How slow should easy runs be?
If there's one habit that holds runners back, it's running easy days too hard. Here's how slow easy really is, why it works, and how to find your pace.
The short answer
Easy runs should feel easy: you could hold a conversation in full sentences the whole way. For most runners that's about25 to 30% slower than their 5K race pace. It feels too slow at first. That's normal, and it's the point.
Your easy pace from your 5K
The same sum the race time predictor and Moonstride use: 5K pace, 27% slower.
| 5K time | 5K pace /km | Easy /km | Easy /mile | Half marathon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:00 | 4:00 | 5:05 | 8:11 | 1:32:00 |
| 22:30 | 4:30 | 5:43 | 9:12 | 1:43:30 |
| 25:00 | 5:00 | 6:21 | 10:13 | 1:55:00 |
| 27:30 | 5:30 | 6:59 | 11:14 | 2:06:30 |
| 30:00 | 6:00 | 7:37 | 12:16 | 2:18:00 |
| 35:00 | 7:00 | 8:53 | 14:18 | 2:41:00 |
| 40:00 | 8:00 | 10:10 | 16:21 | 3:04:00 |
Haven't raced recently? Run a hard 5K, a parkrun is ideal, or use your best recent effort. And on a hot or hilly day, go by feel rather than the number.
Why easy running works
Most of the fitness that makes you faster comes from easy running: a stronger heart, more blood vessels feeding your muscles, and muscles better at using oxygen and fat. Easy running builds all of that with little wear and tear, so you can run more often and arrive at your hard sessions fresh.
Run easy days too fast and they land in a grey zone: hard enough to leave you tired, not hard enough to be a real workout. Your hard days get softer because you're never quite recovered, and everything blurs into the same medium effort.
How much should be easy?
About 80%. Most elite runners do roughly four easy runs for every hard one, and studies of recreational runners find the same balance works for them. If you run four times a week, that's three easy runs and one harder session, or one harder session every other week if you're building up.
How to keep easy runs easy
- The talk test: if you can't speak in full sentences, slow down.
- Ease off on hills: hold the effort, not the pace. See how to pace hills.
- Pick a flatter route: the route planner makes flat loops for easy runs.
- Leave your watch's pace screen alone: show time or heart rate instead.
- Run with someone slower, or chat with whoever you're with.
Questions
How slow should an easy run be?
Slow enough to hold a conversation in full sentences. For most runners that's about a quarter slower than their 5K race pace: with a 25 minute 5K, around 6:20 per kilometre.
Why are easy runs so slow?
Easy running builds the engine, your heart, blood vessels and the muscles' ability to use oxygen, with little stress, so you recover in time for the hard sessions. Run it too fast and it's too hard to build much and too easy to count as a workout.
How much of my running should be easy?
About four runs in five, or 80% of your time. It's how most elite runners train, and the research on recreational runners points the same way.
Should I use heart rate for easy runs?
Heart rate is a good check, below about three quarters of your maximum, but it drifts up in heat and on hills. Being able to talk in full sentences works anywhere.
Is it bad to walk on easy runs?
No. Walking up a steep hill often keeps the effort easier than running it slowly. What matters is the effort, not keeping running.