Running at an easy pace should be 60-80% of the weekly mileage. In addition to the usual easy and recovery run, lasting from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours, a slow pace of running is used in the most long run, as well as during the mandatory warm-up and cool-down.
Why do you need easy running?
The main goal of easy running is to develop the aerobic system. Some physiological components of the body respond most effectively only to low-intensity exercise. Running at a relaxed pace allows for important adaptations such as:
- strengthening of the heart muscle.
- improved blood supply to the muscles.
- improving the ability to work muscle cells to process oxygen delivered by the cardiovascular system.
- strengthening the musculoskeletal system.
All this helps to build a reliable base – the foundation for high-quality high-intensity training.
Calculate your pace on our pace calculator, it’s convenient and fast.
How to choose the right pace for easy running?
The easy running pace is typically between 60% and 79% of VO2MAX (Jack Daniels). But it’s better not to get attached to the pace numbers, but to look at the heart rate readings or your feelings.
Theoretically, it is considered that easy running is 65-75% of the maximum heart rate, recovery is 60-70%. Easy pace is 1-2 zones, recovery pace is 1 zone in GPS running watches.
Another way is to focus on the sensations. The optimal pace for easy running is the pace at which you can speak in sentences without panting or inhaling sharply. Easy running pace should be stress-free.
What is the difficulty of easy running for beginners?
For beginners and more experienced runners, the most common problem is running at an easy pace.
Many beginners fall into the ladder of thinking about slow running:
- Running at a slow pace will not help me get faster.
- Running at a slow pace, others will think that I can’t run fast.
- Running at a slow pace is boring.
There may be other reasons not to include slow running in your workout plan. But you should know that forgetting or not knowing that you can’t run at a fast or medium pace every day, for several reasons:
- Fatigue accumulates and for a long time you will not be able to train like that, as a result, you will hate running, as you will associate it with stress and fatigue.
- From the daily fast pace, you can get injured, because the muscles of a novice runner have not yet strengthened, and constant fast running will put a lot of stress on your body.
Love to run at an easy pace is a great recovery after intense speed sessions. Light running develops the aerobic capacity of our body. During easy running, endorphins are released – hormones of joy, so experienced runners love and appreciate easy running.
