Tips for regulating pace?

[LanciaA]

Does anyone have any tips for regulating pace. I have been doing some consolidation over the last couple of weeks, and this has been going pretty well.

The only problem I am having is regulating my speed. It appears that I am tending to go a little quicker in the last ten to fourteen minutes or so. I think this is probably as everything has loosened up and I have got into a steady stride.

This means that although my legs keep going nicely, I am towards the top end of a steady conversational pace by the time I get to 30 mins. Essentially my legs want to go faster than the rest of me!

Ideally, I would prefer to try and work to a consistent pace over the whole period, and probably a little slower, so that I can extend the time period incrementally by just a few minutes.

Any suggestions or is it just trial and error? Hills and even modest inclines also seem to affect the equation. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Devon_straggler Graduate]

I think there's a lot of trial and error to it. I always find I speed up after the first couple of km, as my body warms up. Some people try to aim for negative splits, whereby each km is slightly faster than the last, as it shows that they've left something in the tank for later on. However if you've got variable terrain or incline, it's more a case of judging it by effort I think.

Personally, I often find that I'm towards the top end of my comfortable pace in the last 0.5 km or so, at a speed where I can maintain it for those few minutes but would have to slow down if I ran for any longer. As I don't tend to add speed sections to my runs otherwise, it's nice to speed up a bit. I can only do that where I running well within my limits, so where I've been adding on more distance or have run more incline than normal, I tend to maintain pace over the run and may even be wishing the time/distance marker that I was aiming for would arrive!

So I wouldn't worry too much, perhaps just try to rein your legs' enthusiasm in a bit until the last few minutes and then let them have their way (if they still want to!).

[Instructor57 Graduate]

I always find (particularly on longer runs) that I have to conciously start really quite slow ..... Slower than my Conversational pace .This then allows me to pick it up a little as the run progresses (even if unintentionally) but still be able to speak at the end !

I like to try and go for negative splits if I can , so ideally each kilometre slightly quicker than the previous one .

For me , starting off slow enough to achieve this is the hardest part.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Keep talking to yourself out loud.

That easy conversational pace is the most effective pace at which to develop stamina and endurance which both come from an improved aerobic base. Faster is not better. Most recreational runners spend far too much time pootling along at a middling pace and don't spend nearly enough time at a nice easy pace, nor do they push hard enough when working on speed.

This FAQ Post about breathing should clarify things for you healthunlocked.com/couchto5... and this about getting faster healthunlocked.com/couchto5... will give you some strategies.

Naturally, getting up a hill requires more energy and as that is largely being produced through your body reacting with oxygen taken in from each breath, you will need to slow down to maintain an adequate oxygen supply.

Learning to pace yourself is one of the hardest things to achieve for a new runner. I found the best way to discover my slow pace was to run with my wife, whose pace was naturally slower than mine.

You are probably speeding up as you overcome the Toxic Ten explained in this FAQ Post healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[Cmoi Graduate]

To add to the good advice already given LanciaA , if you're including hills in your run, there's little point in trying to maintain a consistent pace throughout your run.

I run a lot of hills, and my uphill pace is often only 50%-70% of my downhill pace on the same slope, especially on roads or reasonably surfaced tracks. So I prefer to run by effort, not numbers.

[LanciaA Graduate]

Excellent, thank you all for the advice and suggestions.It is good to have some strategies to work with, and I will also revisit the links.

I do come across hills on my regular routes but being in Oxfordshire, rather than the Peak District for example, they must be relatively modest.

One other factor has occurred to me - try slower paced music!!