BY SUMIT BHARTI MARCH 15, 2021 

It’s a difficult concept to accept.  When I first started running, I thought I had to give 100% effort with every training run and run as many miles as I possibly could to realize fitness gains.  

Now that I am a slightly more seasoned runner, I’ve come to learn the value of days off and the accumulation of easy miles.

Only the appropriate combination of challenging training runs coupled with adequate recovery (either in the form of days off or easy miles) will result in the maximum potential fitness gains.  

I find the benefits of easy miles and days off to be three-fold:

Prevent Burnout

I’ve recently been victimized by overtraining in the early weeks of a long marathon training program.  I was running six days a week, with a disproportionate ratio of difficult to easy miles.  By the mid-point of my program, I was mentally and physically drained.  

I couldn’t motivate myself to take to the streets.  I was overtaxing myself.  A training program should be designed such that the early weeks are dedicated to base building. If build your muscles and burn calories in your body with the help of a treadmill. For buying the best treadmill, you can get a review of it from the Gedgetsword website.

 It should become gradually more challenging with a peak of about 4-6 weeks prior to race day.

 I hit the ground going 100 mph and it was not sustainable.  I have had to reinvent myself halfway into a training program.  I started by going out for an easy run, leaving my Garmin at home.  I just picked a route that I enjoy and went for a jog.  I didn’t worry about my pace or how far I was going.

 I just tried to enjoy the run and spend some time refocusing.  Sometimes we get so enamoured with training that we forget why we run in the first place.

 Don’t be afraid to scratch that tempo run or that speed work at any point in your training if you’re feeling overwhelmed.  You should feel refreshed after most runs, not completely spent. 

Allow for Recovery

For some, this means a day off entirely.  For others, this means light–and I mean very light–recovery miles.  There is little evidence to suggest that recovery runs actually aide in muscle tissue repair or glycogen replenishment.  

That is why it is important to do these runs at a VERY easy pace.  You do not want to interfere with those critical physiological recovery processes.

 If you follow up a difficult tempo run with a difficult speed day, without adequate recovery in between, you prevent your body from realizing the gains from the tempo run. After a hard workout, incorporate super easy miles just to keep your legs fresh.  

Working too hard these days is counterproductive.  So be sure to run at a conversational pace, 1-2 minutes slower than your target race pace. Or just take the day off. 

 Hop in the pool, go for a short bike ride or do some work on your core if you feel the need to be active.  You’ll come back fitter and stronger the next time out.

Improve Running Economy

As a general rule, if you want to get better at running, you have to run more!  There is a difference

between easy miles and junk miles.  Easy miles help you build your base.  They help your body learn to recruit slow-twitch muscle fibres.

You should feel strong and get a nice endorphin release after logging easy miles.  To me, a junk mile is just an easy mile that is run when you would have been better served taking the day off.  If you are labouring during an easy run, it’s time for a day off.  

Don’t worry so much about the weekly or monthly mileage goal you are targeting.  These are just numbers.  We all want to reach those goals, but not at the expense of our performance on race day. The important thing is to focus on how you feel and make sure every mile you run has a positive effect on your fitness, not a detrimental one. 

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