Pacing and the newbie (Read 981 times)

There is a thread about pacing over on the general running board and it got me thinking... for someone so new to running that they don't have a marathon time or any other sort of times to go on what do you shoot for? I don't have a hrm. I would like to build an aerobic base and I'm thinking about using HH spring training for the novice starting tomorrow. I am super slow, just finished C25K and ran my first unofficial "virtual" 5K with a time of 43:29 that wasn't an all out for me at all because I had to walk quite a bit during the first 2K due shin splints that I'm learning require a really good warming up. I would love to get some suggestions on how to handle pacing for my training over the next twelve weeks.

I agree. For now, your pace should be whatever allows you to build your mileage up safely and to keep running consistently. Focusing on pace at this point is probably counterproductive; instead, work on increasing the number of days per week you run, and the length of your runs, in each case without getting injured.

You could try to pick a pace that you feel like you could maintain for 1 hour without stopping. If you are running outdoors, it's easier to pick an intensity rather than a pace, since going up or down a hill will drastically change how easy or difficult your intensity is at any one given pace. So if you're running outdoors and you pick an intensity that you can maintain for 1 hour with moderate difficulty, you'll likely be running at a pace which will do well in terms of building your aerobic base - just make sure to listen to your body a lot in the beginning so that you don't get hurt, since right now your musculoskeletal system is probably the limiting factor which will keep you needing those walk breaks at your correct intensity level... but if that's where you sit right now, don't worry, if you run smart that phase will pass in just a few months, probably even less. Good luck!

To add a little, know that I'm not saying you should be running for 1 hour all the time... just that you should be running at an intensity that you think you could maintain for 1 hour. Also, if you find your pace so uncomfortably slow that you feel like you'd be better off walking, keep running unless it feels like you will hurt yourself - maintain the running form if you can help it - no matter how awkwardly slow it feels. After enough trial and error you'll eventually find your own correct pace, but it will change a lot over a short period of time as you get more and more fit, so you'll have to keep adjusting it... but that means you're doing something right! Again, good luck!

Some useful advice I got some time ago was that you should be able to chat, but not sing. Arla

Lots of good input so far. Just run easy. Running by feel is highly underrated. There is no need to be a slave to the numbers as a beginner. Nothing can spoil the fun of a run like worrying about the fact that you're running a 14:12 mile instead of a 14:05.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm guessing that the usual desire for the newbie is to go faster but I just want to point out that the reason I was asking about pace was not to go faster now it was to know how to go slow enough now to get the most out of the next stage of my training in attempt to start working on building a base since I have none. I was more worried about how to know that 14:30 was indeed slow enough. Would hate to think that inserting walk breaks in what I felt was already slow enough would have helped me make more progress during this next training period. So yeah, not all newbies thinking about pace with going fast in minds. But it sounds like, at my stage, I shouldn't think about anything just run. I always just find it more motivating to think I'm doing the training I am aiming for correctly. Without exposure to other runners and without experience it is really hard to know how slow is slow and conversational seems to cover a wide range. Also I hope I didn't imply that I would base build for 12 weeks and be done with it everyone's gotta start somewhere though.

John A that is a best advice yet. LOL