Pace setting

[Captainfussy]

How do people manage their pace. I feel as though I'm starting off too fast and then struggling with my run.

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

I mean this in complete seriousness ... have you considered jogging?

[Bruch1 Graduate]

I used to fo that too and ended up being really tired out. Have now learned to start off at a very slow pace and gradually increase to a comfortable one that I can maintain. Have you tried jeffing or fartlek? Both good for pacing a run. It will come but take it steady.

[Cmoi Graduate]

Hi Captainfussy , you know all the stuff in the programme guide about taking things at an easy pace, meaning one at which you could comfortably carry on a conversation? It still applies once you've completed C25K! Even as you continue to develop your running it's recommended that you do around 80% of your runs at this "easy" pace.

Although I dislike running to a beat, I do find that my choice of listening influences me, so I only put on faster-paced music if I need to do a pacier run.

Finally, I find it much easier to start slower if I tell myself I'm going for a pootle, not a run. Which is invariably true, in my case!

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate]

Am I right in thinking you’re a graduate and not doing couch to 5k at the moment? If so, get thee to the Nike Run Club app! The guided runs are absolutely brilliant for reminding you to start slow and steady and let the pace build naturally as you warm up. The main thing to focus on is your breathing. If you’re unable to speak in full sentences out loud, slowing down is the right thing to do.

I didn’t nail this until after graduation. It takes a surprising amount of effort to run at an easy pace if it doesn’t come naturally. It’s really worth persevering with though because it’ll change how all your runs start off. If you’re like me, you’ll have to leave your ego at the door and accept some uncomfortable numbers on your watch but it really is worth it

[Irish-John Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Only problem for some of us with compromised lings is that it is literally impossible to get clear full sentences out. I honestly am still peeved that despite having working up to even an FM distance, talking while running is impossible for me even on the shortest of distances. Two forms of asthma and self-inflicted nicotine damage makes me feel very fortunate I can run at all though

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate in reply to Irish-John]

That’s a good point-we all come with our own quirks and challenges. It’s great that you’ve found ways to work around things that may have stopped many people from running.

Do you have your own equivalent of the conversational pace? How do you know when you’re going too fast for a comfortable run? It’s really helpful to have as many strategies for managing pace as possible so thanks for sharing!

[Irish-John Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

I run very consistently time-wise. Speed never really has increased over the years because my lungs just can't process enough oxygen. However - Breathing Recovery Rate after a run has increased dramatically 🙂

[Hedgehogs123 Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

completely agree, Nike Run Club app, so many runs , so many choices. Listen to Coach Bennet, he will help you without a doubt!!

[Yesletsgo Graduate]

My Garmin watch is my friend. One of the options in the app (Garmin Connect) is called 'Training and Planning'. Click it and choose 'PacePro Training Strategies'. You can choose a distance, say 5k, and a time you want to achieve it in eg 40 minutes, 30 minutes etc and you can then slide a button to play with times. So, if you want to run a 5k in 35 minutes you can choose a starting pace that increases over time, or if you want to run at a constant speed you know you have to stick to 7 minutes per km, which you check on your watch as you go.

If you can put a number to the pace you want to run it can be a useful prompt.

I have the Garmin Forerunner 45.

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

OOh, I never knew that! I've had my Garmin for quite a few years, thank you

[ChannelRunner2 Graduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

Oh! That sounds so cool! Makes me even more frustrated that the Garmin Forerunner 55 I ordered on 5 April still hasn't arrived! They keep telling me it'll come "next week"... 🙈

I ordered it from Garmin.de directly... I am close to seeing if I can find one in a physical store... I think I still remember how to buy something in one of those 🤣

[Hedgehogs123 Graduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

I didnt know that either, I have the Forerunner 45 too. So I've done that to set a pace for my 10Km, can you then set it to remind you when you're actually running?

