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Varying the Pace on Your Training Runs

March 31, 2017 By: Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC17 Comments

I have learned so much about running since starting to train using the Hanson method. It has truly elevated my running and just really helped to continue to fuel my passion for running. One of the things I learned through Hanson is that varying the pace on your training runs is actually quite important. I used to run just about every single run at the same pace. 

why varying the pace is important

Benefits of varying the pace: 

  • Actually having easy runs. Now I’ve said this before in a previous post but the key here is easy PACE not necessarily how it feels. I used to be so guilty (and still occasionally make this mistake) of running my “easy” runs at a way too fast pace because it “felt” easy. Okay, I’m not trying to be rude,  but that is actually pure crap, y’all. The whole point of an easy run is to get in miles to build your strength without overtaxing your body by running at a pace that is slower than your goal pace – and by slower, I mean anywhere from 1 to 2.5 minutes slower. My general motto is that I can’t really run too easy on easy runs but I can definitely run too fast. This article by Luke Humphrey helps to explain some of the science behind this. I highly recommend reading it. 
  • Learning what your goal pace feels like. This has been incredibly important in my training. I actually remember thinking when I was training for my first marathons – how am I going to know what race pace feels like? Unfortunately, I never really answered that question. And the answer was – I didn’t know what race pace felt like because I never dedicated any runs to running race pace. Now, I run race pace miles each week during a training cycle and I run ten seconds faster than race pace once a week. This means that by the time my race comes around, my legs know what race pace feels like and I can be dialed in pretty quickly during the race. It’s like my legs can be on autopilot because they know what the pace they are supposed to be running feels like. That helps a heck of a lot during a tough race. 
  • Mentally, varying the pace mixes it up. Training for 18 weeks (or however long your cycle is) can be hard. Mixing up your training paces introduces some much needed variety in your training. 
  • Bonus benefit: mixing up your training paces gives you the chance to run with more running friends. The one thing I have LOVED about getting a bit faster is that I can now run with some faster friends. For example, I ran a number of my tempo runs with a faster friend – my tempo pace was her easy pace so it worked out perfectly for me. I also love running my easy days with friends and not caring about the pace. It makes it more fun to train with friends! 

How do you determine the pace of your runs? 


Comments

  1. Kimberly says

    March 31, 2017 at 8:16 am

    This is something that I definitely need to work on, especially for marathon training. I do tend to run similiar paces for most of my runs.

    Reply
    • Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC says

      March 31, 2017 at 9:06 am

      I used to do it, too and it did me NO favors! I see a lot of runners doing this and I think if they stopped, they’d be more successful in races!

      Reply
      • jacinta says

        March 31, 2017 at 12:24 pm

        This makes so much sense, I too end up running all of my runs at the same pace. So I am very excited to train the Hansons Method for my fall marathons, I know it’s going to make a huge difference.

        Reply
  2. Kathryn @ Dancing to Running says

    March 31, 2017 at 10:01 am

    The biggest thing to remember is that its okay to run slower for some training runs. By running with little man in the BOB stroller, it has forced me to slow down during some of my training runs. The resistance of the stroller forces me to have to slow down, but is still making me stronger overall.
    Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…April 2017 GoalsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC says

      March 31, 2017 at 10:06 am

      I think it’s more about having purposeful runs when you are training, rather than just always running “by feel” or saying, “oh I feel great so I’m going to pick up the pace.” You have to know what race pace feels like and you have to have recovery runs that are slower than race pace (significantly slower) in my opinion.I see so many folks just kind of running based on how they feel in a certain day and I think that is setting them up for frustration because how we “feel” is often way more mental than physical. This often does involve running too fast too often but it also sometimes involves running every run at just about the same pace, which isn’t helpful.

      Reply
    • Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC says

      March 31, 2017 at 10:07 am

      Oh – and happy belated birthday! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Zebra Girl says

    March 31, 2017 at 12:46 pm

    Smart Girl with those paces! I say this all the time that I don’t understand why some runners don’t use other faster runners on their easy runs. I have a speedy friend that is a doll to pace me on her “easy” days! My favorite run of the last marathon cycle was pacing a friend on her 16 miler at her marathon pace and then adding 4 more miles at my quicker marathon pace! Keep up the good work Courtney…you have more PRs on the horizon!
    Zebra Girl recently posted…Vegas Baby!My Profile

    Reply
    • Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC says

      March 31, 2017 at 2:58 pm

      Thank you – focusing on keeping easy runs easy and running my hard runs hard has really helped!

      Reply
  4. Tericia eller says

    April 1, 2017 at 8:31 am

    Love Hanson Marathon Merhod! I have used it to train for 2 of the 4 marathons I have run. I can tell a difference! Thank you for your blog.

    Reply
  5. Cathy says

    April 2, 2017 at 12:27 pm

    I am so guilty of running easy runs based on how I feel! I guess sometimes I get a little confused with effort ratings and pace. I am not sure I can do Hanson Method but I have ordered the book just so I can get a better understanding. Thanks so much for this post!!!

    Reply
    • Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC says

      April 2, 2017 at 8:01 pm

      Let me know what you think -the book does a great job of explaining it all!

      Reply
  6. Tracy says

    April 2, 2017 at 2:31 pm

    I have a similar post sitting in my drafts! I wanted to identify all the things I thought really helped me at Shamrock, and learning to actually take my easy runs easy (as much as my ego would let me at least…something I still need to work on)was a huge part of that! It seems counterintuitive – to run faster, you should…run faster, right? Not necessarily. I *finally* get the concept of a recovery run and I think that really helped in training. I also practiced my race pace quite a bit during training, and that was another thing I think that really helped me on race day.

    Reply
    • Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC says

      April 2, 2017 at 8:02 pm

      YES! Looking forward to reading your take on it, but I think what you said is EXACTLY right. And I’d bet it helped you a ton – your strategy CLEARLY paid off!

      Reply
  7. Agness of Fit Travelling says

    April 4, 2017 at 6:51 pm

    I always try to vary my pace and I found it pretty amazing and beneficial, Courtney! So, I completely agree with your tips!

    Reply
  8. Alaina @ The Simple Peach says

    April 5, 2017 at 1:43 pm

    Yes yes yes! I think I really started focusing on this when I started doing heart rate training because I started taking my easy runs easy to keep my heart rate low and then realized where my paces should be based on my body’s effort not my ego. I only focus on pace when I am doing speedwork. I think if you aren’t taking your easy days slow enough there is no way you can go hard on speedwork days without your body being constantly fatigued all the time or getting injured. Running at goal pace is so important, but I think most of us never see our true abilities if we aren’t running easy on those other days because we are too tired to know what goal pace is realistic.
    Alaina @ The Simple Peach recently posted…Meal Prep: Inspirational BlogsMy Profile

    Reply
  9. Heather says

    April 6, 2017 at 4:30 pm

    I completely agree. Before I started using Hansons, I used to run every run the same. It would just run out all as I thought faster was always better, and I would struggle to get through even the easiest run by the end of the week. Hansons really taught me better pacing overall. I still struggle when I am at a race, but it feels so wonderful when you find your own rhythm.
    Heather recently posted…Trail Tuesday 4/4My Profile

    Reply
  10. Chau says

    April 7, 2017 at 7:13 am

    Totally agree! Varied is best way to avoid boredom and improve speed and endurance in performance.
    Chau recently posted…60 Short and Funny Inspirational Workout Quotes to Live By (Images)My Profile

    Reply

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