TIP: TAKE YOUR EASY DAYS EASY AND MAKE YOUR HARD DAYS HARD

You’ve probably heard this running maxim, “Easy days easy, hard days hard.” This week’s tip is to actually do it. While it would be impossible for me to observe every reader’s training for a week, I am certain that I would find the following—very little fluctuation in pace (aka intensity) from day to day. Your hard days aren’t that fast because you’re fatigued and you’re fatigued primarily due to you running too hard on your easy days. In the first weeks of a base building phase, running the same pace every day is probably sound, yet once you’re seriously training, even if it’s only 20-30 miles a week, you should be running fairly hard for part of all of your hard days. More importantly, however, you should take you easy days VERY easy. Kenyan runners have been training this way for decades and you’d be hard pressed to find any elite distance runner who doesn’t follow this maxim. And if you’ve qualified for Boston this spring that means you’ll be doing some of your most difficult training in the coming weeks—this is especially important for you if you’re to improve your fitness in the midst of high mileage weeks. So, when workout document says “easy,” take it easy.

Coach Jay coaches athletes at RunnersCoach.com and blogs at CoachJayJohnson.com. And don’t forget, if you have training question for Coach Jay, ask it here!