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The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

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Reclaim movement, function and life
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Why The ‘Easy Run’?

March 27, 2024 By Denise Schwartz 2 Comments

Why the Easy Run is Important

How many of you go out and run all of your training runs at the same pace?

I met a woman last month who recently started running 3-4 times per week in addition to her usual routine of swimming. She said that she is enjoying it much more than she thought she would and was very proud of running at a 9:30 pace. I told her that sounded great and we agreed on how freeing running can feel. Then, being the therapist I am, I asked if she could carry on a conversation or sing the Brady Bunch song while running at that pace. She said, probably not and admitted she’d probably only be able to say a couple of words as she would be too winded.

You may have read about my patient, Carney, who likes to run at a fast clip for all his training runs – not his race pace, mind you, but faster than his easier pace.

As creating a training plan is not my strong suit, this post will focus on one thing only — why running easy is important. For many of my patients, the lack of this knowledge often contributes to why they show up at my door injured.

So, what is your easy run pace?

Can you carry on a conversation or sing a song while running? That’s your easy pace.

You may find that your easy pace could be up to 2 minutes slower than your race pace (the pace you run at during a race)! I know, I can hear the gasps…“that’s so slow!”

Why is it important to run at an easy pace?

Any run that does not have a targeted reason, such as intervals, tempo runs, and hills, should be done at an easy pace. The purpose of the easy pace run is to build time on your feet. This gets your body, joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons used to the repetitive pounding. It also helps build your aerobic engine, or cardiac endurance. In essence, the easy run does have a purpose.

When training for any distance race, whether running or triathlon, you should follow a plan. For those of you who tend not to be injury prone or who are not vieing for a significant improved PR, you can find a plethora of training plans online that will fit your needs. My friend, Sheryl, has found great luck working with CARA training plans and does her long runs with the group each Saturday morning.

However, if you are injury prone or you want to improve your race times, then I recommend seeking out a custom training plan from a running or triathlon coach. Coaches often have varying levels of involvement, so choose a coach and plan that allows for some communication and the ability to adjust as your needs change.

What if you’re like that woman I met last month who isn’t training for anything specific but is just running for fitness? Is it still important to go at an easy pace? I say yes; the majority of your runs throughout the week, should be easy, but one of your runs could be faster or longer. This is one step towards preventing injury.

As I discussed in another blog post, Carney was recommended to run slow for all of his runs until his strength in his left leg evened out with his right leg. Now, he is working with his coach to determine what his paces should be for all his training runs.

The moral of the story is: Enjoy the easy runs, it’s a wonderful time to catch up with friends and enjoy the scenery!


Want to have your running analyzed to further decrease chance of injury? Give me a call or take a moment to read more about my running services. Happy Running!

 

 

Filed Under: Running Tagged With: Easy Pace, Slow running pace, The Easy Run

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

Comments

  1. Sheryl Hilbert says

    April 26, 2020 at 7:11 pm

    Easy runs are my favorite! What’s with these aggressive athletes? Thanks for the mention! Keep up the good articles.

    Reply
  2. Jim Bruce says

    April 15, 2022 at 6:42 pm

    I can contest to that, I was a pace group leader for CARA for 5 or 6 years and we always stressed run your long runs slow, I also ran my Marathon PR during a winter training season where I ran my long runs even slower then normal.

    Reply

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We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
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Testimonials

I saw Denise at The Manual Touch recently for sciatic pain, that only the day before I saw Denise kept me from walking; I could only hobble for short distances before I would sit down and collapse. After some tissue work and gentle exercise with Deni… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/m-d-evanston-il
I was in Florida for vacation and developed an upper respiratory infection. I had annoying coughing and congestion in my chest. This went on for several days, and it was not getting better. It felt like I had a mucous plug stuck in my chest that woul… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/a-b-riverwoods
The best physical therapist I’ve ever experienced is Denise Schwartz in Wheeling at the Manual Touch. I have seen Denise twice for over 6 months to treat 2 bouts of frozen shoulder that occurred 8 years apart. In addition to my shoulder, she has also… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/b-h-elmhurst-il
As a young elite athlete I was involved in numerous accidents resulting in scar tissue causing loss of flexibility and restrictions as an adult. After each treatment I feel so much less restriction and experience greater range of motion.
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/s-northbrook-il
Last winter our daughter Maddie had had several eye and ear infections, and all required topical and oral antibiotics.  These were instigated by a plugged tear duct.  A pediatric ophthalmologist said there was little chance the duct would open up o… Read more
The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return… Read more
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found you… Read more
I have been receiving PT therapy for pain and autoimmune disorders for over 18 months at The Manual Touch.  This also affects my kidneys and my lungs and other organs as I swell with fluid that my lymph system doesn’t seem to handle well.  I depe… Read more
Excellent, professional assessment and treatment for an older woman who’s had lots of failed therapy. Kind and compassionate and caring! Thanks.
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlo… Read more
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