Dial It In
“I am running slow.” There are times we all think that we are going too slow in our weekly runs. You’re probably wrong. A common flaw to a training plan is that 90% of your miles are at 90% of your effort. On race day, you go to hit the next level and you just can’t. How do you gauge your pace? Most likely, it is by someone else’s pace or on habit. Let’s fix that.
Mindset-wise, we all need to run our own run. If the race/goal is important to you, be deliberate in your training. That will mean putting realistic boundaries on the efforts. Previously, I suggested going further, faster and even walking in some of your runs. Building on that, you should pick a pace.
There are many calculators around, but I find a great one comes out of RunnersWorld UK (see #1 below). The Easy, Tempo, Long Run and Speed feel about right for many runners. I included some race pace calculators too since those are popular.
Go get ‘em,
Craig
PS – this post assumes you are training/ striving. If you are already comfortable with your pace and progress, enjoy where you are and keep it up. You are likely a happy camper.