My Happy Pace

When I posted my weekly workouts on Sunday, Montana commented asking how I had gotten to a point where I could maintain a 10-minute pace on a long run. I had to really stop and think about that. When I was training for marathons, my long runs were significantly slower than 10:xx; that's to be expected.

As you can see, a year ago my long runs were slower than they have been recently.

So how did I bring my paces back down this year?

First, and I think mostly importantly, I stopped quitting. Since I began running, my pattern would be to run consistently for a few weeks, maybe even a month, and then take a chunk of time off. Having to start over so frequently obviously set me back and stalled any progress I could be making.

My training over the past 26 weeks...There were times I rested heavily (most noticeably during the height of my calf issues), but there are no major gaps in my training.

Compare this training from March 2015 to my recent training. Major gaps like this are nowhere to be seen in 2016!

On that note, having a consistent schedule has definitely contributed to my current paces. Elizabeth and I began our workout routine about a year ago. We work out together 5-6 days a week. This means that I'm not only avoiding quitting, but I'm also getting in lots of good cross-training that I'm completely likely to skip without an accountability partner.

I've made running bridges a frequent part of my plan. Bridges are speed work in disguise and have made me a stronger, more consistent runner.

I've balanced my training. I loved training for marathons but I am not a strong enough runner to truly train the way a marathoner should. For my body, marathon training was very close to over-training. These days, my workouts and training schedules are much more balanced, allowing for better recovery. I can also push my paces and test my limits more because I'm not paranoid about getting injured before a big goal race. That's probably a factor, too: I'm racing less frequently.

Finally, I think 10-minute miles come naturally to me. When I'm feeling healthy, strong, and centered, my pace easily falls into the mid-9s for short runs and 10s for longer runs. I'm comfortable and happy at these paces most of the time; this is how my running looked before I got into marathons, and I think my body is just getting back to its equilibrium.

What is your happy pace?
What did you do (training-wise) to reach that pace?

ABK