Easy running is an art. There are those who, driven by anxiety, pick up the pace in every workout and turn easy running into a hard workout. Not only do many of the benefits of true easy running get lost this way, but when that athlete needs to run hard for real, they'll probably arrive tired and won't be able to perform at their best.
Easy runs are used to increase volume or total training distance because they provide great physiological benefits that build a solid foundation for later doing higher-intensity workouts. It's the pace used for warm-up and cool-down, recovery runs, maintenance runs, and long runs:
Warm-up: Before a hard workout or race, 10 to 20 minutes of easy running.
Cool-down: Immediately after a hard workout or race, about 10-30 minutes of easy running.
Recovery: One day after (can be hours for very trained athletes doing double sessions), 30 to 60 minutes of easy running.
Maintenance: Sessions to maintain the benefits achieved so far. Depending on the athlete's level, 30 to 90 minutes.
Long runs: Sessions to build endurance. Depending on the athlete's level, 60 to 150 minutes of easy running.
The intensity of easy running varies depending on the goal. If, for example, you're using it as a recovery run after a competition, or as a cool-down after a hard workout, you should run it even easier than your "normal" easy pace. If you use it as a warm-up or as rest between intervals it should also be easier than normal. If you're finishing a warm-up heading into a competition you can do it a bit faster so your body arrives better prepared at the start of the race.
— RELATED: THE GREAT BENEFITS OF EASY-PACE RUNNING
Easy running also shouldn't be sluggish or boring. You need to feel the easy pace but not tedious. On the other extreme, it's vital that you don't overdo it either because you'll trade the good effects of a recovery run, for example, for a workout that stresses your muscles even more. Two good keys to staying within range are: keeping the intensity "conversational" (try it even if you're running alone—if you can't say a few sentences in a row, you're probably overdoing it) and being able to maintain a 3-3 breathing (inhale for three steps, exhale for three steps).
If you prefer numbers you can calculate your easy pace by checking that your heart rate stays between 60 and 75% of your maximum. The thing is, many factors can alter your heart rate, from the weather to how much you rested the night before. Also the wind, the terrain you're running on, what you ate beforehand, and even the clothes you're wearing can change your heart rate. That's why we say that ultimately easy running is an art—it's not so easy to run at an easy pace!
But it's the master pace; the pace you need to learn to master. All runners use easy running, from beginners to the best runners in the world. Easy running can make up 100% of training for runners just starting out. For more advanced runners looking for better times and running more miles, easy running can make up to 70% or 80% of total volume depending on the program followed, but it will always be an important percentage because of the great number of benefits you get from it.
