The next time you review your training plan, be wary of those misnamed easy runs. They just might end up being the toughest workouts you’ll do.
Ah, the “easy” run. Also known as a recovery run, it’s perhaps the most misnamed form of exercise. It’s the mirage of the training plan. From afar it sure looks like an oasis — we’re running a shorter distance at a slower pace, with no pressure to perform. But as many runners know, there’s more to it than meets the eye when our shoe rubber meets the road. Every step is more demanding than the previous, every mile is longer than the last, every breath is heavier than the prior.
Some would claim there’s no such thing as an easy run — the act of running in itself is challenging. After all, a run by any other name is still a run. And thinking back to my early days on the road, I wholeheartedly agreed. But now, recovery runs are difficult for me for very different reasons.
“Easy runs make me feel what it was like to start running more than a decade and a half ago. Who says time travel is impossible?!”
Easier said…
There are no expectations for a recovery run — except that we’ll be extremely tired and sore from the preceding day’s speed workout or long run. To make matters worse, we’re weighed down by the heaviest pair of shoes in our rotation. I’m looking at you, New Balance Fresh Foam X More.
And on the rare days when the legs are actually feeling fresh, recovery runs are challenging because we simply want to go faster but know we shouldn’t overexert ourselves. Sometimes it really is harder to run slower. It’s genuinely a catch-22.
“Easy runs repair our muscles so we can go out the next day and damage them all over again.”
Long runs provide serenity, speed workouts exhilarate, daily runs deliver certainty, but easy runs, well, they make me feel uneasy. They make me question my ability as a runner. They make me feel what it was like to start running more than a decade and a half ago. Who says time travel is impossible?!
A quick Google search on “easy runs” reveals I’m not alone in this line of thinking — a few of the most popular questions that appear include: “Can you go too slow on easy runs?” “Will my easy runs get faster?” “Why are my easy runs so slow?” And, perhaps my favorite: “How do you breathe on easy runs?” You see, easy runs make us forget how to inhale and exhale!
Easy does it?
All snark aside, easy runs serve a clear and useful purpose: they help repair our muscles so we can go out the next day and damage them all over again. Recovery runs help not only the nervous system recover from fatigue, but also aid in mental fatigue from training, according to Physiotherapist Dr Kathleen Walker from Cardiff University. The former may be true, but I’m having a hard time believing the latter. Simply put, it hurts my oversized ego to run slower, causing me great deals of mental anguish. The general recommendation is to run 3+ minutes per mile slower than your 5K pace or 2+ minutes per mile slower than marathon pace.
In the same way that I stumble through life every day, I’m fully equipped with a trusted pair of earbuds, with a good podcast or audiobook to take my mind off the mundane task at hand, whether it’s cleaning the bare minimum, cooking the easiest recipes, doing basic errands, or running “easy.” The only problem is I’m so distracted by my physical state during these runs that the only thing my brain can process is pain.
I know what you’re thinking: perhaps all my complaining about something labeled as “easy” means that I’m overtraining. I would agree with you if I wasn’t already following the general recommended mileage and exertion guidelines, including the 80/20 rule, the 10 percent rule, and incorporating ample rest. So, now you’re probably thinking I’m just a big baby and I love to grumble to anyone that will listen (or read). Ok, now you may be onto something. I do run a blog.
Easy come, easy go
I flip the page of my training calendar to June 2023, and the first workout of the month is a tempo run at marathon pace. There’s no chance I’m feeling up to a speed workout today. Hmm, perhaps I’ll take it easy and do a recovery run. How hard could it be?
