One of the keys to training smart is knowing what pace you are running at and why. Here we describe what each training pace feels like. If you know your training paces you will on the road to training smart.
Any exercise you do will be of benefit so the slowest walk is doing you some good. For beginners walking is a crucial part of building up the running. Walking should never be viewed as something to avoid if you run. You are not a failure if you have to walk and we will look at this in our next video on beginning running.
Chatty pace
This is talking comfortably in full sentences while you run and it is really beneficial in terms of developing your fitness. When runners start out they often think that running has to be hard. We are conditioned to believe that unless we get out of breath, we are not going to improve. In fact running does not have to be hard work. It’s not how fast you go but how much you do that will make you a better runner.
Breathy pace
This pace is often called cruise pace because it feels good when you hit this pace. You really feel like you are motoring along with only a little more effort than Chatty pace. You can still just about say a sentence and it is easy to convince yourself that you are still Chatty. However, at breathy pace you will notice a marked intake of breath at the end of a sentence. Also when you stop it takes a minute or so for your breathing rate to return to normal.
When to run at ‘breathy’ pace
Running at ‘breathy’ pace has advantages. It feels more fluent and efficient. So why not run at this pace all the time? There is no added benefit from running at this pace. Your body doesn’t know the difference. It will stimulate exactly the same adaptations. However, running ‘breathy’ all the time will eventually cause fatigue and you will find you can’t do the volume of running needed to improve your fitness. It is better to mix it up. Add a ‘breathy’ run once a week and put some speed into a Chatty run with some Sparkles. It is the variation of speed that is important if you have been running a while and are doing four or five sessions a week. However, most of your running should still be at Chatty pace.
Part-sentence pace
It takes you twice as long to have a conversation at this pace! We sometimes call it ‘one hour competition pace’. This is because if you can run 10km in an hour then this is the pace you may well run it at. You will often see this pace described as ‘tempo pace’ too. Is it a beneficial pace to train at? We don’t believe so. Running at this pace for the duration often specified is very tiring. It is better to train at the paces either side of it to get maximum benefit.
The faster paces
Faster than part-sentence pace and you are dipping into race paces. They have various names but these will be dependent on your fitness level. One person’s 10km pace will not feel the same as another’s. An elite or experienced runner will run 10km at a pace faster than ‘part-sentence pace. Training at the top race paces is beneficial for these runners but only at certain times of the year. Take a look at our video on interval sessions for more on this.
So what paces should I run at?
If you are just starting out then Chatty and Sparkly are all the paces that you need to help you improve. You can improve for two years or more with Chatty running. Once you are more experienced and you stop improving then it is time to add some faster paces into your training. Don’t forget the Sparkles. These are beneficial to everyone and so much fun to run.
Check in with your paces
It is very easy to run one pace too fast all the time so check in when you go out running. Make sure you are really Chatty or that you are not running at ‘part-sentence pace’ when you should only be ‘breathy’. It is better to be conservative. Run a bit too slow than a bit too fast. Know your training paces and you will on the road to training smart.