Hello ive just started the Garmin Coach Greg´s 5k in 25min plan. Today i should run 40min with an "easy pace", but how should i know what´s an easy pace? My last plan was based on my max. heartrate, so i knew i had to run in hr zone 1,2,3...but with this plan my Forerunner shows only "run in an easy pace" thats it. Very confusing any help``?
Just means nice and steady, you should be able to breathe just through your nose and able to hold a conversation. It's important to learn to run by feel as well as by specific zones....
Tyson8181 - as per the previous comment it is important to learn to run by feel - so run at what feels easy to you and consciously avoid pushing yourself which can easily creep into every run if you let it. An easy run can often be much slower than you might expect - if you look at elite distance runners they are often doing longer easy runs at up to 2 mins per mile slower than their race pace - so if you are looking to race your 5K at about 8 Mins per mile then an easy run at 10 mins or more per mile should be the right ball park. What pace are you currently running an easy run at?
must admit, i have just found this thread by querying the same thing. you know where you are with HR zones, but "easy pace" needs some quantification, which others have kindly provided. That being the case, i would expect the training plan to come with an explanation. its a 5k plan, aimed at beginners so its fair to expect the people doing it arent all going to be experienced.
All of the Garmin Coach plans I've done with Greg McMillan have specifically defined "easy pace" as 1 to 2 minutes slower than goal race pace, e.g., 8:39/mi goal pace = 9:39/mi to 10:39/mi easy pace.
I don't recall seeing undefined easy paces when the goal is completion, but 1 to 2 minutes slower is often what internet research suggests if not the "feel" that commenters have already suggested.
thanks. that then sparks the question how to calculate goal pace. im wondering if the heart rate based training might be better for newbies like myself. ive been using connect for years for mountain biking, but trying some running as im time crunched right now. i suppose like anything you will get to know by feel over time.
Yeah, that's definitely the tricky part. As a relative newbie too (started running more seriously in 2017), it took me a couple years, a bunch of apps, articles, and races to figure it out. Ultimately, races helped establish a benchmark for the hardest I can go and then I went by feel from there. The FR935 offers Lactate Threshold tests, but those can only offer a rough estimate.
