I never got any faster.
Thats a recipe for hitting a plateau.
Heres what does work: Mixing up speeds and distances.
These types of workouts fit together like puzzle pieces.
You need them all to progress.
But here are the basics.
With lots of easy running, your body will build morecapillariesto bring oxygen to your muscles.
In short: better endurance.
Fast runningbuilds strength and power.
Check out ourpost about speedworkfor more on these types of workouts and how to run them.
Medium pace runningis sort of weird.
There is a place for them, though.
I just started running, you might say, and its so hard.
And now you want me to run easy?
It will take time to find your slower gears, but its worth it.
When you find that easy gear, it almost feels like cheating:thisstill counts as exercise?
Heres a workout that will help you find that pace: in-and-outs.
After the faster segments, youll feel relieved to settle into your slow pace.
You have a slow pace that feels easy!
But after a whileperhaps by the end of your couch-to-5k programyoull be ready to experiment with easy running.
Does that mean giving up the walk breaks?
it’s possible for you to even make these easy runs longer.
Ever wanted to run five miles?
Allow yourself the extra time guilt-free.
Even marathon runners refer to their once-a-week long runs as LSD, for long slow distance.
If youre worried about running too slowly, dont!
(This applies even when training for much shorter events, like a 5k).
There seems to be a benefit in terms of injury risk, too.
Easy miles support more quality miles (as fast or difficult running is called).
Those slow runs work your muscles, tendons, and bones gently without putting extreme stress on them.
That helps them build up to withstand harder work.
