Running - Training Pace vs. Race Pace

There's a lot here.

First, there is no reason to avoid heel striking.  If that is your natural gait, nothing wrong with it.  Just be sure that your foot strikes the ground roughly under your center of gravity.  Search for 'heel strike' on the forums and you will find a wealth of information (and, alas, misinformation -- you'll have to sort that out yourself).

As for training paces/efforts, I think the best suggestion one could make is to find a respected plan and follow it.  It might turn out to be not ideal, but it will not likely be awful.

If you are going to go it alone, I would respectfully suggest that you've got it backwards.  Your recovery runs (but see below) should be slow.  Your longer runs should be faster.

Having said that, it looks like you are running around 16K per week.  At that volume, there really is no need for a true 'recovery' run (which I would 'define' as a run of 20-30 minutes done at an excruciatingly slow pace).

Again, I'll suggest that you find a plan and go with it.  Barring that, I would focus on increasing mileage per week (for example, around 10% increase per week for 3 weeks, then one week of no increase) and run most (maybe 90%-95%) of those miles at a pace that feels easy, and the rest somewhat harder.

x2 on this.  Did someone tell you to change your running style?

Thanks Michael.

I get what you're saying about the recovery run, but I assume it would still be good to keep a long, a couple medium and a couple short runs every week.  I don't really have a race in mind, so no plan, just a general build up.  I've been working on the principal of increasing my long run by about 10% a week, and then upping the others to make the long run about 30% of weekly total.  I'll have to give the pacing of the different runs some more thought.

-- Duncan

Well, from what I read here I got that it was better to have a mid foot strike.  When I spoke with the running coach from my school, he took a look and suggested I make the change.  It's been mostly done on my own, but he's come out a couple times, and said my running looks good.  Also, I've noticed less back / knee pain since I made the switch.

When I first started it was really painful... 1k and I felt it in the calves for 6 days... haha.

Now, well, I did 5k on Wednesday (my longest so far) and felt fine the next day. (A little tight, but nothing serious)   Then ran 2k Thursday with plans for 3.5k today, and still feel ok.

The distances you are going won't show a huge difference in times. You're past 'sprint' distance and not quite to 'endurance' distance (as an aspiring distance runner). As you increase your distances (10K and higher) you'll really start to get a feel for the different paces and what you can handle. Personally, I can't do a race pace for an equivalent distance in training. Not sure why not (adrenaline?) but I just can't do it.

Typically, a recovery run is not a fast run. A recovery run should keep all the parts moving, but not stress any of them. Not all of your short runs should be recovery runs though. I do one/week. It may be the same as you're HM or FM pace, but obviously it's a lot shorter. The other short runs are at a higher pace.

If you're more comfortable with a mid-foot strike then make the switch. From what I've seen, people who have run their whole lives (runners who have done 20+ mpw since they were in their early teens) tend to handle a heel-strike better than people who are just taking up endurance running. I took up running in my 30's but really started doing higher mileage (30+ mpw) these past few months. Using a shorter stride and relaxed lower leg has helped a lot with having a mid-foot strike and avoiding injuries. One key for me is to NOT TRY for a mid-foot strike. When I start thinking about manipulating my foot to strike how I want, I start to feel it in my calf or shin (shin when trying to manipulate my landing, calf when trying to push off).

All this being said, listen to Scout7. I've found everything he says is bang on.

I'm going to take this in a different direction.

I'm going to say that you stop looking at pace. The average pace you're running is inconsequential right now. What's more important is how you FEEL during and after those runs.

If you run every run at the same pace, what does that mean? Very little, other than you are capable of hitting the same pace every day. What matters more is how does it feel to run that pace, day in and day out? Does it feel easier today than yesterday? How about next week? Next year?

The point of varying up training is to stress and rest your body. Stress the body gradually, then let it recover enough so you can stress it again. Stress for training is a measure of effort. Some people use heart rate, some people use perceived exertion, some people use pace. All of these methods are perfectly good. But I think right now you are focused on pace without having a full understand of context. Do you have a recent race to base your training paces off of? If not, then that's what you need for the context.

