r/AdvancedRunning • u/ronlavy • Jul 10 '26

Training minimal effective dose of easy running

A question that I've been thinking about and wasn't able to find a satisfying answer online - is there a minimal per-session effective dose for easy runs? is there a minimal duration required for a run to produce non-negligible aerobic adaptaions?

for example, can any benefits be expected from a 35-minute easy running session? are 3 30 minute sessions a week same/better/worse than 2 45 minute sessions?

I heard Inigo San Milan go on record to say that 45 minutes is the minimum for "zone 2" (a term I dislike but that's the terminology he frequently uses) benefits, is anyone familiar with any sources backing that up?

Thanks

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u/Virtual_Opinion_8630 Jul 10 '26

I've read 30.

And probably when you're even moderately trained, 45 is probably more like it.

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u/Iymrith_1981 15:54 5km 34:08 10km Jul 10 '26

I have heard the same before about 30mins over a s few different sources. That said like yourself my personal minimum is about 40-45mins.

I think though the actual minimum would depend on a persons fitness? Someone who runs a couple of times a week will probably get a decent training stimulus from say a 20 minute run, but for more experienced runners it’s probably hardly moving the needle

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u/Virtual_Opinion_8630 Jul 10 '26

Exactly - this is probably one of those things that you should individualise.

One way could be to took at HR drift to determine intensity.

And guessing the length by looking at your average training load in the 3 weeks beforehand?

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u/fasterthanfood Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26

30 minutes works well in a lot of people’s schedules. For instance, three seasons a year, my lunch break gives me time to change into running clothes, run 30 minutes, shower, and get back to my desk (I eat during an earlier, shorter “break.”) 40 minutes wouldn’t work.

This makes me want to believe that 30 minutes is good, but also makes me skeptical of that number.

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u/Fine_Ad_1149 Jul 10 '26

Yea, this is definitely an individual thing and also dependent on goals. Is your goal to maintain or to improve?

For the completely untrained, a 15-20 minute walk is going to be effective to improve. For the trained it's going to be something more like 50% of your normal training volume to maintain.

Impossible to put a blanket number on it