Today a friend I’m coaching made a comment about how a run of theirs “Felt good. Maybe a bit too fast for an easy run but still below tempo”. I had to remind him that an easy run is where you feel good about it.
Offhadedly I invented a scale of how I want him to feel after various types of runs:
| Run type | The feeling I hope to inspire |
|---|---|
| Easy | Felt good, want to bring these vibes with me |
| Tempo | Absolutely knackered, I will collapse after I stretch |
| Efforts | I am in agony, and I want other people to feel this pain |
| Long | I want to end it all so this will stop |
Yeah, it’s glib, but if you’re walking away from an effort session and your cardiovascular system isn’t crying out for revenge you’ve failed.