For some reason I’m coming up empty on a couple of searches. I’ve heard “so slow that you’d be ashamed to be seen by someone you know.” But in numbers, how would “slow enough” look against min/km pace? For example, if 5k race pace is 5:00 min/km (for the sake of a round number – and yes, I know for most people that is not considered fast… just work with me), how slow should the slow/easy training pace be?
I believe BarryP and crew advocates using McMillan running calculator: https://www.mcmillanrunning.com/
If you input your actual/goal pace for a race, it will give you a range for “recovery jog” pace. Mine is anywhere from 1.5-2 minutes slower than my half marathon pace (per mile, not km)
One note it’s not slow. It’s easy. Because when slow is not easy that’s your issue. And yes there is a difference between slow and easy.
Depends on yuour run distance as to paces. Long runs for my athletes are easy conversational pace. So if they aren’t conversating we walk until they do.
The answer for me is “it depends”. I have easy and really easy (aka recovery). Depending on current load, how the legs feel that day, temps, humidity, route, etc, I ditched using pace for easy runs last year given what I mentioned before. I just use HR and feel.
All my watch shows is time/distance/HR/Avg HR. Easy for me is 125-135 HR (175 threshold), upper Z1/Lower Z2. My pace slows the longer I go to keep HR in check. There are days that same run can be 30-45 seconds apart pace wise so no easy run is the same.
For easy, on the road the average it is 1:30 per mile off current marathon pace. On the trails it’s 2:30 per mile off marathon pace.
For really easy/recovery it’s closer to 2:30 on road off current marathon pace and 4:00 on trails. My really easy runs will be in the low 120s HR wise.
I’d second the McMillan pace guide. For a 25 minute 5k, that would give a “recovery jog” pace of 6:21-6:51 per km, a “long run” pace of 5:43-6:32/km or an “easy run” pace of 5:42-6:18.
I normally find the middle of the “easy” range is my sweet spot for most of my running other than when I’m doing intervals, threshold or hill work. Easy should feel like a pace which you can sustain pretty much indefinitely (hence why it’s similar pace range to that of your long run), you’re not out of breath or feeling any burn in the muscles, but do gradually get fatigued as the mileage accumulates. Recovery pace really is just that - short and very gentle run/jogs where the primary purpose isn’t to do any work but to get the muscles moving and the blood flowing to help recovery from a tough session the day before.
One note it’s not slow. It’s easy. Because when slow is not easy that’s your issue. And yes there is a difference between slow and easy.
Depends on yuour run distance as to paces. Long runs for my athletes are easy conversational pace. So if they aren’t conversating we walk until they do.
Easy conversational pace - this is what I was taught - if you can’t easily hold a continuous conversation you are going too hard, no matter what heart rate, pace or power.
I still think this is a better guide than heart rate / pace or power. We are aware of our breathing but we are not aware of our heart rate. Having evolved over millions of years an amazing monitoring and feed back system I really don’t understand why someone would pay more attention to heart rate than breathing. There is a reason why we didn’t evolve to feel how hard our heart is working but we have evolved to feel our breathing and muscles.
If heart rate gave useful intelligence in real time we would feel it, but we evolved not to feel it. That does not mean heart rate doesn’t have its uses, just that pacing isn’t one of them.
That’s just my opinion, but there is research which shows the talking test is a very effective measure.
To echo Brooks & Trev you should be able to talk in paragraphs, not just a sentence or two or three.
To expand further if you’re consistently fading over the last few miles on the long run or breathing like you’re in a race over the final miles of the long run, you ran the first half too fast.
For instance if you run 14 miles and avg 7:50 but the first 4-5 miles were 7;15 and the last 2-3 were 8:30’s & you can’t wait to get done you screwed the pooch in the first few miles of the run.
Easy runs should be in talking speed, and you should feel that you could easily go for half or one hour more.
Thanks guys, I really appreciate your insight. The reminder about slow vs. easy hit home – I think I’ve crept into the trap of sometimes going too hard on my easy efforts, in an attempt to stay within a certain pace range regardless of the previous day’s workouts or how I’m feeling. I run alone, so I may have to resort to talking to myself to ensure I can comfortably converse in paragraphs. I should start running with earbuds – at least that way it looks like I’m talking on the phone, rather than like someone in deranged conversation with herself. 
Then add in walk breaks. People balk at the idea but it’s about making sure you accomplish the objective.
If you run alone and have hard time simply add walk breaks every 8 mins or so. Will keep it controlled. Just don’t look at pace and try and average any certain pace. Cus then you’ll notice you start to run harder than you should.
Be disciplined to go easy or add walks. Choices grasshopper!
You don’t have to talk, once you know how easy the breathing should feel there is no need to talk all the time.
