Sportybrains

Let's be honest-1. how many of you are secretly annoyed by that statement, and 2. how many of you struggle with defining what really constitutes an "easy" run? You can raise your hand if you like, nobody can see you.

The inspiration to post on this topic today comes from a number of contiguous sources. First, the written word. During my post workout coffee/training log/email time this morning I came across this little honest little gem from Coach Jay Johnson, who's rapidly becoming one of my favorite go-to's for practical training and injury prevention advice. I also got a nice reminder that I am not considered "elite" by Johnson's standards, so I get to nix the 7ish pace run following a hard track workout the previous day. I am a sports professional, yes, but not a professional athlete.

Scrolling down my newsfeed I see yet another, even more basic post by Austin's John Schrup (who writes a blog simply called "You Know, Running."). Maybe they were collaborating on "foolish non-elite running practices" that particular morning? Perhaps not, but I digress. One thing I personally have to disagree with on Schrup's witty article in Texas Running Post is that the long run isn't as "critical" for physiological purposes unless you are in long-distance training. I guess so, but  the psychological benefits, at least for me, weigh out the negligible benefits if I'm happy and injury free (and not engaging in too many foolish non-elite running practices).What can I say- the therapist needs her own therapy! And it is cheap and reliable going to the "asphalt office" on Saturday mornings.

I carried the belief of the 'simpler the better' (or at least  all through my early years training and racing, and am starting to come back full circle. While we live in a complex, digital world, running remains a simple sport, yet we seem to throw in unnecessary variables; or at least put excessive emphasis on them and running can become stressful. Or as Johnson so eloquently puts it: "Simplicity is difficult". We are conditioned to want to try the newest shoe design, even though it looks nothing like what you're comfortably running in and looks like it may or may not have dropped down from outer space; many of us can't wait til the satellite loads for our morning run on the GPS so we "know what to do". Believe me, I do own two GPS devices, but when I race with them, the same things keeps happening-I use them as tools to judge my performance. Not everyone does this, mind you, but it bothers me. Note to self: maybe you should stop using it so much.

Now, back to the "easy is easy" concept that is sometimes difficult to pin down. How 'easy' is easy enough? I have several approaches that seem to work for me. #1: I turn the GPS off my Garmin 405, choose a route I know the distance on or just run for time. I call these 'idiot proof runs' because I have a guideline to stay under In fact, I just completed one today. Pace? Doesn't matter because I have track on the following day. Average HR? 142-not bad.

Obviously the number 142 is arbitrary only to me, so does this pace feel like? I'll give some examples/ personal rules of thumb. Feel free to try on you own or reject all the same. But if you try them, I bet you'll run a little safer.

If you've hit your appropriate "easy pace" on days prescribed as such, the following may have happened:

• You have been bored out of your mind.
• The words "this pace is beneath me" have passed through your head. 
• You feel insulted or offended by how slow the pace feels. 
• The thought "I can/should/could go faster than this" is something you've ruminated on during the run.
• You have felt like you didn't even run that day.
• You are mad at your coach because you feel like he or she is holding you back. 
• You have created a recipe for a three-course meal, written a presentation (totally did that one more than once), or contemplated some random association while on a run. 
• You have secretly thought: "how I wish I could do this for every run".

And yes, I have experienced almost all of these thoughts and feelings. So, back to the question at hand: what does easy mean? Yes, it's self explanatory. So self-explanatory we (okay I) have often disregarded the simple truth of it all. My best advice to yours truly and to others is just as you embace the suck, embrace the easy. It's as simple as that. You can't run your hardest if you don't set yourself up to do so. You and your body just may like it. Keep it real!

Stay the course.