Are your easy runs actually helping your marathon build, or are they just adding fatigue without actually moving the needle?Runners often obsess over Easy Pace more than almost anything else in training. Zone 1, Zone 2, heartrate caps, pace calculators, RPE charts etc. But most training plans never explain what those zones actually represent, where the lines blur, or why overthinking easy running can very easily erode your consistency and confidence. That confusion often leads to second-guessing workouts that were honestly probably just fine in the first place.TRAINING FOR A MARATHON? TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW:https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.comIn this video, I wanted to clean up the idea of easy runs, steady runs, recovery runs, heart rate zones, and pace so you can stop letting your watch dictate the session. I explain why there is no hard biological line between Zone 1 and Zone 2, why zones are classifications rather than laws, and how misinterpreting them can cost you long-term progress.I also break down the two buckets most easy running falls into: aerobic-building runs and true recovery runs. The goal shifts between those two, and if you don’t understand that shift, you end up applying the wrong standard to the wrong day. That’s where most runners get stuck.You’ll hear how I approach this with everyone from first-time marathoners to athletes running 2:12, how training phase changes what “easy” should look like, and why context always matters more than arbitrary numbers. I explain how I triangulate pace, heart rate, and RPE instead of treating any one metric as a commandment, and how you can start developing that same autonomy in your own training.Lastly, I wanted to address the bigger issue underneath all of this: the need to feel like we’re doing it perfectly right now. Easy running works because of consistency over months, not because you nailed 72 percent instead of 75 percent on a single day. Physiology responds to stimulus, not impatience.If you’ve been following this training structure series, this builds on my previous videos covering base phases, tempo work, marathon pace, interval training, and so much more. You can view those here:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSHy1fG_CEMAvRjFYGkwSYDHcEwn4T6X⸻Relevant LinksGet coached by Brant Stachelhttps://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/Learn more about Team RunRunhttps://teamrunrun.com/Fuel your traininghttps://fuelgoods.com/?ref=BrantFree Run Toolshttps://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools⸻About MeI’m Brant Stachel — former National Team running coach, Registered Psychotherapist, and Mental Performance Coach. I work with runners across all levels, helping them train smarter, pace races properly, and perform when it counts.⸻Follow Fast & Free CoachingInstagram: @fastandfreecoachingYouTube: @FastandFreeCoachingWebsite: http://runfastandfree.com
