Easy Runs Make Hard Running Easier

I DIDN’T PLAN for my run to suck.

- Chris Bennett

But it did. I was low on motivation – a common side effect of winter in my part of the world, where it pretty much drizzles for seven months straight. And this late afternoon 8Kwas looking like yet another chilly, puddle-jumping kind of run. My legs felt glassy at best, rubbery at worst. Did I mention the low motivation? I started out feeling sluggish – but I still started.

Over the 10-plus years I’ve been coaching, the question I get most often is ‘How do I start running?’ It’s a simple – and yes, a loaded – question. Because the question is really code for ‘How do I do this run so I can end it wanting to run again?’ And that’s really just another way of asking ‘How can I run without absolutely hating it?’

Luckily, simple questions deserve simple answers. And the answer to all these questions is easy. Literally. The answer is easy. Run easy.

An Easy Run is not a slow run. It’s an easy run. And yes, language matters. You may just call it a run. That’s all an Easy Run is. It’s just your normal, everyday, out-the-door run. It’s not a tempo run, a long run, or a speed run. Easy is not a pace or a distance. Easy is an effort. It is unique to the runner and the run.