“Make your easy days easy and your hard days hard.”
If you’ve been around the running community for a bit, you’ve probably heard this phrase before. But over the years, some have argued that it’s possible to run too easy, whereas others think that all miles have a purpose.
Whether you’re a seasoned marathoner, a trail enthusiast, or a casual jogger, understanding the significance of keeping your easy days easy and your hard days hard can revolutionize your training approach. It’s easy to fall into the trap of pushing yourself relentlessly, but finding the right balance is crucial for long-term success and injury prevention.
With that said, here’s what Coach Sage thinks about the concept of “junk miles” and the best way to approach training in general:
“I realize we’ve covered a variety of training approaches and running workouts over the course of our newsletter.
Why Easy Runs Are Essential 🙌
But today I wanted to specifically focus on easy day pace and easy running, because it truly is at the core of becoming a stronger runner.
Usually, we refer to easy days as days when you aim to cover mileage or spend time on your feet, essentially recovering from more demanding sessions like long runs, workouts, or races. For instance, an interval session on a track where you push the pace with speed work, or a tempo run that increases intensity. On average, about 80% of my weekly mileage is at an easy aerobic pace, often referred to as zone one or zone two.
The general rule of thumb is being able to carry on a conversation comfortably without experiencing significant pain or excessive breathlessness. The easy pace may vary depending on the day, whether you have two consecutive easy days or a day off preceding an easy day. Usually, it involves shorter and more relaxed runs with minimal elevation gain.
Personal Experience ✅
In my case, my goal pace for marathons usually sits around five minutes and 18 seconds per mile or three minutes and 17 seconds per kilometer.
For my easy days, however, I’m averaging around seven minutes and 30 seconds per mile or four minutes and 24 seconds per kilometer, give or take 30 seconds or a minute per kilometer slower than my marathon race pace. It could also be one and a half to two minutes per mile slower, depending on the terrain. Nevertheless, the emphasis remains on maintaining a conversation-friendly, relaxed pace to accumulate mileage.
Contrary to the notion of junk miles, I firmly believe that easy aerobic training provides significant benefits. It stimulates blood flow to the muscles, facilitates fat burning after 30 minutes, and triggers aerobic adaptations. This type of training operates at approximately 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. However, it’s important to note that running at an easy pace doesn’t equate to inefficient or worthless training. In fact, it allows for gradual mileage increase, reduces the risk of overtraining and injury, and promotes the strengthening of muscles and tendons.
Is TOO SLOW Even a Thing? 🧐
The question often arises: Can you go too slow on easy days, leading to meaningless mileage? The simple answer is no. Easy-paced training yields superior aerobic benefits and substantial gains compared to intense workout days. The key lies in balancing these easy-paced runs with consistent higher mileage. The focus should be on gradually building duration, aiming for 40 to 60 minutes of continuous running, where immense progress can be observed.
However, if you find yourself exhausted, limping due to soreness or injury, it’s advisable to opt for cross-training activities such as biking, swimming, or taking a complete rest day. It’s not worth risking injury for the sake of slow-paced running. Remember, easy days are meant for recovery and adaptation.
While prioritizing easy-paced runs, it’s equally important to reserve your hard efforts for specific workouts such as tempo runs or interval track sessions. Tempo runs typically involve a sustained effort for around 20 minutes, where carrying on a conversation becomes challenging due to higher heart rates. Likewise, hard interval track workouts push you to your limits, with limited speech capacity and intense effort. These demanding sessions should be sparingly incorporated into your training routine as you gradually increase your mileage.
Takeaways for Your Own Training ⚡️
When starting a training program, it’s recommended to focus predominantly on easy-paced runs, constituting around 90% of your weekly mileage. The pace variation may range from 30 seconds per kilometer to 40 seconds per mile, depending on the day and other factors.
The key aspect is being able to maintain a conversation while absorbing the training stimulus, consistently spending time on your feet, and achieving consistent mileage. Maintaining good form during easy runs is crucial, even if the pace is slower. Focus on shorter strides and aim for a stride rate of at least 165 to 170 steps per minute, while keeping your running form relaxed, light, and upright.
