And I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed my runs! I always used to dread running, because it's so uncomfortable. Once I started running at a truly easy pace, the way I "should", I actually started looking forward to running. As far as my effort level goes, it feels almost the same as going for a walk--I don't get out of breath, and I can look around and enjoy the scenery. Nothing to dread :)
The idea of easy running wasn't new to me--I learned all about how to put together a proper training plan, and that's how I write plans for other people. But for myself, I always felt like I would make more progress by running faster, where I was slightly uncomfortable. Recently, I've been reading as much as I can about the ideal race training, and I came across a book called 80/20 Running by Matt Fitzgerald.
The idea behind 80/20 Running is that the "perfect" running plan would have you do 80% of your running at a low intensity, and just 20% at a moderate or high intensity level. The book explains it all so well, and gives tons of examples, but the key point is that most recreational runners train in that moderate zone more than half of the time, and that is keeping them from reaching their full potential. Elite runners use the 80/20 principle, which allows them to reach their maximum potential.
Even though I knew better, I still didn't do my easy runs at a truly easy pace. I would push myself to a moderate pace, because then I'd finish my mileage faster (without being too uncomfortable). The 80/20 running in the book gives workouts in minutes rather than mileage, so you're going to be running for the same amount of time regardless of pace. I think that's what helped me to finally take it easy on my runs recently, because I've been training in minutes. If I have a 40-minute run scheduled, then I have to run 40 minutes, no matter how fast or slow I go. Slower is more enjoyable, so I keep the intensity very low (unless I'm doing speed work).
Doing this has helped me to make progress on my speed work, too. On those days, I really bust my ass during my workouts. By taking it easy on my easy runs, I have lots of energy to expend on my hard runs. I've seen a pretty big improvement in just five weeks or so. I'm kind of excited to run a 5K or 10K and see the difference in my finishing time.
The book has several training plans--three each for the 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon (levels 1, 2, and 3). I've been thinking about doing the 10K plan in the book (either level 2 or 3) instead of the plan I've been testing out recently. It's pretty much the same idea, just with more mileage. Surprisingly, I don't even mind doing more miles because they are EASY miles! (The book stresses that higher mileage is best for getting to your goals faster--something that I learned from Hansons Marathon Method as well).
The plans give you a certain number of minutes to run in five different zones. Zone 1 is the easiest (used for warm-ups, cool downs, and recovery runs); Zone 2 is for easy runs and long runs; Zone 3 like the aerobic threshold zone--tempo pace; Zone 4 is for longer intervals; and Zone 5 is for short intervals or hills. You can use heart rate, pace, and/or perceived effort to determine each zone, but Fitzgerald recommends a combination, which he explains in the book.
The hardest part of the whole thing is determining your lactate threshold heart rate. There are a few suggestions for how to do it, but I still felt kind of lost. It's not as simple as a formula. I went for a run today and tried a couple of the tests (a talk test, perceived effort, etc.).
I really liked testing out the Hansons Marathon Method when I trained for the Chicago Marathon. I followed the program right to the letter, and it was fun to write a review about it (the plan worked very well for me). So, I'm leaning toward doing this 80/20 Running plan--I'd follow it as-written, and see how well it works in getting me ready to PR my 10K. The plan is 12 weeks long, and my race is 11 weeks from Sunday, so I would have to start this plan tomorrow with tail end of week 1. The thought of focusing on a single race, and preparing for it to the best of my ability exciting to me--the last time I felt this focused on a goal race was the Chicago Marathon in 2013!
Reading 80/20 Running was very reassuring that training at an easy pace is ideal. It gave so many examples and studies that made me really believe in it. I was worried that I wasn't doing enough speed work, but from what I've read, the plan I've been doing follows the right formula. And I've seen progress, so I think it's working. Regardless of whether I'm getting faster or not, it's so nice to really enjoy running. I still dread speed work, but I feel awesome when I nail a good speed workout, so it's worth it.
I'm curious, have any of you ever tried any of the 80/20 Running plans? And if so, did you find that you got faster by training that way?
Here is a link (Amazon affiliate) for the book, if anyone is interested: 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster By Training Slower. I want to stress that this is NOT a good book for an electronic reader. The training plans will have you flipping back and forth between several pages, which would drive me crazy. I'm really glad that I bought the actual book. It's a very interesting read, and if you're in a pace rut (having a hard time improving), it could help you out of that.
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