80/20 Running

Peers

I've recently been reading 80/20 running by Matt Fitzgerald and Daniels' Running Formula.  Both advocate plenty of easy running in their training programs, which I am now adopting.  However, if i'm to run at the low intensities 80/20 running teaches, i'd get very bored very quickly.  Running 10 minute miles to keep my heart rate in zone 1 or 2 is not for me.  If I come across a hill I pretty much have to walk to keep the heart rate down!

I run 10K at around 7 minute mile pace, so a easy/long runs at around 8:30 per mile I can get along with.  That's the kind of pace where I feel I could keep going for hours, but my heart rate will move to zone 3 intensity for most of the run.

I used to train by saying to myself "Right, i'm going to run 6 miles today, so I will run at a pace that enables me to complete it in the fastest time".  I'd never been taught how to train and didn't know different.  For me it made sense that the faster I ran a distance the more likely my body would get used to it and times would improve.  And that would be my plan for runs of any distance.  I now realise that is the wrong way to train and am making sure the majority of my runs are at a comfortable pace, with smaller amount of high intensity training incorporated into my plan, but it probably isn't comfortable enough to match the teachings of the 80/20 book.

I found the book sometimes contradicted itself and after him talking about 80/20 for chapter after chapter, suddenly switched to "Well actually, 80/20 is a little simplistic" and the training plans and intensities became rather complicated.  I can see the essence of the teachings and a lot of it makes sense, but it kind of got a bit too much and even some of the research examples he used I found contradicted some of his recommendations for training.  I think i'd rather follow more along the lines of what Daniels' Running Formula teaches.

Does anybody else follow these 80/20 rules in their running or have thoughts on them?

SteWood78

Hi

Personally I would ditch training to heart rate zones and just run by feel. Your heart rate is effected by a whole host of factors other than physical tiredness, e.g. caffeine & stress. You seem to have gone from one extreme to another (running every mile fast) to doggedly sticking to a restrictive pace. 

By all means observe your stats on the fast /20 days but ignore your splits and HR zones completely on the steady runs. If you're pushing too hard slow it down. If you're feeling good and running down a hill then speed up. Providing you don't slip into tempo run mode (comfortably hard) then you won't over do it. Running tech can be great but is no substitute for being tuned into your body.

Steve

Peers

Thanks Steve.  That is what I have started to do after trying heart rate and getting fed up of checking my watch all the time and worrying about it too much.  As long as I feel comfortable and am running at a pace where I feel I could hold a conversation if I was with somebody then that is easy enough.  At the end of the day you have got to enjoy running before anything else.

I managed an easy 9 minute per mile 10 miler the other day and didn't check the watch too often.  Ended up averaging 135 on the heart rate, which I think is fine with my max HR of 188.

Ian5

Peers-Thats very similar to how I run,I do 1 tough effort a week and 4 easy runs,my h/rate comes about 138 with a max of 188 also.I started this about April last year and by September I'd gone to sub 20 5k and sub 40 10k,also reduced my injury chances massively.

Peers

Good to hear it has worked for you Ian.  I only started slowing myself down a month ago and knocked nearly 2 minutes off my 10K PB down to 42:47 on Sunday.  Part of that may have been to do with strength work I have been doing for past year too.  Hoping to go under 40 minutes by end of the year or next year.  Will mostly be focusing on longer distance and ultra's either late this year or next year.

I have been doing 5K parkrun on a Saturday as a high intensity run and then another short interval or repetition run midweek with 4 easier runs the rest of the week with Sunday's being 10 mile plus.

Ian5

Peers-All my training is marathon based as that's what I prefer,my only run faster than easy pace was 1x5 mile hill loop that I basically went all out in,other than that easy mileage got me from 44min 10k to 39min.

Sorequads

My 10k race pace is 5:48m/m. My recovery pace, on grass, is about 8:40m/m, running by feel. So 10m/m doesn't sound way out. You've obviously got to do what works for you, but I have found that the slower I go for most training, the more total training volume I can get in and the faster the fast stuff becomes. Best of luck.