Easy runs: the base you don’t see
Why most of your training should be easy, how to tell whether it really is, and what you gain from it.
Easy runs are the least flashy part of training and, at the same time, the most important. They're the foundation intervals and long runs stand on.
What they achieve
- More mitochondria and capillaries in your muscles.
- Better use of fat as fuel.
- Tendons and bones adapted to impact.
- Volume without fatigue that ruins the hard sessions.
How easy is easy?
Below the first threshold: you can speak in full sentences without gasping. For most people, that's quite a bit slower than they think. If your easy pace and your marathon pace look alike, one of them is wrong.
The usual mistake
Always going out "a bit fast" because slow seems pointless. The result is a week with no truly easy days and flat intervals.
How to keep it in check
Set a heart rate cap, ignore pace and, if you run with company, pick someone who lets you talk. Looking at weekly time in each zone tells you straight away whether your easy days really are easy.