Today, I ran only three miles, but at a quicker pace than
most as of late. Although it was a shorter run, the comfort (“comfort” might be
an exaggeration) I experienced at a 6.5 on the treadmill or 9:23 mile, which I maintained
for most of my run, was…exciting. I can’t believe it felt, dare I say, natural.
It didn’t right away, but after a half mile or so, I settled in nicely. I could have easily continued at this pace for a couple more miles, but time got in the way.
According to Runner's World's, my true comfortable pace is when I am not gasping for air and I am at a pace that has my heart rate at 70% of its maximum rate. They recommend being able to take three strides when breathing in, and three more while breathing out. I will have to test this out tomorrow.
For their entire Tempo Running piece, click here
What is your comfortable pace? How long did it take you to
get to this point?