Running Easy Isn’t Always Easy To Do

The Run

I didn’t plan for the run to suck. But it did. I was low on motivation. Winter in Oregon can have that effect on people. It basically drizzles for 7 months straight. It’s not rain. It’s more like the clouds are aggressively spitting on you… every day… for months. And this late afternoon 5-miler was looking to be yet another chilly, puddle laden, head lamp wearing run. Good times!

I started sluggish and over the course of the run had worked myself up to merely heavy. My legs were glassy early in the run and had improved (or worsened) to rubbery by the time I finished. Did I mention that I was low on motivation? I did? Well, I was also damp. That’s another thing about Winter here. You’re always damp. Not wet. Just damp.

So, here’s the scene. I’m done with my run. I look at my watch. I read the numbers. The average pace for the run ended up slower than I thought it was going to be. The distance covered is less than I had originally planned. I smile. I nailed this run! I did exactly what I was supposed to do. Victory is mine. Time to get dry and put on my flannel shirt. We’re in Oregon, remember.

The Question

I’ve been coaching for over a decade. And the question I get more than any other question is are you really from New Jersey because you don’t sound like you’re from New Jersey. But the second most common question I get is how do I start running? It’s a simple and yes, loaded question. Because the question is really code for how do I do this run so I can end it wanting to run again? And that’s really just another way of asking me how can I run without absolutely hating it? Luckily simple questions deserve simple answers. And the answer to this/these questions is easy. Literally. The answer is easy. Run easy.

Every Run Has A Purpose.

Let’s start with what an Easy Run is and what it’s not. An easy run is not a slow run. It’s an easy run. And yes, language matters. You may even call it a Recovery Run. You may call it just a run. That’s all an Easy Run is. It’s just your normal-every day-out the door-run. It’s not a tempo run, long run or a speed run. And the purpose of an easy run is to run easy! Honest marketing! You do these kinds of runs so you can recover for or from a harder run. And you do these runs to develop the habit of running consistently. You do these runs to build strength and endurance. And you do these runs to recover some peace and joy that maybe you lost during the other parts of your day. You do these runs to relieve stress and anxiety. You do these runs because they make you a better runner. They make you a better person. How could anyone not want to do a run that accomplishes all that?

Measure Success As Many Ways As You Can.

Too often we look at a couple of numbers as the only benchmarks for success. How fast did I cover this distance? How much distance did I cover in this amount of time? Don’t get me wrong. I love numbers. I’m a runnerd. I spend an awkward amount of time looking at things like pace and PB’s and mileage. But the real reason I’ve been able to run as long as I have and still love it is because I measure the success of a run as many ways as possible. And since the easy run is the run you will do more than any other run it is also the run that you will have the most opportunities to have success on. Did you enjoy your easy run after a really tough day at work or home? Were you able to get through an easy run that was mentally difficult to get through? Did you have fun trying out a new route on an easy day? Each of those questions hold the potential for success. And none of those answers rely on the numbers on your watch. We sabotage our easy runs when we demand that specific numbers get attached to them. All goals for easy runs (and training plans in general) should not be written in pen… they should be written with a pencil that has a great eraser.

Easy Is An Effort.

Easy is not a pace. Easy is not a distance. Easy is an effort. Easy is unique to the runner and the run. Easy is how you start a running journey. Easy is how you start a run. And easy is the reason you can run hard. Easy is not slow. Easy is not a sign of weakness. And oddly enough, easy is really hard for runners to do. We’ve been taught that running is supposed to always be hard. We’ve been told that easy running is not real running. We’ve been conditioned to start our runs too hard and therefore we’ve experienced too many runs that ended too early because the run became too much and that left us feeling, well, not too good. And when every run ends with us feeling like failures… we just stop starting runs.

Better Easy Running Leads To Better Hard Running

How do you feel? How does this feel? How did that feel? These are the most important questions a coach can ask an athlete. And since you will never have a better coach for you than you… start asking these questions before, during and after your runs. We can forget that great running is dependent first and foremost on great recovery. And your easy runs are where you are going to be able to increase fitness as well as mentally, emotionally (and to a lesser extent physically) recover so you can take on that next hard effort. Remember, you won’t be able to run hard when you want to unless you ran easy when you needed to.

Back to that run I started this article writing about… it ended as it started. Crappy. I wasn’t running hard even though the run was hard to do. I wasn’t running slow even though the run felt like it took forever. I knew what I was supposed to do. I knew the purpose of my run. And I know it’s not always easy to run easy. That’s why I don’t make it any harder by being too hard on myself. That’s something that should be easy to remember... even if it’s not always easy to do.