Depends on you. My current training paces for easy days are in the 7:40-8:10 range, Marathon pace is 6:45, Threshold pace is 6:23, Interval is 5:52 and Repetition is 5:28 (these are min/mile paces) That’s quite a range of paces.
Calc for Jack Daniels is here: http://runsmartproject.com/calculator/
These times are base on my early season VDOT time. My coach has me run a 3K and then gives me my run times based on it and my weekly runs, with retests every so often, etc. throughout the season. I have a HARD time running 7:40, feels way slow but the Jack Daniels running system is highly regarded and pretty successful per some friends of mine that are real runners.
Calc for Jack Daniels is here: http://runsmartproject.com/calculator/
Am I the only one who saw “Call for Jack Daniels!” here, before realizing Jack Daniels referred to a run tool? Must be the end of the work week…
If you’ve ever had LT testing done it would be at or below the first uptick in lactate accumulation*. This effort is usually so easy (to folks that have habituated to going way too hard most of the time) as to be earth shattering and difficult to wrap their heads around. Stick with it and accumulate pain free miles and miles and miles and then reap the benefits.
*given day to day fluctuation i opt for HR rather than pace on this low end stuff. Most of the time they are 1:1 per the testing but some days test pace is too fast for how you feel that day.
The key word I like to focus on is relaxed. The run should be in that relaxed zone, i.e whole body relaxed. Some mention conversational also. You refer to it as slow (speed) / easy (intensity) I think you need to be quite clear of the goal of the session and therefore what adaptation it is you’re targeting. I think if you focus on the word relaxed it will get you to where you need to be whilst learning about your body rather than becoming overly reliant on zones / calculators for what should be for all intents an ‘easy’ run.
One note it’s not slow. It’s easy. Because when slow is not easy that’s your issue. And yes there is a difference between slow and easy.
Depends on yuour run distance as to paces. Long runs for my athletes are easy conversational pace. So if they aren’t conversating we walk until they do.
Easy conversational pace - this is what I was taught - if you can’t easily hold a continuous conversation you are going too hard, no matter what heart rate, pace or power.
I still think this is a better guide than heart rate / pace or power. We are aware of our breathing but we are not aware of our heart rate. Having evolved over millions of years an amazing monitoring and feed back system I really don’t understand why someone would pay more attention to heart rate than breathing. There is a reason why we didn’t evolve to feel how hard our heart is working but we have evolved to feel our breathing and muscles.
If heart rate gave useful intelligence in real time we would feel it, but we evolved not to feel it. That does not mean heart rate doesn’t have its uses, just that pacing isn’t one of them.
That’s just my opinion, but there is research which shows the talking test is a very effective measure.
^^^^^This.
Can’t talk…too hard.
Can sing…too easy.
Try not to focus on pace with your easy runs. Just run what your legs give you. Some days my easy runs are 8 min/mile pace and other days they are 7:20 min/mile pace and I often have 9 min/mile days too. Your focus on pace should be your hard days. If you can’t hit your paces on hard days then you ran too hard on your easy days. I find total mileage and quality on hard run days make your a faster runner. It doesn’t matter that much how fast you run on your easy days. My pb marathon is 2:57 a few years ago but I’m probably more like 2:50-2:55 now to give you an idea.
IMO the Jack Daniels and McMillan calculators are too aggressive for easy run pace. I do not think they account for the overall training load and the hard bike workouts of triathletes’ plans.
From my Strava-stalking, the vast majority of even elite AG triathletes run too hard for their easy runs. I see a lot of them averaging 6:30 or 7:00/mile or even faster on 3-4 of their weekly runs.
I ran a 2:46 open marathon recently off ~50mpw, my threshold pace is around 5:40/mile, and I do ~95% of my miles at 8:15-8:30/mile. I was stuck at ~2:55 open mary for 3 years, but finally listened to the wise minds on here who counseled running really easy the vast majority of the time, and occasionally running really hard. Since taking this advice a few months ago - slowing my “easy runs” from 7:30 to 8:30ish/mile, while otherwise maintaining a similar training schedule - I have had zero niggles, I have cut my threshold pace, cut 9 minutes from my open mary time, crushed a HIM run leg, and have had more juice for thrice weekly REALLY hard bike workouts that are allowing my FTP to climb rapidly.
The 8:15-8:30/mile running feels ridiculously easy, but it works! Slow down!
These are really interesting insights, thanks – and to everybody who has taken the time to respond. It’s valuable to hear from coaches and good runners.
On another note, I PB’d a 10k race this morning (which I’m thrilled about, as I was really concerned I wouldn’t meet my goal) and came 5th/180 in my AG. I’m so excited, I’ve never thought of myself as a runner so it was good for the self-esteem before tri season starts. 
I’m still the slowest person in my training squad, but small steps.
Wow. Our open marathons are similar, but a 7:00 min mile is the slowest I go in training. Maybe I need to slow down! How does running super slow make you race faster?! I can’t put my head around it!