Vary Your Route and Distance Regularly
If you find yourself constantly comparing your performance over a given distance or route, then try mixing up your routine. Run 4.25 miles instead of four, or take a different route and explore nearby neighborhoods. You don't necessarily need to run a different route every day, but adding variety will enhance your running experience, and keep you from competing with yourself by removing your basis of comparison.
More: Distance Running: How Many Miles Should You Run?
Run Without Your Watch
If you tend to obsess over your time and pace, run without your watch on easier days. If you still want to be precise about the distance, measure the route.
Alternatively, if you don't know the route distance and are constrained by time, run a different route and keep your watch on the time of day setting (the GPS will still work in the background). This shifts your focus from your pace and allows you to relax and listen to your body.
More: Should You Run Gadget Free?
Strap On Your Heart Rate Monitor
If you really want to learn what an easy effort feels like, focus on your heart rate instead of your time or pace. Most runners should maintain a heart rate between 125 and 145 beats per minute (bpm) on truly easy days. An older runner's heart rate will generally fall in the lower end of the range, while younger runners may be at the higher end.
Heart rate is a better measure of your exerted effort, and can account for factors such as hills, fatigue and temperature. Even if you don't use a heart rate monitor for more intense training, it can be a useful tool on your easier days.
More: Active Gear Scout: Heart Rate Monitors and GPS Watches
Keep Your Pace to Yourself
If you post your workouts online and are concerned about other people judging your performance, leave out your time on your easy days. You shouldn't worry about what others think of your pace, but for some runners this is easier said than done. In such cases, it's better to keep the details to yourself.
More: 4 Steps to Your Perfect Pace
Find a Running Partner or Group
Enlist running partners of varied skill levels. Your slower friends may be ideal to run with on easy days, and your faster friends are great for more intense workouts. If participate in any running groups, vary the groups you run with in a similar manner.
This is not to say that there's no place for the occasional medium-effort run, it can add variety to your routine and can be enjoyable when you're in the mood for a workout that's not too easy or too hard. Just remember these six running guidelines to make sure you aren't letting constant medium-effort days limit your development.
More: 3 Tips to Run at the Right Intensity
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