Tomorrow I want to attempt a 6.5K run (weather permitting) and I’m undecided on my accompanying BPM. Yesterday I hit a sub 30 minute 5K to a 165BPM but the last K was a struggle so I don’t think I’d maintain that pace for the longer length ....
I really am not a fan of 150/155 BPM because I feel like I’m forcing myself to go slow - wasting energy!
I am considering a 160BPM pre-mixed playlist that progresses to 170BPM over an hour ....
Any music/pace specialists out there to help me crack this little conundrum? 🙏🏻
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PhoenixRise
Graduate10
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okay so I don't use music to pace myself, but I've really found actively thinking about pace during the run helpful - in the first km I make sure to tell myself I am warming up - i.e. be slow!!
I'm currently doing my first 7 / 8km runs - and I've found that a 10 second reduction / km makes such a big difference to how long I can go. At 5:40 / 5:50 / km, I can run maybe 30 minutes. At 6:00 / 6:05 / km I am finding I can run 45 minutes +
Great advice - thank you 🙏🏻 a_in_gsr! I think (hope) I’m going to try and stay as close to the 6:00/km as much as possible - I know the last K might catch me out but I’m prepared to push on 💪
sometimes I think I'm running 'too' slowly or something - but I always tell myself its better to be able to run longer and slow, and potentially speed up at the end; than go too fast in the beginning and die after 2km!!
also if you can run 5k you can definitely do 6.5!! its a mental thing but your body is definitely ready
I don’t run to music anymore. I use a running watch and set it up with time, distance and pace. I use average pace. Don’t worry about speed when increasing distance. Just run at nice comfortable pace. I found that running longer distances greatly helped my 5K finish times. Also the interval training I did to improve my 5K pace also greatly increased my 10K pace. Enjoy.
If you have something that tracks your cadence, you could set out without music (try a podcast or audiobook instead), find a pace that feels comfortable to you and use that next time.
Does a faster pace for you actually mean a faster cadence? I don't use BPM playlists but I've been interested to see from Strava that I have pretty much the same cadence even with more than a minute difference in time/km. so it seems running faster for me means travelling further each stride length, though I have no idea if this is the right thing to do!
Strava strangely doesn't do it automatically (and it may also depend on your phone), but from the record screen settings menu there should be an option under "sensors" to enable step rate tracking using your phone's accelerometer. I was really surprised by how consistent my cadence was regardless of pace - will be interesting to find out if you're the same or if you do indeed vary your speed by changing cadence.
I stand corrected! Thanks 🙏🏻 for the insight - I shall take a look over my morning coffee ☕️ at Strava! Now I’m interested about this cadence you mention 🤭
When extending distance always slow down for that longer run. You can always have fun with speed when doing the short run of the week. Enjoy the journey and look around you.
I played Chariots of Fire on my long run and it slowed me down subconsciously
Thanks 🙏🏻 for the advice - noted! I do know to go slow when trying for longer distances. I just want to avoid 150/155BPM because I find them harder on my legs and a bit of a struggle.
I’ll try a 160 playlist to see how I get on and will try to enjoy the journey and take in a bit of nature 😉
Gosh, I didn't know whether to reply or not as it was very technical. I would just say, well done on getting yourself ready for this distance. I like many others tend to favour running slower for longer runs, at least to begin with because this greatly improves your endurance. Heart rate training in zones 2 and 3 are particularly beneficial. I do understand the feeling of going slower being frustrating but after a few slower runs, you'll be in a better position to really tackle this with pace. Tempo runs moving forward will also get you over this distance pretty quickly. It's a personal thing so do what is right for you. I don't run with music so check my Garmin if I need to to keep me at the pace I need to be.
Be careful about increasing cadence, you should do it gradually and build up slowly, only increasing it once a week for a short run to begin with. We each have our own natural cadence so changing it should take time otherwise it’s a risk for injury.
Can’t help with any of this but wish you a lovely run, I tend to just listen to whatever music takes my fancy although do go a bit bouncier if he music is bouncy
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