Recovery / Easy Runs

Recovery / Easy runs are normally used a day or two after a race or tough training session and should make up around 50% of an athlete’s overall training. Each individual run should be over 30 minutes in length, but no more than an hour in total.

(Runners, who run for over an hour and a half at a slower pace, saying “it’s an easy run”, will end up having completed a moderate session by the time they have finished).

The purpose of a recovery run is in the name; it aids an athlete to recover from harder training sessions. Recovery runs do this by allowing increased blood flow to muscles, helping to remove lactate and other waste products, repair damaged muscle fibres, and bring in oxygen to increase aerobic respiration.

Using recovery runs rather than resting will also increase muscular and skeletal strength and aid in weight loss.

Below I have worked out average easy run running paces linked to an athlete’s 5k race pace. I hope this will be useful.

5K RACE TIME  I  EASY PACE MIN/KM                           

15min                            4.00 pace                                    

17.30min                      4.35 pace  

20min                            5.10 pace                                    

22.30min                      5.45 pace  

25min                          6.20 pace                                    

27.30min                      6.55 pace   

30min                            7.30 pace                                    

32.30min                      8.05 pace  

35min                          8.40 pace                                    

37.30min                      9.15 pace