Am I Running My Easy Runs Too Fast? | LIVE Coaching Session

How slow should my easy runs be? Am I running to fast and sabotaging my base training? What are my goals? How much time can I dedicate to my training?

In this behind the scenes live coaching session, we explore a question I hear frequently: how slow should my every day running in base training be? We share the entire coaching process from initial question to having a specific plan for my client Kate’s next month or so of training, including addressing how she could possibly add one stride per mile to her week without becoming fatigued and overtrained. We wrap up with a full breakdown of the process I took Kate through, for next time you’re coaching yourself through a similar question in your own running.

NAVIGATE VIDEO:

00:0 0 How slow is slow?
00:39 Base training pacing
01:16 Heart rate as an assessment
02:01 Pacing by feel
03:40 But can you do strides?
05:51 Two alternatives
06:59 “The answer is almost always…”
07:33 “It feels SO slow!”
08:31 The comparison trap
09:30 Tracking different metrics than pace
10:50 What is the goal?
12:41 Intuition check
13:53 Starting from scratch
14:20 Ensuring progress
14:41 Making progress seem doable
15:50 Solidifying a plan
17:19 Coaching process breakdown
17:24 Ask good questions
17:51 Identify roadblocks
18:08 Remember your goal
18:27 Identify possible solutions
19:17 Which solution FEELS better?
20:25 Make a plan

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[heidisalli]

It’s interesting how being able to run really easy and accumulate a lot of strides seriously improves race performance, even though it won’t feel like it during training. I can’t “keep up” with some people in training (pace) but I’ll blow them away in a race. It’ll be fun to watch Kate and see this process play out and how it helps her race.

[annahunt]

It's really cool to see this whole process, with Kate going from uncertainty to clarity and an action plan. I'm always telling friends who say, "I'd like to run, but it's just so hard, " ~you can always slow down ~

[Gator]

What a brilliant demonstration of what a good coach can do. Thank you to Kate for allowing herself to be vulnerable. She was able to keep ownership of her program while being pushed to accept what she really already knew was true, and see how progress could be made creatively with a couple of tweaks. Thank you!

[bbtrentham]

Just wanted to say thanks to Kate for sharing!

[joep]

Very interesting to see the process of developing a workable training plan. Would like to see the follow-up with Kate to see how this worked out. Side note: for me, running my easy runs easy started when I stopped counting miles and ran for a fixed amount of time; as well as not recording pace but setting my heart rate monitor to beep when it gets above my zone 2, signaling me to ease up. Before I used a heart rate monitor, breathing through my nose, singing (sure, I would get occasional weird looks), and talking with a running partner helped me avoid my natural desire to run “a little bit faster.” Thanks for the great content.

[stephaniehale]

I feel every word of what Kate said… I want my cake and to eat it too!! (Gluten free cake…😂)
For me- time is such a a limiting factor and I sometimes feel like decreased mileage is going to inhibit my goals. Thanks for sharing this coaching call with Kate. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there…

[jseales]

No idea who this lady is, but you are worthy. Forget competing with others. Compete with yourself. Trust and enjoy the process! Slow is smooth and smooth is fast! Change your mindset and your future self will love and thank you for it.

[thisisjody]

Andrew you are such a great coach. I get so much valuable information from your videos!

[ryu]

Such an important video!
No competition or shame in the easy run/zone 2. Its so easy to forget why youre doing that kind of training sometimes.

[rileeb]

Thank you for this! I feel the same way as Kate! But the reason I want to get more miles in less time is because I have three kids and and a full time job. I'm not signed up for any races, but I'd eventually like to run a 15k. Unsure of how to achieve this in less than 1.5 hours at this point. Right now, I'm just running 3-5 miles a day because that's all I have time for.

Also, best of luck on your marathon! You'll do great! 👍😃

[benjaminkretz]

Ok, wow :D After testing out different training strategies for swimming, biking and running over years and not improving at any discipline at all, for the last few months I decided to only run and only run easy almost every day. The pace I am able to run breathing comfortably through my nose changed within like 3 months from round about 10 min/km to 6:15 min/km.

[Marathon]

Great advice. I’m fortunate at an earlier age than most to not care what other people think about my runs and what I do in life in general.

[artfuldoc]

This was an excellent demonstration of not only a good coaching session but also a good beginner runner being honest with herself and willing to change her training plan to get closer to her marathon goal. Thank you for this.

[ericdahle]

Thanks for sharing this video! Once again, you’ve opened my eyes to my mistakes that I have been doing, even when I know the right answer when you are asking someone else. Do more strides

[craigrwc]

This one hit. The process here was great and very relatable. I had an easy 6k scheduled for today. Rather than staying just under that zone 3 effort, I kept it in the low to mid-zone 2 heartrate, but added a stride at the end of every kilometre. It felt great and was easier to bring the hr back to base. I'm looking forward to seeing what this approach does to my training performance after a few weeks of trying it.

[davevinton]

This is brilliant coaching advice and counter-intuitive: but it makes sense. I’ve always done a few strides and haven’t done more due to fatigue - seeing these as super important is a game changer.

[evan-kylelardinois]

I have some injuries but struggle mentally to take time off. They are grade 1 muscle strains i used the video to help me take a 2 week plan to rest. To start.

[deniskristofic]

One fast interval session (for example 5×1km) mixed with one recovery run and one long run, both with added 15×100 meters strides do miracle for me. I see progress in matter of weeks. Strides make so much difference

[producermind]

Awesome advice. Kate is a lot like me. I’m only starting though. I wish her all the best. The timing of the video is perfect for me.

[expatadventureturkey]

Great content, very informative and helpful. Really enjoyed brining in an average runner to discuss training aspects.