Running pace is the secret sauce of race day success. Get it right, and you’ll glide through the 10K like a well-oiled machine. Get it wrong, and you’ll be gasping for air at kilometre two!
So, let’s break it down: how to train at the right pace, find your ideal speed, and track progress without turning every run into a near-death experience.
Understanding Different Types of Runs (Yes, There’s More Than One Way to Suffer)
Not all runs are the same. Some are slow, some are fast, and some will make you see God.
🟢 Easy Runs (Aka: The Runs You Shouldn’t Hate)
- Pace: If you can’t hold a conversation, you’re going too fast. If you can belt out an entire song, speed up, Taylor (or in my case, Garth).
- Purpose: Builds endurance, strengthens your heart, and gives your legs a break from hard training.
🔥 Tempo Runs (Aka: The “Comfortably Uncomfortable” Runs)
- Pace: Fast but controlled, like you’re running late for a flight, but you have a few minutes still before the gates close.
- Purpose: Improves stamina and helps you hold a strong pace on race day.
⚡ Interval Runs (Aka: Sprint, Die, Recover, Repeat)
- Pace: Fast. Uncomfortably fast. “Why am I doing this?” fast.
- Structure: Sprint for 30 seconds, then jog for 90. Repeat until your legs hate you.
- Purpose: Builds speed, power, and mental toughness (because let’s be honest, these suck).
🛑 Long Runs (Aka: Your Weekend Plans Now Involve Suffering)
- Pace: Slow and steady. Not nanny in the nursing home slow, but easy enough to sustain for a long time.
- Purpose: Boosts endurance so 10K doesn’t feel like 10 years.
💡 Pro Tip: Mix all these into your training plan. If every run is all-out effort, your legs will throw in the towel before race day.
Finding & Maintaining Your Ideal Race Pace
Race pace is that magical speed where you’re going fast enough to hit your goal time but not so fast that you need the Order of Malta halfway through.
🎯 How to Find Your 10K Pace:
1️⃣ Run a 5K as fast as you can (don’t collapse, please).
2️⃣ Add 15-30 seconds per kilometre to that pace. That’s your estimated 10K pace.
3️⃣ Train at that speed so your body gets used to it.
📌 Pace Guidelines:
- Beginners: Aim for a steady, sustainable pace. Not Rhasidat Adeleke speed, not a jog, the goldilocks of pace.
- Intermediate Runners: Use tempo runs to practice holding race pace for longer.
- Advanced Runners: Use intervals to push past your limit (and to take yourself down a peg regularly).
Tracking Improvements (Because You Want Proof You’re Suffering for a Reason)
Running without tracking your progress is like baking without measuring ingredients, the end result might alright, but the smart money is on it being a disaste.
📊 How to Track Your Progress:
✔ GPS Watch or App: Track pace, distance, and how often you stop to “tie your shoe” (aka, catch your breath).
✔ The Talk Test: If your easy runs feel easier over time, you’re improving. If they still feel like torture… maybe reconsider life choices.
✔ Race Simulations: Try running 10K at race pace before the actual event. If you survive, you’re doing great. If you don’t, adjust accordingly.
Final Thought: Train Smart, Pace Right, Run Strong
If you:
✅ Train at different paces,
✅ Find your ideal 10K speed,
✅ Track progress so you know you’re improving,
…then race day won’t feel like an execution—it’ll feel like a victory.
Or at the very least, you won’t be that person gasping dramatically at kilometre four while rethinking their life choices.
See you next Monday for "Fueling Your Runs: Nutrition Tips for Runners, or as I like to call it, "How to Eat Like an Athlete Without Actually Becoming One."