Perfect Pacing

Many different strategies exist; the important one is what works for you!

~The “even pacing” strategy says that it is best to start out at a pace that you can maintain and finish at. This is a great goal for beginners because one of the most common mistakes they make is to start out too fast. Always start slower than you think you need to! If you are able to complete the intervals in the first half of the workout just fine, and you are struggling to finish the intervals in the second half of the workout, chances are you are doing the intervals in the first half too fast.

~The “even effort” strategy is the most common for beginners and it involves maintaining the same perceived effort level throughout the race. This will result in slowing throughout the workout due to the increased perceived effort level as you fatigue. This type of pacing will allow you to finish comfortably, but will not result in optimal performance. We discourage this in MOTR as it is easy for this to become a habit rather than the more optimal even pacing. “Even pacing” also allows class to stay on schedule by bringing all the runners in together at the same time after the workout.

~Buy a pacing watch with GPS or use a running app like MapMyRun

~Your pace is just that. YOUR pace. Do whatever feels comfortable for you. Your rate of perceived exertion during a steady-pace training run should usually be about a 7 on a scale of 1-10. Pay attention to your breathing to find your pace using last week’s breathing tips.

~There are specific pacing strategies that can be beneficial for racing which will be discussed at the end of the season when we prep for race day.