To reiterate, it’s essential to respect the principle of keeping your easy days easy. Prioritize recovery and injury prevention, particularly during the initial stages of mileage buildup or when recuperating from intense training sessions. On the other hand, don’t feel compelled to push hard every day. Reserve your intense efforts for specific workouts that target pace and intensity. Remember, the ultimate goal is to strike a balance between easy and hard days, allowing for effective adaptation, consistent mileage, and gradual improvement.”
Is there a newsletter topic you’d like to see for the future? Your feedback and engagement are invaluable to us! Let us know by emailing: support@higherrunning.com. We’ll see you next week!
“I’ve heard a lot of people discussing how road speed applies to mountain running lately, and I’ll start with short distance mountain running.
People have been using the example of runners, like Joseph Gray and Grayson Murphy, and they’re both US runners come from a road track background. Grayson Murphy recently crushed the world mountain running championships, winning gold against athletes from around the world. A lot of people are saying she has a lot of road speed and that really helped her! Let’s explore this idea a little more.
You CAN Do Well In Both Road and Mountains:
First, I think it is important to say and note that athletes who do well in the mountains, also do a lot of road and track workouts. They do various hill workouts and spend some time getting in some race specific climbs. One thing I believe is also important to add is that terrain matters. The typical US courses and world courses contains some technical sections, but compared to other races, they’re still very, very runnable.
Some would argue that this principle of road/track speed translating to mountain speed applies to everyone. Well, that I wouldn’t say that’s true. I think it’s very dependent on your running form and how efficient you are of running uphill and downhill. There’s definitely some fearlessness needed in the downhill, as well as running good running form.
There are other examples of good track and road runners doing these short mountain races and not doing as well. They either not as good on the terrain, or they’re just not as efficient as running up or downhill. The length of the race can also be a factor.
For example, Grayson Murphy just won on a 15-kilometer course that gained 751 meters of elevation, but would the outcome change as we go into longer distances? Possibly! But it’s still an incredible accomplishment regardless. A large part of doing well in short, mountainous races is being really fit and having a good cardiovascular system.
Considerations for LONGER Trail Ultras:
But what about when you’re doing a long mountain ultra? Let’s just look at something like the Speedgoat 50km.
I’ve already discussed how terrain plays a huge factor in longer mountain races and the stress of the downhills. If you are looking at the top runners, they’re going fast on that first downhill. Now, it’s not top speed, because they’re probably holding back a little bit. But an onlooker would say they’re “flying down that hill.” After that, their legs must be able to handle that downhill stress so then they can hit the next big climb and still be able to run smooth, efficiently, and fast. That downhill stress really, really matters.
There’s plenty of good examples at Speedgoat of talented marathon runners who totally imploded on that course (I won’t call anybody out).A big part of it is that their legs just weren’t ready to handle all the stress that mountain running contains. Of course, altitude’s a factor too for a lot of mountain races. And then again, just like the variability of terrain, some people just don’t move very well over rocky or uneven surfaces.
What if you are someone who is looking to start transitioning from the road to the mountains? Or, are you someone that likes to do #AnySurfaceAnyDistance? (As we like to say).
Here are some things I think are good to do:
Even if you are doing a longer mountain race, it’s good to do some workouts on the road.
From what I’ve seen from myself, and even the athletes I coach, is that it’s really easy to get sloppy if you’re doing all of your runs on hilly trails or, or mountainous terrain, and then you’re just beating up your legs day after day.
Your legs do get stronger be able to handle more mountainous terrain as you continue to train. But it’s always good to go back and do flatter runs to work on running mechanics and give your legs a break from hills.
I will say you could probably get away up with a lot more road running during with shorter trail races, but try to do at least a couple days of very specific runs or workouts for your trail race for the race that you’re actually doing.
Let’s Recap
To sum everything up, road speed can play a significant rolein mountain races, particularly in shorter distances where the terrain isrelatively runnable. Athletes with a background in road and track running oftendemonstrate success in mountain races, utilizing their speed and endurance totheir advantage.
