Biggest mistake runners make…

Hands down the biggest mistake most runners make when starting out or simply wanting to get faster: too much intensity

Let’s break down the 12% and 65%:

1️⃣ In the first clip you can see me running at roughly my 10km race pace - that’s sub-threshold pace, commonly referred to as “zone 4” in a 5 zone system. This is a pace that’s sprinkled into my workouts as intervals, e.g. 8 x 1km off 90 seconds recovery. Based on my training data for the last 3 months, 12% of the work was done at this intensity or higher.

2️⃣ In the second clip I’m running at my easy/recovery pace. It’s a wide range and is highly informed by what “feels” genuinely easy that day, and is commonly referred to as zone 1 and 2. This formed 65% of my workload over the last 3 months and is categorically what I’m doing for MOST of my training. Easy, conversational runs, warm ups, cool downs, double runs and recovery days.

What’s missing? Everything in-between:

The other 23% of my training is between these two:
⁠steady (still conversation pace) runs
⁠harder long runs
⁠marathon pace work
⁠threshold workouts

If you’re running your easy runs at a “medium hard” effort, please let this be your sign to slow down

WHY?

Whilst spending most of your time in this grey zone between easy and hard feels productive because you’re working, it’s actually making progress much harder. You’re effectively running too fast to build that solid aerobic base (the easy runs are the bread and butter for this), but too slow to drive adaptations at the faster end (or simply not recovered enough to get good quality workouts in).

You end up perpetually tired, plateauing, and plagued with little injuries and illnesses due to not recovering properly.

My performances improved massively when I just started taking my easy runs genuinely easy. SO easy that you’re almost questioning if they’re doing anything (they are).