Most training plans inevitably include easy or recovery and long runs. However, many runners do not clearly distinguish between them, while they are two different types of training.
Running sessions vary in goal, duration, and intensity. Following the recommendations for each parameter determines the total effectiveness of the training process, and helps to answer if you achieve the desired results and enjoy the process.
How slow should easy (recovery) and long runs be, and which intensity is optimal for you we will discuss in this article.
Contents
Difference Between Easy and Long Runs
An easy run and a long run are two different types of training. They differ in the following parameters:
- training goal;
- duration;
- distance;
- расе;
- heart rate.
Running at a slow pace is used as a warm-up and cool-down after a workout as well as for an active recovery.
Long runs develop aerobic capacities and psychologically prepare you for a long distance during a race.
Below we explain these qualitative differences in detail.
The Goal and Benefits of an Easy Run
The goal of an easy run
You may be surprised, but the majority of your running volume should be slow. It should be noted that “slow running volume” includes a warm-up, a jog between running intervals, a cool-down, and a recovery run.
A recovery run on your “easy days” is kind of an intermediate stage in the training process. Recovery days cannot be called full rest days, but neither do they contain high levels of stress, which, when accumulated, may cause injury and burnout.
The main purpose of such slow running is to accelerate the recovery of muscles due to better blood circulation. Besides, slow running significantly increases the total training volume.
Effects and benefits of an easy run
1. Acceleration of metabolic processes
An easy run improves blood circulation, so you can recover faster before your next workout.
2. Prevention of emotional exhaustion
The slow pace of running, when you don’t feel tired, helps relieve your brain and keeps it from the association that running is always about pain.
3. Increase in total mileage
An easy run is much less stressful on the body, however, it increases total weekly mileage thus improving aerobic capacities and developing endurance.
4. Enhance the effect of an intense workout
Slow running is believed to work in conjunction with hard training and enhances its effectiveness. Training adaptation occurs when a person overcomes the point of fatigue and leaves their comfort zone.
A recovery run within 24 hours after hard training improves adaptation without overloading the body and mind.
5. Stress hormone reduction
Light aerobic run in lower heart rate zones helps neutralize excess stress hormones. However, in some cases, particularly when there is a lack of sleep, passive rest may be a better choice than active recovery.
An extra hour or two of sleep in this situation will provide much more benefit for your body.
Remember, that recovery is made up of sleep, rest, nutrition, and the absence of negative stress. If possible, you can complement your recovery routine with a relaxing bath or massage.
The goal of a long run
Long runs are necessary to enhance endurance and resist fatigue by developing mitochondria and capillary networks. Besides, a long aerobic workout teaches your body to use fat as fuel.
Finally, a long run is necessary to improve psychological readiness to run long distances during competitions.
Effects and benefits of a long run
1. An increase in the number of mitochondria
Running is known to increase the number of mitochondria in the cells. Mitochondria are our powerhouses, and their number increases during long training sessions.
The main advantage of a long run is that this durable aerobic workout provides an increase in the number of mitochondria.
2. Capillary networks become denser
The more developed a capillary network in the muscle fiber is, the more oxygen it can transfer to the working muscles. It is the oxygen that our muscles need during a race.
3. Improved mechanics of running
Repeating the same action again and again, our body seeks ways to efficiency. A long run increases running efficiency and improves your technique.
4. Increasing the efficacy of “fuel” utilization
A “marathon wall” occurs due to glycogen stores depletion and the switch to fat metabolism. To avoid the “wall effect,” you should practice long runs, when the body learns to derive energy from fats and increases the glycogen depot.
5. Cardiovascular system reinforcement
With long-term exercise in the aerobic zone, our heart becomes stronger and its stroke volume increases. In one contraction, our heart pushes more blood into the circulatory system. Thus, we increase the power of our “engine.”
Long runs will make you faster on the competition day. Due to the developed aerobic system, you will be able to keep a competitive pace for a longer time.
Duration of Easy and Long Runs
Easy run
The duration of a recovery run is always individual. However, for people with little training experience, we recommend a 30 to 40-minute easy run, and for elite athletes and advanced runners — approximately 1 hour.
