Pace Guesstimation (Read 695 times)

To qualify: I don't really run for pace, I'm just working on trying to build up my mileage. That said, it's nice to have a rough idea of how fast I'm running so that I can see if I'm improving or not. Of course, pace is super easy to figure out if I run on the treadmill, which is about half the time, but I have sort of a silly question about calculating pace outdoors. Here's my super precise formula for determining outdoor pace down to the nano-second. (There are two, actually): 1) Add up times of each song I listened to on my iPod during my run. Divide by distance. 2) Look at clock when I leave. Look at clock when I get back. Divide by distance. Clearly, I am hardcore. So here's my question. I run in an urban area, and unfortunately this means that I am often stopping at stoplights. Some days I get lucky, others I end up standing around for longer than I'd like. The question is, when I figure my pace, is it customary to include the time waiting for traffic since technically it is a rest and it takes place in the middle of my run, or should I subtract the time stopped at lights before I calculate my pace, since it was an involuntary stop? I'm sure there's no science to this, I'm just curious what you all think is the more accurate way of gauging pace. Thanks! Kristin

Why not buy a $25 Timex Ironman with a chronograph which you can stop and re-start whenever you hit traffic? They make small models for women. A Garmin would work too but costs a little more.

Keep it simple. Just look at time you started and got back. I can't remember to do that, so I take a watch with me. The time spent stopped at a traffic light is generally fairly small, and it does provide a recovery as well as interruption in flow. I call it a wash and just ignore it. Actually, I run trails 99% of the time, so it's generally not an issue. The few lights I do have on road runs are in the first 5-10 min, so part of warmup (that is, until they add a bunch of traffic lights this summer because of traffic hazards). If I have a major interruption (like talking with someone), I can subtract that time later (either block of low hr on hrm trace or gps accumulates stopped time). If I'm truly concerned about having an uninterrupted run, I go someplace without lights, downed trees, ice, etc.

Kristin, the adding up song time thing is really neat. I'd never thought of that! I thought the adding and subtracting red light waiting time is too much trouble and wouldn't be any more accurate then ignoring it. So, I figure if you take off in great speed like a horse out of the gate until you feel that you are in the same condition as before the waiting would make up the different. The longer you wait the faster you take off.

Timex Ironman all the way. Also, I like getting to know my stoplights (they are all quite friendly) and will use it as a fartlek workout. If I know it is going to change before I get there, I slow down. Otherwise I will speed up my pace to make it through the light before it turns and then slow down after the light.

I have a Timex Ironman. It's simple, cheap and will keep your time. Then if you get more serious, you can reward yourself with a Garmin, but I don't have one. To figure out my pace, I use this site to caculate the distance of my running course. http://42.195km.net/e/