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The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
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Why The ‘Easy Run’?

July 12, 2018 By Denise Schwartz 1 Comment

Why the Easy Run is Important

How many of you go out and run all of your training runs at the same pace?

I met a woman last month who recently started running 3-4 times per week in addition to her usual routine of swimming. She said that she is enjoying it much more than she thought she would and was very proud of running at a 9:30 pace. I told her that sounded great and we agreed on how freeing running can feel. Then, being the therapist I am, I asked if she could carry on a conversation or sing the Brady Bunch song while running at that pace. She said, probably not and admitted she’d probably only be able to say a couple of words as she would be too winded.

You may have read about my patient, Carney, who likes to run at a fast clip for all his training runs – not his race pace, mind you, but faster than his easier pace.

As creating a training plan is not my strong suit, this post will focus on one thing only — why running easy is important. For many of my patients, the lack of this knowledge often contributes to why they show up at my door injured.

So, what is your easy pace?

Can you carry on a conversation or sing a song while running? That’s your easy pace.

You may find that your easy pace could be up to 2 minutes slower than your race pace (the pace you run at during a race)! I know, I can hear the gasps…“that’s so slow!”

Why is it important to run at an easy pace?

Any run that does not have a targeted reason, such as intervals, tempo runs, and hills, should be done at an easy pace. The purpose of the easy pace run is to build time on your feet. This gets your body, joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons used to the repetitive pounding. It also helps build your aerobic engine, or cardiac endurance. In essence, the easy run does have a purpose.

When training for any distance race, whether running or triathlon, you should follow a plan. For those of you who tend not to be injury prone or who are not vieing for a significant improved PR, you can find a plethora of training plans online that will fit your needs. My friend, Sheryl, has found great luck working with CARA training plans and does her long runs with the group each Saturday morning.

However, if you are injury prone or you want to improve your race times, then I recommend seeking out a custom training plan from a running or triathlon coach. Coaches often have varying levels of involvement, so choose a coach and plan that allows for some communication and the ability to adjust as your needs change.

What if you’re like that woman I met last month who isn’t training for anything specific but is just running for fitness? Is it still important to go at an easy pace? I say yes; the majority of your runs throughout the week, should be easy, but one of your runs could be faster or longer. This is one step towards preventing injury.

As I discussed in another blog post, Carney was recommended to run slow for all of his runs until his strength in his left leg evened out with his right leg. Now, he is working with his coach to determine what his paces should be for all his training runs.

The moral of the story is: Enjoy the easy runs, it’s a wonderful time to catch up with friends and enjoy the scenery!


Want to have your running analyzed to further decrease chance of injury? Give me a call or take a moment to read more about my running services. Happy Running!

 

 

Filed Under: Running Tagged With: Easy Pace, Slow running pace, The Easy Run

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

Comments

  1. Sheryl Hilbert says

    April 26, 2020 at 7:11 pm

    Easy runs are my favorite! What’s with these aggressive athletes? Thanks for the mention! Keep up the good articles.

    Reply

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I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic condition which affects the connective tissue throughout my body. As a result of this disorder I deal with ongoing severe acute and chronic pain and a variety of other rare overlapping conditions such as thoracic outl… Read more
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I’m very excited because I’m getting stronger, more stable when I’m walking, and more flexible.  Yesterday, for the first time in several years, I was able to travel by train downtown and visit the Art Institute.  There was lots of walking and sitting, activities which previously caused me to be in pain for several days afterwards.  But today, I’m just a little sore.  I feel I’ve made very good progress in feeling better, stronger and feel less pain.
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Due to a stroke of good luck, I saw a class on Lower Back Pain offered by Denise from The Manual Touch Physical Therapy at Northbrook YMCA. I followed up with an assessment by Denise. Three years ago, I fell and broke my right arm and hip, followed by months of physical therapy. I still have “ issues” with my neck, back, hip and knee….which Denise has explained are all related. She is a “ new set of eyes” on an old problem, and has helped me immensely. I have learned new exercises for… Read more
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Denise has worked on areas of severe pain and has diminished them to a tolerable level.
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I had recurring back and knee issues and thought I wouldn’t be able to race triathlons again.  Denise gave me exercises and encouraged me to sign up to compete. I was able to complete the triathlon and had my fastest run split in years.”  
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Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found your suggestions “to shorten my stride” and “being conscious of not overlapping my steps” to be helpful. Thanks Denise  
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Denise Schwartz at Manual Touch is a marvelous diagnostician and therapist. During the past few years, I’ve sought out Denise’s care for various physical limitations. I am continually amazed by her ability to determine my discomfort’s cause as well as by the effectiveness of the exercises she recommends to ease my pain. She also knows how to best manipulate my aching joints to bring relief. I can whole-heartedly recommend Denise because she is a skilled, proficient, compassionate professional. … Read more
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We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
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Testimonials

I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlo… Read more
The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return… Read more
I’m very excited because I’m getting stronger, more stable when I’m walking, and more flexible.  Yesterday, for the first time in several years, I was able to travel by train downtown and visit the Art Institute.  There was lots of walking an… Read more
I came in to see Denise due to a cervical disc herniation.  I have been told by Illinois Bone & Joint that they refer patients to Denise often as she is able to help when other physical therapy programs fail.  That was definitely the case in my situ… Read more
Due to a stroke of good luck, I saw a class on Lower Back Pain offered by Denise from The Manual Touch Physical Therapy at Northbrook YMCA. I followed up with an assessment by Denise. Three years ago, I fell and broke my right arm and hip, followed … Read more
Denise has worked on areas of severe pain and has diminished them to a tolerable level.
I had recurring back and knee issues and thought I wouldn’t be able to race triathlons again.  Denise gave me exercises and encouraged me to sign up to compete. I was able to complete the triathlon and had my fastest run split in years.”  … Read more
My physician referred me to The Manual Touch and I’ve been going to see Denise there for 5 months now. Initially I went to help me heal from a torn meniscus surgery in my knee. I was also experiencing a great deal of pain in my lower back due to spin… Read more
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found you… Read more
Denise Schwartz at Manual Touch is a marvelous diagnostician and therapist. During the past few years, I’ve sought out Denise’s care for various physical limitations. I am continually amazed by her ability to determine my discomfort’s cause as well a… Read more
Read More

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