How Easy Runs Can Help You Get Faster-Exploring the Benefits of Slower Running

When I first started running, I didn’t know there were different types of runs. I would just run as fast as I could for every run. As I grew as a runner, my eyes were opened up to the fact that a well-rounded runner does different types of runs. These include easy-paced (sometimes referred to as recovery, however, they do differ slightly), speed, tempo, intervals, and long runs. Each type of run has a purpose. It has a place in your training. Today, I’m going to delve into easy running and will tell you why it is important to slow down on some of your runs if you aren’t already. It may seem contradictory at first. You might be thinking, “How could running slow help me run faster?” It’s not feasible to run fast every time you go out for a run. Your body does not have time to recover or repair itself when you do that. You end up spending all of your time in a state of fatigue. It starts to make more sense when you think of it this way.

The bulk of my running during the week is easy-paced miles. I do one speed workout, one tempo-type workout, and a long run (sometimes with workouts built into it). The rest are all easy miles. It should come out to about 70-80% of your weekly volume. When trying to find your easy pace, a good place to start is around 2 minutes/mile slower than your 5k pace or about a minute slower than your marathon pace. Once you know this, then you can tweak it to fit your needs. Ideally, you will run at a pace that you could comfortably have a conversation. Some people will use heart rate to help determine their easy pace. In doing this, you would need to find your personal heart rate training zones and stay within certain zones for different types of runs. I don’t train by heart rate mainly because I don’t have a chest strap heart rate monitor. I don’t believe the wrist measurement on my Garmin is very accurate and typically don’t pay much attention to it.

Now, I don’t mean run so slow that you are tripping yourself. I’ve tried to do this in the past. It just makes my form really sloppy and I can’t get into a rhythm. Let your body tell you what pace it feels like running. My paces generally tend to be around 8:00-8:40 minutes/mile. If I’m really tired or after a hard workout, sometimes I’ll find myself going up to 9:00 minutes/mile. It really depends on how I’m feeling that day. The pace I’m running doesn’t matter as long as it feels easy.

What does running easy do for you?

Aerobic benefits

Your aerobic capacity is improved by easy runs. Aerobic capacity is a measure of the ability of the heart and lungs to get oxygen to the muscles. This helps you to build endurance. You become better at sustaining your speed over longer distances. There are changes to the body that occur, such as increased capillary density and increased mitochondrial activity. Capillaries aid in delivering oxygen and nutrients to the muscle tissues. Mitochondria produce energy within muscle cells. Your musculoskeletal system becomes better adapted to stress, enabling you to handle a higher workload.

Recovery from hard workouts

When we push ourselves really hard in workouts, we do damage to our muscles. They need to repair themselves. Running easy helps them recover and not cause more damage. It also helps prepare you for the harder workouts. When you are pushing too hard all the time, you are always going to be fatigued.

Add weekly mileage without the injury risk

When you are running higher mileage weeks, those easy days can be very welcome! There is less of a chance of injuring yourself if you are running the bulk of your weekly mileage easy and reserving the hard stuff for one to two days a week. It can also help with overtraining problems, since you are not putting so much stress on your body.

What is holding you back?

Time constraints

You need to give yourself enough time to do the entire run. It’s better to cut the run short if time is not on your side than to try to go too fast during an easy run. Work with whatever time you have that day.

Want to get it over with

I am guilty of this every so often. Sometimes you just want to get the run over with. When you are running easy and giving your body the rest it needs, it can be a little boring and feel like the run is dragging. There are days when I would like to just get my run over with and not prolong it with slower miles. To combat this, I’ll listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks during easy runs. It’s also a good time to just let your mind wander and de-stress yourself mentally.

Feel like you aren’t going to benefit from not running hard

Running easy isn’t always easy. Some days I really have to remind myself to slow down. You are increasing your endurance. You are recovering from hard workouts. You are decreasing your injury risk. This is going to make you a stronger runner overall. Enjoy it so that you can give it your all on the hard workout days.

Other people will see your run and think you are slow

Stop worrying about what people on Strava or Instagram will think. You are doing what’s best for you and what is going to make you a better/faster/stronger runner. If you want to be the best runner you can be, then you need to do what’s best for you! No shame in my run game! Don’t fall into that comparison trap. You are on your own journey and when you know the tools that will help you run better, you should use them! It doesn’t matter what other people are doing or what they think.

Have I convinced you to add in some easy miles to your training? I’ve gone from a 3:49 marathoner almost three years ago to a 2:55 marathoner. One of the big things that I did differently is to let my easy days actually be easy. I used to run a lot of my daily runs close to the same pace or I would push myself too hard on the easy days and leave nothing left for the hard days. Embrace the easy days. Let them be the reward for all your hard work! Know that they are an integral part of your training to become a better runner!