with a buddy you should be able to have a conversation without choppy breath. If you run alone try reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Either way, if you are unable to do this you need to slow down to get into an easy effort.
Check in with how you feel on the RPE (rating of perceived exertion) scale. An easy run should be 3-4 RPE. This is described as comfortable and would typically correspond with a heart rate that is 50-70% of your max HR.
To calculate your max HR, use the simple formula of 220- AGE= Max HR.
Run in Zone 2, or 60-70% of max HR. Most running watches will calculate your heart rate zones automatically based on the data entered when setting it up and running with it for at least 2 weeks. Be careful when relying on training by HR, as wrist-based sensors are inaccurate. For best results with this method, wear a chest strap monitor for better accuracy.
WHAT IF MY EASY PACE DOESN’T FEEL EASY?
Now when you’re out on the run things get tricky. Some days an 11:00 min/mi might feel easy and conversational with your HR sitting perfectly in Zone 2. But other days that 11:00 min/mi might feel really hard and you notice your legs feeling heavier and your heart rate getting higher. There are a million reasons why a run at the same pace could feel harder such as work stress, lack of sleep or poor nutrition, ETC. On runs like this, you need to put your ego aside and start tuning into your body.
Some days your effort might only feel easy by utilizing the walk/run method and that’s ok too. Your heart does not know the difference! If you want a stronger aerobic capacity you’ll have to be diligent about keeping your heart rate in control.
The bottom line is, if the run is too taxing and takes your heart rate too high, you will not reap the benefits or train your aerobic capacity. Often referred to as “the grey zone” when you’re running in Zone 3, which results in a small lactate response. In other words, the run is too hard to train your aerobic system, too easy to train your anaerobic system and may still leave you feeling sore or fatigued. Zone 3 or even Zone 4 training should be intentionally programmed in and only be about 20% of your weekly mileage.
The best way to get familiar with how these runs feel is to keep practicing! Remember as a runner you are an athlete! Just like a basketball, soccer or volleyball player- you need to learn these skills by showing up and practicing them! The better you get at honing in on easy pace, the better your race times will be!
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