However, the translation of road speed to mountain speed is not universal, as individual running form, efficiency on varied terrain, and fearlessness in downhill sections also come into play. Factors such as race distance, terrain technicality, and the ability to handle downhill stress further influence performance.
It is important for athletes transitioning from road to mountain running to incorporate road workouts to maintain running mechanics and give their legs a break from constant hilly terrain. Balancing specific trail runs and road workouts can contribute to overall training effectiveness and enhance performance in mountain races, regardless of distance.
By understanding the complexities of road speed in mountain running and tailoring training accordingly, athletes can optimize their performance and achieve their goals in these challenging races.”
Today, Coach Sage Canaday will be discussing a topic that is of great importance to runners participating in road marathons or half marathons: tackling hills. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just starting out, understanding the ideal strategy for approaching hills can make a significant difference in your performance. Let’s dive right in!
So, what would be the ideal strategy for tackling a hill in a road marathon or half marathon?
Should you increase the effort and heart rate on the uphill and recover on the following downhill, or maintain a consistent effort and keep the heart rate up the hill? This is a great question that applies to both road and trail running. Keep reading for my full thoughts on these questions!
The Challenge of Hills:
While the focus of this discussion is on road running, it is worth noting that trail running introduces additional variables such as technical terrain and unpredictable weather conditions. However, whether it’s a hilly trail race or a flat road marathon, the fundamental principles of tackling hills remain relevant.
Monitoring Breathing and Perceived Exertion:
The question of whether to increase effort and heart rate on uphill sections or maintain a consistent effort throughout the course is a common dilemma for runners. In road marathon races such as Chicago, Berlin, or Rotterdam, the terrain tends to be predominantly flat and even, allowing for consistent pacing and easier performance monitoring. However, when hills are introduced into the mix, they bring a level of inefficiency to your running.
Rather than relying solely on heart rate data, it can be more effective to pay attention to breathing rate and perceived exertion when tackling hills. Heart rate monitors may not always provide accurate readings, so focusing on how your body feels can guide your effort level. Uphills will increase muscle tension, particularly in the calves and hamstrings, while downhill sections may stress the quads. Adapting your form accordingly can help maintain efficiency.
Running uphill naturally requires you to slow down, leading to an increase in heart rate, breathing rate, and energy expenditure. Unfortunately, the additional effort you put into climbing uphill doesn’t fully recover on the subsequent downhill sections. Unlike riding a bike downhill, where you can catch your breath and relax, running downhill still demands exertion and can put stress on your leg muscles. Thus, the advantage of downhill running doesn’t fully compensate for the time lost on the uphill sections.
Consider the Type of Hill (as well as your strengths and weaknesses):
Therefore, your approach to hills should take into consideration your strengths and weaknesses as a runner, and your training should aim to minimize weaknesses while enhancing your strengths. When facing hills, even if they are relatively small, pacing yourself becomes essential. Let’s take the example of the Boston Marathon, where the Newton Hills between miles 16 and 20 pose significant challenges.
It’s reasonable to expect that you will lose over a minute due to the uphill sections, and it’s unlikely that you will be able to regain all of that time on the subsequent downhills. However, it’s important to note that Boston is a net downhill race overall.
The amount by which you need to slow down on uphill sections depends on your climbing ability and the grade of the hill.
Steeper grades, such as 5% or more, will require a more significant decrease in pace, while a 3% grade might be noticeable but still manageable. In general, when running uphill, it’s advisable not to push your heart rate too high or experience excessive fatigue. Instead, focus on your breathing rate and perceived exertion, as heart rate monitors may not always provide accurate readings.
The Impact of Uphill and Downhill Running:
Running uphill can increase muscle tension in the calves, hamstrings, and quads, while downhill running may stress the quads more. It’s important to adjust your running form accordingly. Swing your arms more when tackling uphill sections to help with momentum, and relax your arms when running downhill. Maintain a slight forward lean from the ankles for both uphill and downhill running, which helps optimize your biomechanics.
