Dear lovely readers and fellow runners, today I am going to cover a very important aspect of ones training routine: the easy run. I feel inspired to cover this topic as I just ran my best and most enjoyable easy run (or run in general) ever. Not to say that I haven’t enjoyed efforts in the past or appreciated the accomplishments from hard work after the fact, it’s just that today during this barefoot, on soft grass, 5 mile 9:48 pace I was in such a lovely groove that I now truly understand why this time spent running easily is so important.
In the first place, aside from the fact that many runners are looking for better times and more accomplishments, we initially started running since this activity is so primal it brings us back to an element of our self that is easily overlooked in our modern society (i.e. when we were little kids we ran because we could). It’s like mini rewilding vacations even though one may be surrounded by a concrete jungle. For a human being, nothing is purer than running. So, the easy run is just that, a time to return to our natural roots free from the bondage of modern life without the need to conquer any goal – it’s running for the sake of running.
Furthermore, and in regards to a run training program, the easy run allows our body to recover from the harder efforts all the while still prompting the body to understand that it will need to continue making adaptations to endure the stress from running. This means, we will give it the opportunity to get stronger and faster without over doing the stress level. And if you’re a runner you know full well what over doing causes, no need to explain that.
Along with both of these points, an easy run is a great way to refresh your running drive, that deep seated passion to push the limits of our bodies and see what we are capable of.
The point is, take time to love your self and respect your body with these easy runs. Trust me, you will enjoy it to the fullest and feel refreshed and ready for your next hard efforts.
I love this statement, “make haste slowly”. An apt way to express how to develop running longevity.