Tips for improving pace, please 😮

[Sandraj39]

Ok, so the stamina is returning and I am now able to do my 10k runs again. Will not extend that for a while until I know I can do them regularly and remain niggle free - BUT at the moment I am still way off the pace I used to run at before my 'summer of injury'! In the past I have always allowed my pace to build naturally on my 5k runs, challenging myself a little when I feel good by running faster 'to that tree up there' or 'that lamp post' (fartleking, I guess). I am most likely to do it this way again as it is something that I can just play around with and feel in control of but it got me wondering what others on here do to improve pace? Do you do fartleking, intervals or go out on shorter than 5k runs to work on speed? I also know that the longer runs and hills that I am including will help with my overall strength but what are your top tips for improving pace? 🙂

[Bazza1234 Graduate10]

I always like the question - How do you eat an elephant - Answer, one spoonful at a time.

If you want to run (say) a 5K at 6 mins per k - you have to start somewhere. You can't eat that elephant whole at first try. So - you have to be able to run at a 6mins perK pace , but not necessarily for the whole 5K at first. Try it for some short bursts - build up the distance of each burst - until you can eat that elephant. There are other things you also need to do - run 5K slowly and easily and run further than 5K so that running 5K itself is really easy.

[Sandraj39 Graduate10 in reply to Bazza1234]

Thanks Bazza -think I'm doing all of those and as I said, I think I know what works for me. Just wondered if maybe I have missed a trick somewhere! For me at the moment I probably have to just keep doing what I'm doing! 😀

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

I know what you mean Sandra. I haven't been able to get to my pace from two years ago. I sacrificed distance for speed training this summer but it doesn't seem to make much difference ☹️

My fastest times came after increasing distance so that's what I'm doing again and also cross training and HIT in the gym! I'm confident this will help!

I guess we need to keep plugging away as usual 🙂

[Sandraj39 Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

Thanks IP- yep, we just keep on keeping on!🙂x

[AndyD Graduate10]

Perhaps its also worth looking at your running form to enable you to save as much energy as you can and run efficiently.... this in turn should save some energy and allow you to run quicker. I've been doing this recently and one of my first goals has been to increase my cadence to a reasonable level and have a better running stance. Don't think I need to tell you how to do it.. but its easy to forget about some of these things.

[Sandraj39 Graduate10 in reply to AndyD]

Good tip Andy and definately worth thinking about. Thank you. 🙂

[Tomas Graduate10]

I've been doing 80/20 for the last five months - 80% nice and gentle, well within the "I can speak full sentences while running" kind of breathing, and 20% hard. The hard runs have been a mixture of intervals runs and "fast finish" runs (i.e., start by running at a gentle pace and then throwing some "race pace" distance at the end). The percentages are calculated from the time spent running rather than the distance. It has helped my pace a lot.

[Sandraj39 Graduate10 in reply to Tomas]

Thank you for that Tomas🙂 - that sounds doable too!

[damienair Administrator]

Hi Sandra. I recently found this website. Like you my Pace has not improved over the last few months. I’m going to continue working on increasing distance over the winter. But I plan to work on my Pace again in the new year. I’m going to give the plans on this website a try then. They have various plans depending on what time you are aiming for. It might be of help.

runningfastr.com

[Sandraj39 Graduate10 in reply to damienair]

Thanks - I will take a look.🙂

[Rammy75 Graduate10]

I use the podrunner app, not for everyone but I use it for interval training and increasing the bpm over time, you have to like dance music though!

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

I do!! I’m hopefully going to be working on my 5k soon ( osteopath permitting) and I will do what always works...

it’s this: google.co.uk/amp/s/www.runn...

It really works and it’s also realllllly good fun!!! ✔️

[Sandraj39 Graduate10 in reply to ju-ju-]

Oh, I remember you posting about this before! Thank you - this might be worth a try. Thanks Juju!🙂

[ejvcruns in reply to ju-ju-]

This is interesting! You tried it? It worked for you?

[Coddfish Graduate10]

I agree with juju that the 30/20/10 method works. In my experience you can only really train for one thing at a time, so if you plan a period of training for pace, probably leave out the really long runs for now.

[Sandraj39 Graduate10 in reply to Coddfish]

Sound advice - thank you🙂