How does slowing down my fast runs speed up my race times? (Read 512 times)

One of the things I read in this thread is that I need to run a lot of easy miles during training and run myself silly in races.

This is generally considered better than the other way around, yes. 

I never ran myself silly before my half-marathon earlier this month.  It wasn't very silly, but breathing took a conscious effort.  I knew that it would be easier if I'd just slow down, but I couldn't bring myself to do it...  I didn't like the way my body felt when I was done, but it felt good to beat my goal.

I'm gonna run myself stupid in my next 5K at the end of March!  I'll run a lot of easy miles, with a fair smattering of hard ones, before then.

I love this forum.

I am a huge fan of running yourself silly at a 5K now and then.  June 2005.  I had never ever broken a 10 minute mile. Not even for 1 mile.  Ever.  Wasnt even able to break 2:30 on track intervals for the 400.  Would have swore up and down that it wasnt possible for me.  My 5K pr was something like 34 minutes.  My HM PR was 2:20

I was visiting a friend in Cincinnati and she was what I considered "crazy fast" at the time.  We signed up for a tiny little 5K and in a fit of insanity I decided to try and keep up with her for as long as I could even if it meant blowing up.   Which was just shy of a mile.  They had people calling out splits. She went through in 8:29, I went through in  8:35 (holy crap!).  Of course by then I was dying.  2nd mile was ~9:30 and the 3rd mile was ~ 10:30.  Horrible horrible splits. Broke 30 minutes though.  9:33 average.  Mind altering.

 

A month later I ran a 9:31 pace for a 10K.  Because I knew I could run 9:30's now.  And 2 months after that I ran a 9:45 pace for a HM.

 

Which was not to the point of this thread.

I love this.