A more extensive run on “easy days” will not be of benefit, it will rather slow recovery thus producing a negative effect on further training.
As for the mileage, you should not focus on other athletes, because very few beginners even during competitions will be able to develop the “recovery” pace of a professional athlete. Therefore, it is better to take your heart rate, your feeling, and pace as a guide.
Long run
A weekly training plan for almost every runner includes a long run. Whether you prepare for a 5K or 10K, half marathon or a marathon, you will have a “long-run day.”
The volume may vary, but normally the duration exceeds 1.5 hours.
| Race distance | Long run duration |
| 5 km | 1.5 h (for an experienced runner, a long run may reach two hours) |
| 10 km | 1.5 h (the same as with the preparation for the 5 km competition distance) |
| 13.1 miles | 1.5 – 2 h |
| 26.2 miles | 2.5 – 3 h |
Anything longer than three hours is not advisable, because the body’s systems are under tremendous stress. And this subsequently requires a long recovery and skipping other important training sessions in preparation for a marathon.
Why is Aerobic Base Training So Important
Aerobic base is a key concept in endurance sports. It means the ability of the heart to provide the body with the necessary volume of oxygen at a specific training intensity.
In any training plan, first, you build a base so you can run for a long time without switching to an anaerobic zone, where the body needs more oxygen than it can currently utilize.
After working on endurance, you move to the next level — speed endurance, which is responsible for fast overcoming the distance.
Which Pace and Heart Rate To Maintain on Easy Runs
Your “easy day” workout, as follows from the name, will be in a low-intensity zone. During these training sessions, you should feel comfortable and relaxed.
Monitoring your heart rate will help you determine what pace to run at. Thus, an easy run is under heart rate zone 1 and slightly into zone 2, that is, up to 70% of your maximum heart rate.
It should be emphasized that non-training factors, like nutrition, sleep, weather, climate, work, and stress affect your heart rate. Listen to your body and remember how it feels during an easy run.
According to the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), the recovery run intensity score is between 1 and 3, you should not feel tired after it. On the contrary, an easy run is energizing.
As for the pace, the optimal easy run pace for aerobic base development is 55 to 75% of your 5K competition pace.
Thus, elite runners of Kenya and Ethiopia may recover at 6 min/km, while their competition pace for 5K is above 2:40 min/km, and for a marathon — approximately 3 min/km (4:48 min/mile).
Should Long Runs Be Slow?
To begin with, not all long runs are the same. Here are some examples:
- Simulating the conditions of a marathon or half-marathon race: in this case, you run at your target race pace for the last few kilometers, i.e., you speed up to the finish line;
- Long run at a slow pace to improve aerobic endurance and accumulate total running volume (it is performed in heart rate zone 2 and sometimes may reach zone 3);
- Long run with tempo intervals at near-race pace (this type of training also allows you to work on speed endurance while keeping the basic sense of a long run);
- Long run with shifting between energy supply systems (varying between heart rate zone 2 and 3 to switch between the use of fats and glycogen).
Therefore, the long-run pace and its intensity depend on:
- long run type,
- your current fitness level,
- experience,
- terrain,
- the distance you are preparing for.
Besides, different types of long runs are incorporated into a particular training period. For example, during the basic period, you should focus on a low-intensity long run to increase endurance and work on the aerobic base.
May I Run Faster on the Easy Run Day if I Feel Well?
Pace is relative and depends on many factors. And sometimes, indeed, your usual recovery-run pace may become faster. Don’t get obsessed with a certain digit on your watch, but use your feelings as a reference.
In any case, on recovery days it is better to run slow than fast, no matter how good you feel.
Remember that the faster you run on “easy days,” the more stress your muscles, hamstrings, and joints feel. Save yourself for the “hard days,” when speed and tempo workouts are on your weekly plan.
How Slow Should Easy and Long Runs Be: Conclusions
It is important to understand that there is no universal training plan. All runners are very different.
Our body structure, specific features of the cardiovascular system, structure of muscles, and rhythm of life determine our individual way of exercise. Watch how your body responds to certain workouts to finally find your ideal training plan.
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