Remember that conserving energy and pacing yourself on uphill sections is crucial to avoid depleting your glycogen stores or crossing your lactate threshold, as these can lead to muscle fatigue and cramping.
Especially in marathons, where you have a long distance to cover, hills that appear in the mid to late stages of the race can be particularly challenging.
However, there are exceptions to this general strategy.
If you find yourself at the very end of a race, such as a half marathon or a shorter distance, and encounter a small hill, you might consider sprinting up it. This can provide an advantage if you’re a strong climber or help you create a gap between you and other runners!
The Take Away:
To summarize, the ideal strategy for tackling hills in a road marathon or half marathon involves pacing yourself and consciously slowing down on uphill sections to conserve energy and avoid excessive fatigue. Adjust your effort based on your breathing rate and perceived exertion rather than solely relying on heart rate monitoring.
While you can gain back some time on the downhills, it’s important to acknowledge that hills make the overall course slower and less efficient than a perfectly flat one. Adapt your approach based on your individual strengths, weaknesses, and the specific characteristics of the race course.
I hope this information proves valuable in your training and racing endeavors. Remember, preparation is key, and understanding how to approach hills effectively can set you up for success.
Do you feel like you should be recovering faster from speed workouts or long runs?
Or, do you already recover well, but there’s still some room for improvement? I want to share with you some of the best strategies I’ve learned from almost a decade of coaching runners, as well as from personal experience from my own running.
There are a few strategies that aren’t talked about nearly enough and take no extra time on your part. Let’s start with those:
Strategy #1:
This first strategy works amazingly well, so make sure you actually try it. After a speed workout or long run, surround yourself with things that make you feel good. Only watch funny or feel-good shows.
Only listen to uplifting music. Save watching stranger things or stressing about the latest news story until the next day. Trust me! I know this sounds corny, but for a long time, research has shown that people recover and heal faster when they feel good. So many people accept that stress is stress, meaning that something like work stress can have an impact on physical performance, but forget to make the connection that that also means feeling good can have a positive impact on physical performance.
Also, recovery, right? Even if you don’t have time to truly relax after a key workout, surrounding yourself with positivity is one way to focus on recovery.
Strategy #2:
This next one is another easy and quick strategy that most people don’t realize is extremely important for recovery. That’s to stay hydrated!
Dehydration requires your heart to have to work harder to pump your blood and all the oxygen and nutrients it contains throughout your body. Your muscles need those nutrients and oxygen to recover.
If you never take a drink with you on a run and you often feel fatigued after runs, maybe even hours later, you could feel fatigued.
This is a good sign you need to focus more on hydration.
Depending on the temperature, how long you’re running for, and your personal needs, you may want to consider hydrating with an electrolyte drink so your body can better absorb the fluids that you’re drinking. I’m all about these tips that require little or no extra time on your part. So, let’s keep it going!
Strategy #3
Onto my third strategy:
Take a couple of minutes to practice deep, relaxed breathing. That’s right, research has been done to show that just a few minutes of deep breathing can help jumpstart the recovery process. If you can do this sitting or lying down in a quiet space, that’s ideal. However, if you’re short on time, you can also do this while stretching or in the shower.
Now, let’s make sure you’re nailing your nutrition to keep things simple. My suggestion is within 30 minutes of run, get in some healthy carbs and some protein. I personally have a recovery drink almost immediately after every single run. However, you can also have some oatmeal or peanut butter, a burrito bowl with rice and beans, or other healthy foods that contain carbs and some protein.
If you like to indulge a little after a long run, there’s not anything wrong with that, but please, please make sure you’re getting in some healthy food that’s going to give your body the nutrients it needs to recover fast.
Even though I’m focusing on post-run nutrition with this tip, eating nutrient-dense foods until satisfied every single day is just huge for feeling good and getting the most out of your training.
Strategy #4:
Now, my next tip might seem to take more of your time, but it will most likely save you a lot of time. Any guesses on what it is? It’s what I would rank as the most important recovery strategy, which is getting enough sleep. Don’t lose me!
