Too Slow on Easy Day Aerobic Miles? Training Talk EP. 36 Coach Sage Canaday on Junk Miles 

Always enjoy these talks of yours, I think any runner would definitely benefit from hearing this, particularly new runners or those recurrently injured and wondering why, as it’s definitely common to be due to pushing easy days too hard! I personally very recently ran 17.46 for 5k (3:34/km or 5:43/mi) but easy days vary from 4:45/km/7:40/mi - mainly on long runs I push a bit more, to recovery runs more like 5:30/km or 8:50/mi or even slower! As you said, nothing wrong with range, just important to listen to your body. Thanks also for all the km/mi pace conversions in your videos!!

I like how in your Higher Running logo the trail that goes into the mountains has track lanes. That was a cool idea for any surface and distance.

I run easy day on heart rate and hard days on pace. It works out. I don't even care what the easy day pace is just that I stay below 75% heart rate max. Reverse I don't pay any attention to heart rate when I am running tempo/ intervals. I just set paces and run to meet those. My biggest goal is zero injury vs improvement. Doesn't matter what time you run if the next workout you can't run.

I’m over 40…..and I’ve been running my easy days starting at 10:00/mile pace and negative split it down to maybe 8:50. The only time I ever go faster is if I want to do a fast finish…and that’s just for the last mile. Why so slow? Because I can maintain my running mechanics, it’s low impact on the body, and I’m still gaining all the blood vessel, heart, and mitochondrial benefits. Since doing this, I have beaten all my “over 30 PRs” from 400 meters all the way up to the marathon. Keep the slow days slow, and the fast days fast. A late season fade may be happening because of a season of too much acquired fatigue from fast easy miles. Use that watch! Don’t run those easy days by feel! I guarantee they will be TOO FAST!!!!

❓❓How to return to running after a serious injury setback and how to prevent an injury from coming back such as bursitis? How long to rest an injury like burstis/tendonitis before starting pt? Have been injured since January and have not ran since July 17th NEED HELP!!

Training Tuesday question: How do you increase miles when you’re slow? I’m 61 and do half marathons and 70.3 tris. I’m training for a half on Feb 2nd. Two years ago I did 10:55/mile pace (heavy negative split) and this time I’m focusing on 10:30. Recovery and long runs are around 13:30-14/mile pace. I’m up to 30 miles a week. My training plan goes by time, not distance. Why do most plans focus on time, but all the coaches talk about distance? What should an old guy like me do?

I just run a half marathon with a slight fever for 1:34. My easy pace is 6:00-6:30 per K (9:40-10:30 per mile). I say your easy pace is spot on.

Great TT coach! I have to admit that there’s something special about 60+ mpw… I’ve been averaging 62 mpw for the past 5 weeks and I’ve seen significant improvements in both my stamina and even speed… I wonder how long do we have to stay at that weekly mileage before taper for marathon? My race is on Jan. 16, so I got about 4 weeks to go…

How's it going Sage? - would be interested to hear your thoughts on vitamins/supplements for fellow vegan runners - I know you've discussed vitamin deficiency in an old (2014!) training talk but wondering if anything has changed or you'd add anything. Cheers! Have a great Christmas!

Hello from southeast Michigan. We still miss you here. Happy Holidays and Cheers

I do find it funny the constant conversions of miles and kms. Forget miles, just go in kilometers only🤣🤣🤣

Third 🥉. Sunday Long Run day tomorrow. Aiming for 16 km, first half cruising at 5.min 30 seconds / km, second half gradually increasing to sub 5min / km 😃

hey this is my question, thanks for the Sage advice!

Really interesting topic. Listen to the body!

My easy day range can be anything from 5:00/km to 6:20/km, depending on so many factors. Fatigue, weather, elevation, surface, etc. I always go to the talk taste. If I can have a short monologue (if running alone) and I can tell I’m good, then the faster side of that range is no problem.

Great video. Gives me some perspective on my own base training before I delve into your BQ plan for January. Been reading what to expect and this helps. Thanks

it’s hard building up mileage from zero without getting injured! i hopped onto the pfitz faster road road racing 30-45 mpw aerobic base training plan a few weeks ago after deciding to really commit to running for the first time this october/november and it’s been pretty tough trying to handle the stress of all the impact forces that my feet/shins/knees haven’t fully adapted to yet i did run one season of xc in high school when i set my 20:52 5k pr at a fun run, but it was really casual; i ran less than 15 kpw and had no idea what i was doing back then.. nowadays it’s quite a relief knowing that not every run needs to be at ‘race pace’ aha

Thanks for the input. I have ran 4 marathons, all sub 3:15, first was in 2018. My training for the first 3 was probably averaging only 30 miles per week. I then stepped it up, but my maximum weekly mileage never exceeded 60. My fourth marathon was in October 2021 when I went sub 3 hours, finishing in 2:57, aged 50. My slowest training miles were always under 8 minutes, I really struggle to plod along any slower than that. Each runner is different and I suppose it's just a case of knowing your own body.

