A comfortable running speed that allows for conversation and feels effortless, typically 60-70% of maximum heart rate. This pace is used for recovery runs and building aerobic base fitness.
Combines 'easy' from Old English 'eaþe' meaning without difficulty, and 'pace' from Latin 'passus' meaning step. The term emerged in modern distance running training methodology in the 1960s-70s as coaches developed systematic approaches to training intensities.
Easy-pace running was revolutionary when Arthur Lydiard popularized it in the 1960s, showing that elite runners should spend 80% of their training at this comfortable effort. Many recreational runners make the mistake of running too hard on easy days, which prevents proper recovery and adaptation!
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