Falling in Love with Easy Running

One thing that revolutionised my running was learning to run easy.

I came from a footballing background, where everything is fast paced & maximum effort.

So naturally, when I hung up my boots and turned to running, I wanted to continue on this trend.

I would hammer every single run, pushing myself way too hard. I was running way too fast & getting injured often.

It was getting to the point that I wasn’t really enjoying my running. I was having to force myself out of the door at times.

Then, I got an opportunity to work as a run guide in Greece.

I was leading groups of mixed abilities around 3-10km routes, often in hot & hilly conditions.

My running was no longer about me, rather the collective enjoyment of the group.

So, to ensure maximum satisfaction of everyone, I slowed the pace right down to keep the group together.

My heart rate kept low, the pace was conversational & I could take groups out a few times per day.

I had learnt to ‘run easy’.

I loved it, I looked forward to every run.

I had new found variety in my running programme and I easily increased my weekly distance. I also noticed big improvements in my race times.

Without realising, by running easy I had started to build up my aerobic capacity. This allowed me to run faster and for longer.

By increasing my easy miles each week, I had more energy for speed work like tempo runs, interval sessions or hill reps.

So, how can you also learn to run easy?

Well, I would start by using the free running pace calculator on the link below: Runner's World's Training Pace Calculator (hearstapps.com)

Use a recent run/race time to calculate your training pace. Then, once you know what you’re aiming for I would aim to complete 70-80% of your mileage as ‘easy runs’.

There are a few key considerations when easy running:

1) Aim to keep your heart rate within 50-70% of your maximum heart rate. If you have to run/walk to keep your heart rate low, then so be it.

2) It should be a pace that you can easily chat with others.

3) It should feel comfortable. Aiming for 3-6/10 for effort levels.

If you’re an aspiring runner but lacking that motivation, then embracing easy running could be exactly what you need.

So, give easy running a try and let the good times roll.

Please feel free to leave us any questions in the comments or DM us at @KataSportswear.

Thank you for reading!

Caolan.