Great training talk. I have a similar problem, though slower overall, in that by trying to get into a MAF heartrate at my age (46) I run at 15 minutes per mile, but my 5k is 30:07, meaning my Jack Daniels E pace is quite a bit faster. My best half is much slower than calculated, so I suspect it's either a fast twitch muscle thing or lack of long term aerobic development (I started running a year and a half ago).

Second! Steve from Scotland.

Much love from NZ. Keep grinding

I recently bought your marathon training plan meant for a 4-hour finish. My first impression is that it's going to be too difficult for me to complete. I'm 59, have run 5 marathons over the last 5 years (PB is 4:03 2 years ago), and also plenty of halves. How can I adjust this training plan to my abilities? I've found that many plans don't often acknowledge elderly runners limits. An 'easy 10K' run doesn't really happen that often at this stage! Would you consider making an Old Folk's training plan, for runners like myself. I would purchase it! Thanks, and merry christmas & happy holidays to you and Sandy!

Great video. Mileage does help for sure. I would be on the low end with maybe 20 but it helped me have a faster 5K when mile mileage was up with 6-9 mile trail runs and some half marathons on trails sprinkled in for fun.

Thanks Sage, this is a great subject. I am 57 and my easy pace varies a ton from around 9:30 to 12:00 pace but i can race 10k sub 7. I wonder if this becomes more true as we age.

Good topic. I believe the predicted race equivalencies quite obviously get harder to achieve as you move up in distance. Personally I would consider myself a true strength runner and my pr's corespond to Jack Daniel's race equivalencies fairly closely, maybe more than most people's do, but I still will struggle to achieve the same Vdot score as I move up in distance. I think this is good however when it comes to training for specific race distances. We can train at different V02max scores. Mile in 5:00 = Vdot 59.4 "Rep Pace" 400m @75s. Jack Daniel's race equivalent says this corresponds to a 17:11. I often think of that as "bit bold", even for the strenth runner, and would add a bit. Say 17:30 = Vdot 58.2 "Rep Pace" 400m @77s. Say the workout was 8x400m. The same workout would be done faster for that individual if they were training for the mile than the 5k. I think that makes sense and training at a slower Vdot as your race distance goes up I think makes sense. Then can consider more reps, etc. I also do a lot of my easy runs at the back end of that Easy pace range or even outside it a bit. But it obviously depends on how you fit in the rest of your training and maybe where you are in your training. I'm currently in a base build and am finishing up week 3. I Just started to introduce quality sessions. I find myself running much faster right now. I expect in a couple more weeks as I continue to increase mileage and intensity my runs will be a lot slower.

Hey Sage, I was wondering if you could give any advice for the 3200m/ two-mile. I'm a senior in high school and I want to have a really great send-off season. I've struggled to find any two-mile workouts, so I've been doing a mix of mile and 5k workouts. Is this fine, or should I try to find more specific workouts? Also I've gotten my weekly milage upto 50, do I need to go higher, or is this enough?

Easypace is for me surface, hill dependent, even season related. Being a heavy runner 227 lbs/103 kg with shorter limbs compared to my 6'1/186 cm frame I truly have to run very easy to get the benefits. While easypace on flat asphalt road is 6:20-6:40 min/km, now in winter time on snowy road or with hills or trail I truly am around 7-8 min pace pr km sometimes. Its not pretty on Strava , but I truly believe taking it easy makes quality 5K speed/tempo/treshold/marathon runs (4:55-5:50 pace) better and easier. Biggest question I have is why run "Steasy" (5:50-6:20) at all? Or why push slower winter/trail pace 7-8 down to 6 pace, when body does not want it? Is there really any benefits to running in between pace or steasy pace? Also, some of my fastest timetrials or races have come after much easypace running, and not harder training.

Great talk! Thank you!

Great talk as always!

Your videos are so helpful thank you man

Love your videos!!!

Hey Sage. I’m a 14 year old (turning 15 in a month) high schooler who just got into track this winter. During my soccer time trial in the fall I ran a 7:53 1600 meter (I was semi injured and always thought of myself as a sprinter). Then the last two meets for indoor winter track I decided to give the mile another shot (had been running the 55 and 300 meter all season) and ran a 5:07 the second to last meet then a 4:51 about 10 days later. I ended up making state qualifiers but couldn’t run as I suffered an Achilles injury (tendinitis). I assume it was because when I switched to long distance during the last month of the season I jumped from doing fast sprint intervals on the track to long hilly runs on the pavement. Probably went from 20 miles a week to 30-40 immediately after switching (wasn’t the best idea). I just got off my 2 week injury break how do you suggest I get back into it? When do you think I can be running sub 5 miles again?

