Pacing

When you first get into running, it's difficult to imagine running at different paces.  You can really only imagine having one pace: the slow survival one.  However, as you run more often, you will discover that your body actually has different "gears."  It is important to develop several of these "gears":

• warm-up/cool down: slow, easy pace you begin and end runs with
  
• base: the pace you'll do your longer runs in; you feel like you can do this one forever...but you're breathing a little more than on a warm-up
• tempo: pushing yourself a bit more, less talking with this one, but it's not as fast as what you'd race at.
• race: however fast you can run over a 5k, 10k, etc.  You will be done when you finish.
• sprint: faster than "race" because it is done over a shorter distance.

So what do these paces have to do with your training and race day? EVERYTHING.  We will be beginning our serious half-marathon training next week, which means you will have THREE KEY workouts each week designed around the development of these paces.  Tuesday we will be working at sprint and race pace.  Thursday will be more moderate at a tempo pace.  Saturday, which will continue being our long day, will work at your base pace because that run is about logging mileage and working on endurance rather than speed.  As you progress through your training, you will become more aware of your different "gears" and each of them will become faster.  For example, here are (roughly) some paces I went through, moving from "just had a baby" to "training for a marathon," by utilizing different running workouts:

warm-up/cool-down: 12 min pace to 9:30 min pace

base: 11 min to 9 min

tempo: 9:30 min to 8 min

race (5k): 9:00 to 7:00 min

I did NOT see a drop in my pace or an increase in my running capabilities until I started injecting different workouts in my running.  So, if over the next months, you push yourself in the key workouts, you will also find each of your paces getting faster and feeling more in control of your runs.  One word of caution, though, initial drops in mile pace are significant; the faster you get, the less time you'll be taking off. BUT don't feel like you're not still improving: you are.  When our varsity xc kids improved their 5k time by 15 seconds it was like taking over 90 seconds off a freshman time. 

You might be saying to yourself right now, "But I don't care how fast I run the half. I just want to survive it!"  Well, if you did all the mileage requirements from now until race day, you would most likely finish the race, but you would not feel as strong or as in control.  Running at the same pace everyday causes you to plateau early and often because your body adapts to what you ask of it.  If you're changing things up regularly, you body/muscles have to work harder and become stronger and smarter...and don't you want to run those 13.1 miles with a tough, strong bod?