I Stopped Chasing Pace on Long Runs. Now Running Farther Feels Way Easier.

The last time I trained for a marathon, I told a few runner friends about my habit of pushing my pace on long runs. Despite the fact that I’m constantly surrounded by coaching advice (and am now an RRCA-certified run coach myself), I’ve always been one to brush off the advice to slow down, especially when pushing distance.I wasn’t fully aware of it at first, but I’ve had this underlying habit of running just slow enough to still count as easy, but fast enough that I could chase the pace I really wanted. Admittedly, seeing around a 9:00 pace on my watch or Strava post versus a 10:00 pace satisfied me (even though nobody really cares about that number except my ego).Toward the end of my long runs, I would even push the pace faster, because I just wanted to get those final miles done. Instead of feeling rejuvenated, I’d finish feeling breathless, sweaty, and dying of thirst. And while surely that’s normal for tackling longer distances in summer heat, I know my pacing was partially to blame.These habits are clearer to me now that I’m running more consistently. I recently signed up to run the Bethlehem Running Festival half marathon in October, and from week one of training, I knew I needed to nip these habits in the bud to get the most out of my efforts.I’ve realized slowing down on long runs not only helps me enjoy running more; it also helps me build better aerobic capacity and prevent cumulative fatigue. “A harder effort on the long slow day will likely take a greater physical toll and could have a negative effect on the quality of the following week’s workouts,” Mark Wooten, an ultramarathoner and run coach with Life Time, previously told Runner’s World.So far, I’ve found a few methods for intentionally adjusting my pacing approach, and to my surprise, I’ve made some major, unexpected improvements in my long runs and overall training. Instead of feeling irritable and rushing to get done, my heart rate has evened out, my mood has improved, and I have recovered quicker.I made the below adjustments to my long runs, which made simply “slowing down” feel more within reach and allowed me to connect more to long-distance running. Try them for yourself and not only will you stay in a truly comfortable zone 2 effort, but you might just fall in love with long runs all over again.Why I Won’t Ever Chase Pace on Long Runs AgainWhat I like the most about long runs is that they’re an excuse to feel like I’m exploring the woods or a big city, spending time with my own thoughts and connecting to my surroundings. It’s time I carve out of my week for exploration, peace, and introspection, while simultaneously working toward my race goal.The problem was that I would get so excited about the race goal that I didn’t feel the need to keep every mile easy after the first three miles or so. I’d almost treat long runs like a whole high-stakes performance of their own, especially if I knew I’d only run a certain distance—say, a 12-miler—once in my buildup.But when I stopped paying attention to pace, I was able to focus on the benefits of long runs and what I enjoy about them the most—that peaceful few hours to myself every Sunday—and then I felt like the distance actually went by faster. I enjoyed each mile of the run for what it brought me instead of thinking about trying to get the entire run done at once, at a pace that looked faster on Strava.This effect spilled over into my other training, too. With a Sunday long run done truly easy, it set the precedent for the rest of those easy miles woven throughout the week, allowing me to slow down without regret. Once my midweek track workouts rolled around, I didn’t carry fatigue or expectations into them; I showed up fresher and could push harder in my interval workouts because more of those fast-twitch muscle fibers were itching to finally fire off.How I Got Myself to Stop Chasing Pace on Long Runs (and You Can Too)1. Hour-Long Phone CallsOn the day I had to run an easy eight-miler, I had also planned for a phone call with my cousin who I hadn’t caught up with in a while because of busy life circumstances and living in separate states. I asked to call her around 2 p.m., planning to get my run in beforehand. But she mentioned she’d be busy with her daughter from then until late at night. So I figured my best option was to call her during my long run. After all, it’s called a “conversational pace” for a reason, right?So, I grabbed a pair of my wired headphones so I could hear and speak as clearly as possible, and we talked for a majority of the run. As I’m sure you can guess, running while talking with her meant I had to speak in full sentences and run truly easy, so I had no choice but to slow down and forget about the pace on my watch.We finished our call when I had about a mile and a half left of my run, and I almost couldn’t believe I only had that much left to go. I didn’t feel the need to speed home because catching up with a loved one put me in a calm, present mood full of gratitude and reflecting on everything we chatted about.The added bonus: I felt like I was multitasking because I always have friends and family members to catch up with, and I strive to get better at picking up the phone to keep in touch. As long as they don’t mind hearing my slight breathlessness, it’s a great way to keep the miles easy and my loved ones close.2. Tackling Smaller SegmentsBy week three of my half marathon plan, I realized I had to run 12 miles for the first time in about a year. With a bunch of other priorities taking up my Sunday morning—I’m sure I’m not the only runner who meal preps on weekends—I pushed my run until that evening. This meant staying close to home as the sun began to set. I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to try another tactic to slow my run down instead of rushing through the miles.Instead of my usual six miles out-and-back on a flat local trail, I decided to split up the run and take it one chunk at a time to see how much I could get in before it got dark. Then, I planned to finish the last few miles in town where the streets were lit.So I went about three miles out in one direction before approaching a flooded part of the trail, then turned around. I got back to the trailhead and ran an additional two miles out in the opposite direction, then came back once more. By the time I left the trailhead, I had logged about 10 miles, so I only had two miles left to finish: a simple lap or two around my small city.Throughout this run especially, I realized my previous tendency to view the next mile as something to just check off and achieve at a certain pace, rather than staying present throughout the run. On the out-and-back portions of this run especially, I felt more tempted to pick up the pace to return to my starting point. Ending with a random loop around town, however, helped prevent me from getting ahead of myself and helped me take my time instead.On top of that, splitting the 12 miles into three separate chunks helped me focus on the geographical points rather than how fast I was going. I enjoyed the different mini-adventures I led myself on, and it reminded me that long runs are about more than metrics.3. Really Big HillsI know adding hills to a long run may seem counterintuitive to the big “keeping it easy” goal, but hear me out: For my first 10-mile long run in this build, I ran a route in my hometown with two extremely steep, long hills on the way back from my out-and-back route. (While I’m not sure of the exact grade, the incline is one of the steepest I’ve run up, and it’s basically two quarter-mile hills with a flat half mile stretch in between.)These hills aren’t the kind of hills you could do rolling through a typical long run. They’re the kind that stop you in your tracks and forces you to walk or shuffle, which is exactly what I did. This actually gave me an opportunity to check in and evaluate my effort to make sure it actually felt chill.Plus, knowing there would be a large disjointed hill toward the end of my run on the way back home prevented me from speeding up at the end to try and beat the clock.Kristine Kearns, a writer and avid runner, joined Runner’s World and Bicycling in July 2024. She previously coached high school girls cross country and currently competes in seasonal races, with more than six years of distance training and an affinity for weightlifting. You can find her wearing purple, baking cupcakes, and visiting her local farmers market.