How slow should easy runs be? A plain-English guide

What an easy run should feel like

An easy run is a relaxed run at a comfortable, conversational pace. The simplest test is the talk test: can you speak in full sentences without gasping? Not a word or two — a proper sentence, such as “I could keep this up for a while.” If you can, you are probably in the right place. If you cannot, slow down, even if that means walking for a minute.

You should finish feeling like you had more in the tank. Easy running is not a test of willpower. It is the opposite: it should feel almost too easy, especially if you are used to pushing on every run. If you are following a beginner plan, this is the habit that makes the rest of it work — see how to start running for beginners.

• You can only answer in single words.
• You are breathing through your mouth the whole time.
• You feel wiped out afterwards instead of refreshed.
• You are chasing a pace from a watch or a friend rather than running by feel.

Why slow is the point

Easy running builds your aerobic engine — the system that uses oxygen to keep you moving for a long time. It also lets you recover while still putting time on your feet, so you can run again later in the week. Most of your training should be easy for exactly this reason.

Going a little slower does not waste the run. It makes the harder sessions possible. If every run is medium-hard, you get tired without getting the full benefit of either easy work or proper speedwork. Intervals (repeated fast efforts with recovery jogs) and tempo runs (a sustained comfortably hard effort) are where the harder effort belongs. Read more in what are intervals and what is a tempo run.

Common ways runners go too fast

The usual culprit is pace. Watches show minutes per kilometre (min/km) — how long it takes to run one kilometre — and it is easy to treat that number as a target. But easy pace changes with heat, hills, sleep, stress and the route. A pace that feels easy on a cool morning can feel hard on a hot afternoon. Run by feel first; the watch is just a record.

Other traps: running with someone faster and trying to keep up; turning every run into a race; starting too quickly because you feel fresh; and believing that a slower run “doesn't count”. It does. If you finish an easy run feeling drained, it was not easy — and that is useful feedback, not a failure.

How to slow down without feeling silly

Start with a five-minute walk or a very gentle jog. Beginning slower than you think you need to often settles you into the right effort. Shorten your steps rather than overthinking your form (how your body moves when you run); small, quick, relaxed steps are fine. If you are still puffing, take a walk break. Walking is not cheating — it keeps the effort easy and lets you build time on your feet.

Try talking out loud for a few seconds, or breathe only through your nose for a minute. If either feels impossible, ease off. You can also run without checking your watch, or set it to show time rather than pace. Save the pace-chasing for a session that is meant to be hard.

If running leaves you with pain that changes how you run, or pain that keeps coming back, see a GP or physio. Easy running should feel comfortable, not painful.