This is the first in a series looking at 5k training. It will explore how to train for the distance at all levels, and how to run a quicker 5k.

What is the single biggest mistake all levels of runners make?

They run too fast.

It is, of course, very easy to do: there is a vision of ‘being a runner’ that involves gasping for air, being drenched in sweat at the end of every run. Running feels like it should involve a sense of struggle, one that makes conversation impossible.

 As running becomes more public, with Instagram and Strava being great ways to document your training and support others, so does the increased need for speed. Will my run get the same attention, achieve the same positive validation, if I am running slow? Will I, never mind others, feel like I have really exercised if I have run slowly?

This blog will explore both the why and the how of easy running.  

Why

Easy running is vital to allow your body to recover. In order to sustain a running habit, you have to have energy and be injury free. The reality is that the faster you run, the more likely you are to pick up injuries.

Your easy runs are the point in which your body starts to repair itself, and all the essential muscles get a bit of time to recovery from quicker or more intense running that you might do.

Running easy also helps you to run much faster. That may be a tricky concept to grasp, so I will give an example. On Friday last week I ran seven miles at an average of 8.17 minute miles (5.08 per km). This is my usual easy running pace, which feels very comfortable and I can hold a conversation.

On Saturday morning I ran the park run in 5.17 minute miles, (3.17 per km). The difference is very clear at almost three minutes per mile faster. Part of what helped me to sustain that pace (and knick first place, if you will forgive the boast!) was that a significant amount of my training during the week before had been easy.

The message is simple: to run fast, you need to run easy.

There are many other reasons why easy running helps you with your training. Variety is important in all aspects of life, and it is vital in running. If you run the same pace, all the time, you will start to become bored and lose motivation. You don’t see yourself making any improvements, and your fitness level won’t increase as quickly. Running different paces also makes it more enjoyable. One of the most popular forms of speed work, fartlek, means ‘speedplay’ in Swedish – and while relating fun to running might seem a stretch, different paces can make it more interesting.

How

You are very likely to be following a training plan in which it tells you to run ‘easy’. You might nod your head enthusiastically, smile in anticipation of taking things a bit slower, then have no idea what that means when you begin the run.

Simplicity is my core message in the coaching I do with runners, so I always relate speed to conversation. For me, easy running means you can hold a good conversation with someone. You shouldn’t be breathing in a shallow manner, and you should finish the run feeling like you could keep going for much longer.

If you do want to get more technical, I would go definitely two, and up to three, minutes faster per mile than your 5k fast pace.

Sometimes it is useful to remind yourself during your run, with some kind of mantra that keeps you in check. That could be something like ‘take it easy’, or ‘slow down’. Or, you could, of course, run with the classic Eagles song:

“Take it easy
Take it easy
Don’t let the sound of your own wheels (legs?) make you crazy”

Maybe not.

The most obvious way to know if you have managed to sustain your easy run, is how you feel at the end. Do you feel comfortable and relaxed? Are you looking forward to the next run?

So, I hope this has managed to persuade you of the importance of easy runs. Try it for a few weeks and see how you get on. Hopefully you will feel you have more energy, motivation and end up actually getting quicker!

Thank you for reading.

Read: Your Pace or Mine? What Running Taught me about Life, Laughter and Coming Last.’ By Lisa Jackson

Listen: Elevate your Running Podcast – the benefits of easy running and how it will make you faster.