[Yesletsgo Graduate in reply to Hedgehogs123]

I have to confess I've never actually used it while running, I just play with it sitting on the sofa when I'm dreaming about, I mean planning, the runs I hope to do 😂

[Hedgehogs123 Graduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

🤣🤣

[Irish-John Graduate]

I started ever run for years listening to "Maneater" by Hall and Oates. The beat suited me perfectly and kept my "Inner speed demon" from subconsciously hijacking me

[Carners1 Graduate]

I just use a smart watch to keep an eye on my pace.....that and running in time to iron maiden 🤘

[Curlygurly2 Graduate]

A friend from here used to recite the Lords Prayer if he was running solo..

[Beachcomber66 Graduate]

A relatively cheap running watch does it for me. I make sure that my first 1k is the slowest of the run, and check my pace every few minutes throughout. Running really slowly, for me, requires a conscious shortening of stride length. I do have a “feel” for pace, but a running watch takes the guesswork out of it.

[Kiai Graduate]

I used to find that I’d start too fast too so I put together a playlist where I can just jog to the beat and the songs gradually get faster! Some examples are “Can’t hold us (feat. Ray Dakton” is ~146 cadence, “Money for Nothing” is a fair bit slower, ”Don’t Stop Ne Now” is ~156 cadence and “Take on me” ~168.

[chrisl72 Graduate]

Two practical ways to manage pace - stride length and cadence, plus one indirect way - breathing. It took me ages to work this out and then it seems so obvious!

Stride length is like the gears in your car. Neutral = running on the spot, zero stride length. Going up through the gears you cover more and more ground when you lengthen your stride.

Cadence is like the number of revs in your car. Idling = standing still on one leg. Maximum revs = pounding the ground, left-right left-right as fast as your legs will go.

Breathing is like the throttle position. More gas = more power. Indirectly control the length of stride and frequency of cadence that you can manage - there is a bit of a lag here and it's where the analogy starts to break down.

So to control your initial speed keep the stride and cadence low and control it with easy breathing. I go 5 steps in and 10 out to start with, increasing to 4 in 8 out as I warm up, 3 in 6 out or more frequently if going uphill or running faster. I run alone and equate 8-10 steps for breathing out with being able to speak in sentences.

If you read about stride length and cadence in the running literature you'll find guidance on "correct" stride length and cadence, but this tends to be aimed at running faster, where you can do yourself damage over-striding or with too slow a cadence.

Others will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see any dangers with shorter strides coupled with slower cadence as you're inherently taxing the body and joints less anyway at the slower speeds.

Hope this helps!

[Frizzbomb67 Graduate]

It’s taken me ages to manage my pace. The Nike Run Club app has really helped. The coaches talk about effort rather than pace so a warm up run is just a 2 or 3 effort out of 10. 10k pace is about a 5 or 6 effort and 5k pace is about 7/10 effort. Mile pace is a 8 or 9 out of 10 effort. I’ve found this really useful as I can go on how I feel rather than judge my pace. I start with an easy effort and naturally increase my pace as I warm up. I don’t bother about pace too much but find this stops me starting off too fast.

[Dendev75 Graduate]

I think that’s really common, it’s so hard to set off at a pace you’re going to maintain or get faster, especially if you start off too fast.

I tried chill out music on a solo run so I could start off slow and maintain - I like to have enough energy to enjoy my run and have a sprint finish in me. Good luck!

[Archerygoddess Graduate]

I still struggle with my pace when I run alone. Even when the app tells me my pace and it's too fast I still can't seem to slow it down. My answer ( no use to you possibly) is a running buddy. In my case that's my husband. We run at an easy conversational pace because we're having a conversation!

[Susiepaul Graduate]

When I'm struggling with pace, I use Audiofuel First hour run, which is set at 155 bpm. This I find helps me reset my pace. There is also a 2nd hour available as thet are designed for marathon training. Both are free.

[chrisl72 Graduate]

could also try Podrunner, music mixes at a range of beats per minute. This is the link for apple podcasts they have a website too. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podca...