Forums >Running 101>When you say run slow, easy...
if you’re recovering from illness or injury and stopped running for say 2 weeks. Do you run at a slower pace, less amount of time, or less distance or everything?
how do you gradually build up?
Illness is different than injury. Illness I would go by how I feel, and the pace is whatever it is. Easy is an effort not a pace. If it feels like a total slog I’ll cut it short.
Injury is different because you might feel great but still need to take it super easy. For an injury I ease back into, testing the waters, and increase back to where I was gradually.
SMART Approach
Yeah, go by feel. You won't lose much in two weeks just feel stale. Your first week back you will be a bit sluggish but by second week you should bounce back.
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Thanks. My problem is I’m on an adrenaline high in the middle of a run and think I can do more. Then on my way back when I’m outside or when I’m done with the treadmill, I don’t feel the consequences till after I start resting...I’m still trying to figure that out for my body I guess. Today I felt like I could do 5 miles but I haven’t done it in so long so I just did 3 and I’m fine, then I think I should have just done the 5....also it’s hard gauging my halfway point stats (am I good to finish? Should I decrease my pace? Cut it short?).
Oh well. Still trying to learn to go slow.
I think I’m also trying to gauge how others gradually increase performance in general...do you increase by miles or pace/speed or both? I’m sure I’ve asked this 20 times already. My friend who trains with a group, they increase their long run 2 miles per weekend. And just 3 45-min runs during the week. This is for marathon training for beginners.
Normally the first day of the week I re do what I did the previous week with a notch higher in pace. And repeat that all week (for increasing speed).
outdoors, I repeat the same miles (long run-once a week) twice before increasing another mile. It’s pretty slow going.
but when I’m recovering from illness I feel like I should slow it further. I guess like you all said...go by feel...
thanks.
an amazing likeness
I'll assure you, Gizmo, that your questions and way of thinking through these questions is a common journey of discovery. My experience tells me there are not going to be as many 'hard & fast' or specific solutions as you may want.
Were we chatting about this, my advice would be to move your focus to time, and let pace and distance be what they may. As you increase the time you spend doing 'base miles', your pace and distance will vary due to all the factors you're asking about....heat, health, sleep, external stresses, whatever.
Some days, I set out for an hour jog and the pace comes easy and fast, other days the same hour is a tough, slower slog. Right now I'm trying to recover from an injury, so that hour is spent mostly walking with some short jogs testing my injury...and then realizing I need to let it heal more.
One thing I've learned from the collective expertise here on RA is that every workout should have a purpose, an answer to the question "...why am I out here?". For me that can often mean...just being out for xx minutes of workout, seeing and experiencing the sites, smells and events. Pace, speed and distance are secondary. Other day's workouts have a real purpose of miles or structure. But I try to know ahead of time...which is which.
Run lots, mostly easy, sometimes hard(er). Let the journey happen.
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Wind is not my friend.
+1 to milktruck
If you’re thinking about building miles, build miles but slowly and don’t worry so much about pacing. I like to stick at the same weekly mileage for a couple weeks before increasing. When you’re ready to work on speed, work on that. But don’t increase distance and speed regularly. That’s usually a recipe for injury. That’s a very down and dirty version of the idea I follow.
"Current" PRs
5K - 18:00 (4/19) | HM - 1:19:28 (4/22)
Next Race: A 5K of some sort (Goal: Sub 17:30)
Thank you both . This was very helpful.
i constantly get this antsy-ness (hurry up get it done before you die) so these responses really help to re-ground me.
thank you
#RunEveryDay
Thank you both . This was very helpful. i constantly get this antsy-ness (hurry up get it done before you die) so these responses really help to re-ground me. thank you
Running by time has really changed running for me. I can hammer it on days I feel like it, but on a day I need to go easier (I'm tired or it's too hot, etc), it's easier to run easier bc going faster doesn't help me finish any quicker. I listen more. (And for the first time in a couple of years, I see myself getting faster again and I think I will start hitting PRs again.)
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I think I will try doing it by time. I’ve thought of this, as it’s been mentioned to me before. I think my reservations with this are: I only have to do an hr so I’ll just take my time till my hours up. Or I may feel like the progress is too slow.
And I now see what you guys are saying is true. Running faster doesn’t help me add many more miles...just a few more feet here and there, but I do notice when I run consistently after a couple weeks of great training and strong consistent runs, I surprise myself by running faster naturally without having to push so hard.