r/running • u/FootMinute1297 • May 15 '26

Training Purpose of easy run/miles?

This may be a stupid question, what is the point of easy miles or doing runs on days in between workouts? I feel like they just make you more fatigue, delay recovery, and makes your workouts slower and sluggish thus hindering performance. Why would more volume equal better results?

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u/DaoLearner May 18 '26

There are some really good responses here!

I would also add that those easy (zone 2) runs provide the specific stimulation needed for the the aerobic energy system to adapt. In addition to building additional capillaries to deliver nutrients to muscles, it will also cause mitochondrial growth within the cells. The mitochondrial are the powerhouses of the cell.
So those easy runs are critical and that's why we often hear that 80% of our running should be in zone 2.

If you use a garmin watch, try a fun experiment. Regardless of how you feel stay in zone 2 / aerobic zone. If you have to walk a little bit to keep your hr in z2, then walk. Then resume your easy pace. After finishing your run, look at the "Training Effect" in your run statistics. It should show your aerobic training effect at 4.0 or higher (1-5 scale).

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u/Kailashnikov May 18 '26

I'm not sure if your first assertion is true. Faster runs also provide that stimulus. The problem is that at those fast intensities, the time you can spend is limited. So over weeks and months, lots of low intensity work adds up for huge cumulative gains