Very interesting topic

TTT q: runs 90m+ are good for aerobic development, the intervals and tempo sessions for speed developement. But we can't run 90min+ runs all the time, so I do easy pace 40 or 50min runs otherwise, I think there is benefit with the "extra" runs but would be good to hear your take on it, what's it doing for us?

Hi Sage! I ran my first sub 3hr marathon in October (2:58:47) but since then I have done almost no running (about 5-10 miles per week). I am considering booking a marathon in for May 2022 but this doesn't allow much time at all to build up my milage before starting a 16 week training block. How many weeks would you suggest is required to build a significant aerobic base to go into a marathon block for someone who is not currently running many miles? for some context, I would be aiming to run a 2:55 in order to achieve a GFA place for London 2023. Thanks as always for the brilliant content!

Hello 👋 I've been involved in distance for over 25 years, I remember reading an article written by Lee Troop, talking about easy running, he mentioned that slow running still needs to be 5min/km to be useful and it's something I've believed in ever since. Plus a minimum of 30 minutes in an easy run also

I have the complete opposite problem lol. Easy is like 8:45 for me but I can't run a mile much faster than 7 minutes. Is the the inverse then true? I have a base but very poor threshold?

For me, the slow pace is somewhat dependant on the overall stress I'm putting on my body. If I' running comparatively low mileages theses weeks, without too much intensity, I might push up that slow pace a bit. Conversly, if I'm into the longer mpw and/or have more quality sessions, I really stop caring about the long runs/recovery paces and just go by feel..

At 26, and 88kg, I ran a marathon in 2:52. My easy runs were around 5:50/ km and I was only doing about 70km / week, with the rest of my training on the bike. Everyone's body and physiology is so different, that generic formulas or guidance do NOT work.

Talk test doesn't work for me. My easy days I have to be able to breath through my nose effortlessly or I'll break something. I can talk your ears off at too high of a speed. Took me forever to figure this out since 'just run at a conversational pace' which is a bad advice especially for beginners. The difference in mileage for me is 'conversational pace 10-11 min/mile' about 3-5 miles per week and 'effortless nose breathing 16 min/mile' about 20+ miles per week. This might change rapidly since I'm only 3 weeks in and ran my first half marathon on week 2.

for training talk Tuesday: should you gain weight in your "off season" / break off from training

Hey sage used your half marathon plan and ran 1.27 for my first time! I’m wondering, I came from cycling and my “easy” heart rate zone is like 140bpm which works out like 7 mins per mile, and I can converse easily. I know from tests my max is 188bpm. Although I find this easy aerobically I actually find it’s quite tough physically. I much prefer to run in the 120bpm range and I find I can do this regularly with tempos/session/long run added in.

So the only problem seems to be the McMillan training calculator. Indeed the easy pace there seems to be way too aggressive. It almost reaches lactate threshold pace. For me that's not easy.

For us slower runners. What are your thoughts on run/walk intervals vs steady running pace.

6:40 per mile for a 5 mile is pretty damn good.

TTT question: What should I do in the summer between the track season and cross country season when I don't have a coach? I've seen many people saying different things. (background: I'm 13, have a 19:51 5k and 5:49.2 mile. I expect the mile to improve to around 5:30 by the end of the track season.) I want to stay fit and improve my aerobic base (which is what most people say for the summer) but I need advice on what to do (week 1(

Hey mate to run 3hr or sub, how many Kms should we be aiming for on a weekly basis… let’s say I can roughly do easy Ks - 30-40ks atm.. with work etc on during the week… 40yrs of age atm roughly 101kgs

TTT Topic: Skyrunning event tips and considerations. Hey Sage, I just signed up for my first 50k, The Broken Arrow 52K Skyrace, and was wondering how the progression of elevation in a training plan should look for a race with 10,000+ feet of vert at the 50K distance ~318ft./mile. I've heard some people say shoot for 1-1.5x race elevation at one's peak week, but that seems a bit cookie cutter and wanted to know if there are any nuances I should consider. Can too much elevation be a bad thing? Also, poles or no poles? My primary goal is finishing this training plan and race WITHOUT any injuries! Any information or other tips would be greatly appreciated!

Can I use cycling to build my aerobic base for distance running? I want to squeeze in more volume, but want to give my joints a break once or twice a week

Thanks for doing these vids. My question is half serious. If I dnf’ed a bunch of races, is it ok to still wear the tech shirts they gave me or is that a faux pas?

My 5k PR is 19:29 I want to break sub 5 min. mile. What should I do?

Hey Sage What trail is that?

If you train by running long distances slow...you will learn to run long distances.... Slow..

When I run a 10 minute mile my heart rate is 170-180.

My true easy days are around 7:20 my normal easy days are around 6:30

Second! Steve from Scotland

12:40 Who runs 3 hours marathon their easy pace is 6:40 min/km.

Third from 🇲🇾 😎

50km per week is low mileage😂 Savage

First 😎