WHY RUNNING EASY MAKES YOU A BETTER RUNNER
I recently had the opportunity to collaborate with Centurion Running's Head of Endurance, Robbie Britton, on an article about one of the biggest mistakes we see runners make: running too hard, too often.
Being part of the Centurion Coaching team means I'm constantly learning from and collaborating with some incredibly knowledgeable coaches. Alongside my own articles, Centurion has a fantastic library of evidence-based resources covering everything from training and racing to recovery and nutrition. If you're looking to deepen your understanding of endurance running, it's well worth exploring.
As Robbie say’s:
"One of the most common patterns in new runners we see is doing almost every run too fast."
It's an easy trap to fall into. Running slowly can feel counterintuitive, almost like you're not training properly. But the reality is that most runners improve faster when the majority of their training is genuinely easy.
Easy running is where you build your aerobic engine. It improves endurance, strengthens your cardiovascular system, and allows your body to recover and adapt between sessions. When every run is too hard, fatigue builds, recovery suffers, and consistency often disappears.
One of the key messages I wanted to share in the article was:
"Your body can't recover properly if every run is too fast. Without recovery, you never get stronger or faster. Running easy gives your body the chance to adapt, absorb hard training, and build lasting fitness."
It's something I see time and time again through coaching. The runners who make the biggest long-term improvements aren't the ones who push every session - they're the ones who train consistently, recover well, and trust the process.
Running every session a little too hard also increases your risk of injury. Tendons, muscles, and bones all need time to adapt to training load, and easy running gives them that opportunity while still building fitness.
So what does "easy" actually mean? You should be able to hold a conversation, breathe comfortably, and finish your run feeling like you could carry on for another 10 - 15 minutes. And if that means slowing right down or taking walk breaks, that's absolutely fine. Easy is about the effort, not the pace.
It might not feel glamorous, but easy running is one of the smartest things you can do. Build your engine first, and the speed will follow.
For more info on Centurion Running, head to: http://www.centurioncoaching.co.uk/