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Anyone else have this problem? (Read 1097 times)


Giants Fan

    Ok, sorta a newbie around here, been reading a lot of posts, love the site! I am currently training for a 1/2 marathon I'm running in May. My question is, I love my long run days...so relaxing to just get out and see how far I can go. Question is, does anyone else find that its hard to do the easy days in the schedule? For example, today I'm supposed to go 3. I know I will go at least 4-5..I just find it so hard to follow the light days on the schedule. Anyone else find themselves in the same situation? Thanks CC

    "I think I've discovered the secret of life- you just hang around until you get used to it."

    Charles Schulz


    SMART Approach

      Actually, I kind of like easy days because I feel my body needs them. When you start building miles and adding more quality to some big days in the week, you may look forward to easy days or shorter days. I am sure your plan has 3 miles in the plan because some other days are higher. I wouldn't stray too far off the plan and if you do, definitely keep it very easy.

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      Teresadfp


      One day at a time

        Yes, CC! You and I ran about the same mileage in March, and we're close for this week, too. I'm running a HM in September. I have to MAKE myself stop on my shorter runs. What I do is plan my week in advance - it's 30 miles for this week, so I figure out what I need to do, average, on the 5 days other than my long run (long run of 9 miles plus 4.2 miles for 5 days). Then, typically, I do MORE than average at the beginning of the week, for the reason you're mentioning, and end up doing less on Friday and Saturday. So today I can't do more than 3.8 miles or I'll go over the 30 mile limit. I just tell myself that I shouldn't increase more than 10% per week, or I risk injury, which would be horrible! I also drop back every three or four weeks in mileage, and that's even harder to do. Good luck with your training - you're getting some good long runs in! Teresa
          Ok, sorta a newbie around here, been reading a lot of posts, love the site! I am currently training for a 1/2 marathon I'm running in May. My question is, I love my long run days...so relaxing to just get out and see how far I can go. Question is, does anyone else find that its hard to do the easy days in the schedule? For example, today I'm supposed to go 3. I know I will go at least 4-5..I just find it so hard to follow the light days on the schedule. Anyone else find themselves in the same situation? Thanks CC
          Generally speaking I've never found normal, garden variety, easy runs, which I also call "maintenance runs" as stimulating as doing something more exciting such as track workout, race, or even a long run. Some days they just aren't that much fun to do, even though I always feel better afterwards. However, I believe that these runs are crticial to the success of a distance runner. It might not feel like they are accomplishing much, but believe me they are. I would also add that it's not always a fancy worout that tells me when I'm ready for a strong race. It is often the way I feel on one of those boring old maintenace runs, especially when I have 2 or 3 of them in a row. You'll really know that you have them down pat when you can recover from harder efforts by doing them rather than taking days off. Example: Sunday you have a hard race and on Monday you are "wasted". But instead of taking the day off you force yourself to go jog 3 or 4 miles. You wake up on Tuesday and legs still feel like crap, but again you go for a few easy miles instead of doing noting. Wednesday you go out for a run, an although still not 100% you are feeling a little better. The story continues until you are chomping at the bit and ready to go strong. You are feeling complely recovered, and you haven't had to sit home in front of the tube and eat chicken wings to get there. You've become more fit and it feels good!
          Age 60 plus best times: 5k 19:00, 10k 38:35, 10m 1:05:30, HM 1:24:09, 30k 2:04:33


          Oh Mighty Wing

            I know those light runs are tough but don't stray too far. You could really risk injury. I nonchalantly ran myself into an injury 3 weeks before my half because I ran what felt good and ignored my schedule (besides my long run). I clearly did not have the base to support my nonchalance! So please be careful when randomly adding miles because it feels good.
            Mr Inertia


            Suspect Zero

              I used to have a hard time with easy days. My thing was speed - the shrter the run, the faster I tried to run them. Experience will cure you of this sickness and you will come to love easy days. It did for me anyway. Eventually you'll get to an optimal training load and your body will force you to run your easy days easy.
              PDoe


                I do very few easy run days. I usually only run three days/week, a 5-6 mile tempo, a night of intervals with the club and a long run on the weekend. The other nights I will try to find some form of cross training. I'm 48, go 185# and I find I need to avoid pounding my feet in order to stay healthy. If the weather is so irresistable I may go out for a 4-5 mile easy run but they are rare.
                  I have that issue too... I really get geared up for the long runs... and my mid week longer run. If it ever gets nice and the ground dries out... and the leaves come out... I plan on doing my shorter easy runs on trails in the woods. Which will add some spice to those runs to make me look forward to them. I also like to try out new routes on easy short days... however I haven't done a new route in a long time...
                  kcam


                    I find that the shorter or easier the run is planned to be the easier it is for me to make up an excuse not to get out there and run. To me, that's the toughest thing about increasing my mileage - it's not the long or mid-long or speed or hill runs it's those daily grind-out-a-few-easy ones that I have to really focus on not missing.


                    #2867

                      If you don't run easy on your easy days, then your body will never have an opportunity to adapt to the changes you give it on your hard days (hard days being anything run at a fast pace or a long duration no matter the pace.) I used to run everything fast. After 2 years of averaging 85 miles per week year round (including off seasons) with high weeks in the 115-120 mile range and an average pace probably somewhere around 6:00-6:30, I got to spend 3 months rehabbing a stress fracture and tendonitis. (Which is kinda funny, since it was probably tendonosis.) Either way, I don't mind easy days. I go hard on my hard days, easy on my easy days, and long on my long days. Let them each have their own, stay healthy, run strong. I also enjoy running no matter the pace, so that probably makes it easier.

                      Run to Win
                      25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)

                        soxfan are you the same soxfan as on the GDT? if so, HEY THERE!!!!
                        -Monica

                        Slow and steady wins the race means a lot of fast people pass you.
                          I love and cherish my easy days Big grin My easy days are a nice mental break for me because I know when I finish, I will still have the energy to go get other things done that I can't do on my long days. Easy days are also when I see the improvements in my pace from the miles I've put in from past weeks. On my easy days, I know I'm only going to be out there for an hour or so so finding the motivation to get out the door is much easier than my longer days where I may be out there for 2:30+ hours. Dead
                          Finished my first marathon 1-13-2008 in 6:03:37 at P.F. Chang's in Phoenix. PR in San Antonio RnR 5:45:58!!!!!! on 11-16-08 The only thing that has ever made any difference in my running is running. Goal: Break 2:30 in the HM this year Jay Benson Tri (place in Athena category) 5-10-09
                          PDoe


                            GDT? I don't know. But "Hey there" anyway.
                              "easy day run" what the heck is that? Confused lol just kidding, besides running them often in the off season(Dec, Jan,sometimes Feb) where I don't wear a watch, just go run(its more of a jog) 5 or 10k, they always feel good, and I like not having the pressure of the clock. But when it comes time to get off the milk and into the meat, generally speaking all my runs are pretty intense, perhaps a bit too much so, but with the proper recovery(not often I run 2 days in a row) it all seems to fall into place, I am currently training for a 10k road race(April 27) and a full Marathon (Halifax Bluenose May 18) so I have to juggle tempo runs and long runs, I run pretty close to race pace on my short and long runs, it might not be the best laid out plan, but it seems to be working, and I am slowly getting the results I aim for. Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about running an extra mile or 2 on your easy days, just keep your pace in check.