One of the most common stories heard in clinic from runners is: “I was following a plan, ticking all the boxes, but now I have shin splints, Achilles pain, or knee pain.” More often than not, the culprit is not the long runs or the intervals. It is the easy runs that were not actually easy.
At BeFit Training Physiotherapy, we work with runners across Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs managing overuse injuries that could have been prevented with better running load management. This is one of the most preventable patterns we see — and understanding why it happens is the first step toward avoiding it.
How Easy Runs Go Wrong
Training apps such as Runna are excellent tools for structuring a running programme. They set target paces, guide progression, and incorporate strength and mobility work. But one area where runners consistently struggle is how they approach their easy sessions — and the consequences build quietly until something breaks down.
Easy runs drift too fast for several predictable reasons. Whether it is chasing the watch, comparing Strava segments, or simply feeling good on the day, many runners creep above their prescribed easy pace without realising it. Over time this has a compounding effect. What should be recovery becomes additional stress. Fatigue accumulates, tissues do not get the adaptation time they need, and niggles develop into overuse injuries.
When easy runs are consistently run too hard, the total weekly training stress increases beyond what the body can absorb. The hard sessions are still hard. But now the easy sessions are also hard. There is no recovery. The body never gets the opportunity to consolidate the adaptations that the harder work is trying to drive.
Why Easy Runs Actually Matter
Easy runs are not about speed. They are about building aerobic base, supporting recovery from harder sessions, and giving joints, tendons, and muscles the time they need to absorb and adapt to training load. Run them too fast and you lose the recovery benefit while still adding load. That is the mechanism behind most cases of shin splints, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy, and runner’s knee that develop mid-training block.
The easy run is not a junk mile. It is a deliberate physiological tool — and it only works if it is genuinely easy.
How to Keep Easy Runs Genuinely Easy
Shift Focus From Pace to Effort
Use perceived exertion or heart rate rather than relying solely on pace. A true easy run should feel conversational — you should be able to speak in full sentences without laboured breathing. If you are working harder than that, you are running too fast regardless of what the watch says. Heart rate zone two is the standard guide for genuine easy effort, typically 60 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate.
Respect the Prescribed Pace Range
Training apps provide easy pace ranges for a reason. If your watch shows you are consistently running at the top of or above that range, pull back. There is no benefit to running your easy sessions faster than prescribed — the adaptation you are seeking from easy runs does not increase with pace. It only increases injury risk.
Monitor Weekly Load
Consistently running easy sessions too hard increases total weekly training stress without you necessarily recognising it. Tracking your weekly load — not just individual sessions — gives a clearer picture of whether your training distribution is sustainable. The principle of hard days hard and easy days easy is not a suggestion. It is the architecture of a training week that works.
Track How You Feel, Not Just How You Ran
If you are finishing easy runs feeling heavy-legged, sore, or more fatigued than when you started, that is a reliable signal that the session was not easy enough. Subjective wellbeing across a training week is one of the most useful indicators of whether load is being managed appropriately — and it is free data that no app can generate for you.
When to Seek Assessment
If you are following a structured plan and developing pain in the shin, heel, Achilles, or knee, a running assessment is the appropriate next step. Most overuse running injuries develop from load management errors rather than structural problems — and identifying the specific error early means the injury can be addressed before it interrupts training significantly. Continuing to train through early warning signs while simply hoping things settle is the most reliable way to turn a minor issue into a significant one.
Common Questions
How do I know what pace my easy runs should be?
Easy pace is typically 60 to 90 seconds per kilometre slower than your current 5km race pace, or the pace at which you can hold a full conversation without laboured breathing. Heart rate zone two — approximately 60 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate — is a reliable physiological guide. If your training app provides easy pace ranges based on your recent race times, run within those ranges rather than at the top of them.
Can running my easy runs too fast cause injury?
Yes. Overuse injuries such as shin splints, Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and runner’s knee frequently develop when total weekly training stress exceeds the body’s capacity to recover and adapt. Running easy sessions too fast is one of the most common drivers of this — it increases load without the runner recognising it as a hard session.
How many easy runs should I do per week?
For most recreational runners training three to five times per week, the majority of sessions — typically 70 to 80 percent — should be at easy effort. One or two quality sessions per week — tempo, intervals, or long run — is sufficient stimulus for improvement. The easy runs support and enable those quality sessions. Inverting this ratio is the most reliable way to accumulate overuse injuries.
Do I need a physio if I am just managing a niggle?
A niggle that does not settle within seven to ten days of reduced load warrants assessment. Many runners wait until pain is significantly affecting their training before seeking help — by which point the injury is usually more established and takes longer to resolve. Early assessment is almost always more efficient than late assessment.
Further Reading
Managing a current running injury? Our guide on running injury physiotherapy in Sydney covers the most common presentations, what rehabilitation involves, and how to return to running safely. Training for the City2Surf or Sydney Marathon? See our City2Surf 2026 preparation guide and marathon training guide for structured load management advice.
How BeFit Can Help
At BeFit Training Physiotherapy, our team works with runners across Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs to assess running load, identify the specific errors driving overuse injuries, and build programmes that keep you training consistently. Whether you are managing a current injury or want to structure your training more intelligently, our running assessment and sports physiotherapy services are available at both our Edgecliff and Coogee clinics. No referral is required.
Book an appointment at BeFit Training Physiotherapy — no referral needed.
Edgecliff: (02) 9327 7749 | Coogee: (02) 7205 2805 | befittrainingphysio.com/book-now
References
Nielsen RO, et al. Training load and running-related injuries: a systematic review. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2012.
Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(5):273-280.
Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2010;5(3):276-291.