If you’re about to tell me you don’t have enough time to get seven, eight, or even nine hours of sleep, just wait a second.
I used to be chronically sleep deprived. During that time, my recovery sucked, and my focus was awful. By prioritizing sleep, I can run for hours and solve all the energy and focus I need to get things done efficiently.
Anyone else who went from not getting enough sleep to getting enough sleep, can tell you that daily tasks can be accomplished so much faster when you’re well rested.
This is why ensuring that you get enough sleep can actually make it seem like you have a lot more time when you’re awake. You’re probably going to notice that you can recover faster from your runs, which is probably going to lead to greater running improvements.
Strategy #5:
The last way to recover like a pro is to add in a little mobility or active recovery after your speed workouts or long runs.
If you run in the morning and then sit all day at work, taking a few minutes in the evening to move can help set you up to feel good the next day. So get your blood flowing and keep your muscles from tightening up after all that’s sitting.
I’m personally a big fan of a little active release followed by mobility to help ensure my body doesn’t get tight and is moving well.You could also do some yoga, go for a walk, play outside with your kids, whatever will get you up, and doing some easy movements.
If you apply even just a couple of these recovery strategies, you’re going to notice a significant improvement in how you’re feeling after workouts and even on a daily basis.
A few weeks ago, Coach Sage Canaday discussed how one can appropriately make the transition from road marathons to ultra-marathons. This week, he thought he’d take it one step further to discuss what an actual training plan would look like for your first ultra-marathon. Understanding key differences is one thing, but what about actually implementing the steps to build a training plan that will yield success?
Let’s dive in to learn more:
Today, we’ll be addressing a popular question I frequently get about the recommended training period for a first-time ultra.
The Norm:
For marathons, I typically advise 16-week training blocks. However, when it comes to a 50K, does it require a longer training period besides increased mileage? This is a great question, and the answer depends on your experience level.
If you’ve completed multiple marathon training blocks and have followed a serious 16-week training plan, you’ll find the transition to a 50K much easier compared to someone who has only run shorter distances like a half marathon or a 10K, without a formal 16-week training plan.
At Higher Running, our training plans generally span 16 weeks for both marathons and ultramarathons, but they cater to different experience levels. If you have years of experience, consistently run high mileage, and race several marathons per year, moving up to a 50K may not be too extreme. Although there are differences in fueling, time on feet during long runs, and the specific type of 50K course, transitioning from a road marathon to a runable 50K is more manageable.
However, if you’re considering a longer ultra like a 100K or 100 miles (160K), and the course involves significant climbing, technical trails, adverse weather conditions, or high altitude, the training timeline might need to be extended beyond 16 weeks. Here’s a little more. on how those differences would work:
What’s Your Running History Like?
Another factor to consider is your training history in the six months leading up to the ultramarathon. Some runners plan their training in longer cycles, not just focusing on 16-week blocks or a few months. They consider a full calendar year or even two years. For instance, when I was a professional road marathon runner, we would plan marathons three times within a two-year cycle. This long-term perspective helps with race logistics, lotteries, and travel arrangements. Your training leading up to the ultramarathon matters, whether you’ve been doing shorter races like an HM and then a marathon, or a marathon followed by an ultramarathon.
If you’ve maintained consistent training over the first six months of the year or during the previous summer and fall, you’ll have a good aerobic base.
If you’ve been running for more than five or ten years and consistently clocking over 50 miles (80K) per week, you have a solid foundation to build upon. In such cases, you can increase your training volume faster with less risk of injury. You could be doing 20-mile (32K) long runs within two to four weeks.
However, it’s important to note that our training plans usually recommend a few weeks of easy mileage and aerobic base running before jumping into specific workouts or long runs. This helps prevent overexertion and injury. Starting from scratch or returning from a long break requires a longer timeline. In these cases, be patient and allocate around 20 to 24 weeks to get in shape for the 50K.