Running the same pace every time is not the way to improve. You need to vary the pace, from day to day, and even within the runs themselves. How much you vary it and how often will depend on a multitude of factors, namely what you're training for, your experience and fitness levels, and where you are in your training in relation to your goal race(s) (in other words, what stage are you in).

Most of your runs should be at an easier effort level. That might equate to 6 min/km, but it might mean you run 6:30. Or 7 on a day where you're tired, or the weather and terrain conspire to make the run more challenging. Be flexible with it.

Some of your runs should be moderately harder. That means you probably have to go below that 6 min pace at some point. Maybe not for too long, maybe not too far below it, but you need to go there.

As for building volume, build the number of runs first, to the point where you're running as many days as you want/are able to. Then work on increasing length. I like to keep the longest run at about 1/3 total weekly volume, but there's no gospel here. If you're training for a marathon on 40 mpw, you're going to exceed that. And hey, that's alright. I wouldn't maintain that for extended periods, though. It's difficult. Anyway, build your total runs, then build your total length (however you measure it, distance or time, machs nichts). Pay attention to your body; if you're sore one day, and it's new soreness, you went too hard yesterday, the day before. Take an easy day, see how things shake out. If the pain persists, back off the length. But always back off intensity first. Doesn't matter if you're running at something that feels ridiculously easy. It's still running, and no one gives out awards for being heroic in training.

I think that's about the basics of what I wanted to say. Take some time, read it over, ask questions.

Question - while going through a period of increasing frequency AND/OR distance, do you still advocate mixing up the intensity levels, or just focus on a comfortable pace, and worry about varying the intensity once you've built a bit of a base off the easy stuff.

The standard answer: It depends.

Explanation:

For someone who is relatively new and pushing beyond where he has been in the past, I would stick to one change at a time. That means I would generally avoid doing higher effort running while building.

For someone with more miles under them, it's probably OK to mix in some varying efforts, but probably in a tighter range, meaning cap the effort and reduce the frequency.

Now, reality.... Truth is, I think the intensity/effort level is going to naturally fluctuate. And that's ok. You want to be aware that it happens, and realize that your primary focus is to increase frequency/volume, not to focus on hard workouts. If you run too hard one day, no biggie. It's when you start running too hard more often, because you're not allowing yourself the chance to recover.

Run a 5k or 10k or use your latest result.

Plug into this:

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm

It's not perfect, and it works better for higher-mileage runners, but it's generally thought to be very close to what you should be training at based on your latest race results. At the least, if you're far off the training paces, you should seriously re-examine your racing or training paces.

And variety is key for running. To get faster at 5k or 10k, you will have to do at least one fast run day where you do fast 400s or 800s at faster-than race pace. Running hard at one-pace every day will only get you so far - you need the leg turnover training.

Edited by agarose2000 2010-11-12 5:04 PM

This is completely untrue, especially for someone who is running relatively low volume and appears to have recently returned to running.  While faster than race pace repeats have their place in a running program, I would not consider them to be a required weekly run.

Shane

agreed, and even less so for newer runners

Ok true that beginners just need to go and run at any pace, even easy ones, and they'll improve, but I think you'll both agree that beyond the rank beginner level, if you want to even come close to your potential at 5k or 10k, you'll need some form of speedwork near 5k pace probably about once per week, especially if you're hitting a performance plateau.

And for someone like the OP who's run x-country in HS, I'll bet speedwork will help a LOT, for only a little bit of work. 

Edited by agarose2000 2010-11-13 8:27 PM

While the OP ran in HS, they mention that until six months ago they hadn't run in ten years and that they are currently running <20mpw.  So therefore, despite having run before, they are, for all intents and purposes, a novice runner.  In this case, I would say that hard 400 and 800's are probably the last thing they need to think about adding to their program.

Shane

Simply put:

HARD on your hard days
EASY on your easy days

The latter is hardest for most people.