Training Timelines Explained:
Let me also cover the specifics of a 50K ultramarathon and how the training timeline and workouts change compared to a flatter road marathon. As I mentioned earlier, the type of race you signed up for plays a crucial role.
A 50K with 3000 meters of climbing or 10,000 feet of climbing, like the Speedgoat 50K, is more extreme compared to a flat road marathon. Factors like high altitude, technical trails, adverse weather, or humidity can significantly impact your race experience. You’ll need extra time to train specifically for the trail type, terrain, and elevation gain, as it affects your muscle development.
Drawing from my own experiences, I made a mistake when I attempted to qualify for the Olympic Trials in 2016. I had completed a few flat road marathons in 2015 and then decided to take on the Comrades Ultramarathon, which is still a road race, followed by UTMB. It turned out to be too rushed, as the transition to running up and down mountains required more time that I anticipated.
If you lack experience in mountainous or longer ultramarathon races and have mostly focused on road marathons, I recommend allocating more than 16 weeks for training.
Conclusion:
To conclude, the recommended training period for a first-time 50K ultra depends on several variables, including your experience level, genetics, injury resistance, lifestyle, time availability, and gear. Additionally, the type of course and the specific challenge you’re preparing for will influence the timeline. It’s essential to consider all these factors when planning your training for a successful ultramarathon journey.”
Today, Coach Sandi Nypaver wanted to talk about how much runners should stretch, as well as a little bit about mobility.
“I think this has been become a more confusing topic than it should be, but I’ll do my best to walk you through the similarities and differences. I’m applying the best research I’ve seen, and it also includes some thoughts from different physical therapists and sports doctors I’ve worked with.
How it Works For Elite Runners: 🏆Jumping to it when thinking about flexibility for runners — it’s about being flexible in the right places! If you look up a picture or a video of an elite runner who’s actually running fast and get a shot of them from the side. What you’re going to see is a really nice hip extension. However, that same runner might not be able to touch their toes because the back of their legs are so tight.
There may not be enough tightness to cause an injury, because tightness allows for the ideal storage of energy while the leg is on the ground and then the release of energy as the leg is in the air.
The Rubber Band Example: ⭕️It might be helpful for most people to think about different rubber bands:A small, thick rubber band is hard to pull back, so when we do pull it back and release it, it might not go very far. Moreover, a long, skinny rubber band can be pulled back really far, but it’s hard to build a lot of tension. So it also may not go very far!
However, a rubber band that is somewhere in between can be shot much farther. This is a long-winded way of saying that you should stretch anything that could be tight. As a general rule of thumb, stretch your hip flexors and quads. That’s one thing most runners should always stretch. You don’t need to be so flexible that you can stick your foot behind your head.
Let’s Talk Mobility 🤸Okay, let’s go on to mobility now. Having good mobility by doing dynamic stretches could help ensure that all the joints of your body are moving optimally, especially for running. By this point, though, you might be asking, “what’s the difference between flexibility and mobility?”
✅ Flexibility can be summed up as a muscle’s ability to lengthen. ✅ On the other hand, mobility is about a joint’s ability to move through a certain range of motion. Doing a little bit of mobility from the shoulders to the feet can go a long way to help runners stay healthy. Many runners who start doing mobility exercises find that they might be sore the following days because they’re using muscles they haven’t accessed in a long time!
If you also commit to throwing in a hip flexor stretch, quad stretch pretty much daily, that can help you keep a nice long stride that can allow you to get more power from your glutes. Furthermore, a long hip extension can help you increase that elastic energy as you run.
In summary, adding in mobility daily, and then always stretching your hip flexors and whatever else is tight, is a really good part of any running program. Even if it’s just a little bit every day!
That brings up an important note, which is it’s often better to do “mini sessions” throughout the week, rather than doing one long session every week. Personally, I always like to do a little bit of mobility before I run, along with some activation exercises.
Then, if I’m doing another strength training session, I’ll do a little bit more mobility before I do the strength training exercises just to help me. Feel free to do what works best for you but at least you have a picture of how I do it. And with that, this is all I had for this week! I hope this is something you can put into your own running routine.
