Coaches and athletes often struggle with paces during training. Moreover, it is important to cover many different effort levels and paces as a distance runner. Some athletes and coaches have a complex, descriptive system of pace and other coaches keep it simple. I used to prescribe intricate pace during runs, however I have simplified things for my athletes over the years. In my earlier years, almost every run was paced specifically for what I had planned. The system worked and worked for Tom Heath for 45 years. I changed things up because I found the system stressful on my athletes and it did not help them develop autonomy for their team and their own running. What I am describing below is my new, simple pacing guide that I use.
Aerobic Running / Recovery Running
These runs are relatively easy and relaxed. Athletes should be conversational the whole time. "Conversational" means athletes should be able to have full conversations during their run. A RECOVERY run could be on the slow end of an AEROBIC run.
Threshold / Tempo / Rhythm / VT2 / Sub T...Running
Yes, there are a million terms for these types of efforts and a bunch of different paces. In simplifying my own system, I have tried to keep terminology simple for my athletes. I break these efforts into three types. 1) A TEMPO run is 2-5 miles at a pace that is about 60-70 seconds slower than an athlete's 1600/mile PB. 2) A LONG TEMPO is 5-10 miles at an athlete's 1600/mile PB plus 80-90 seconds. 3) A BROKEN TEMPO is interval based efforts at an athlete's 1600/mile PB plus about 50-60 seconds. I understand that some coaches will get in a kerfuffle over these descriptions. Please remember that I am coaching high school athletes. Most are constantly improving and simplicity makes it easy to adapt. Don't be afraid to do these types of efforts with hills every now and then.
Race Pace
This pace is the easiest to compute. RACE pace is the pace an athlete uses during specific races. I do not prescribe this pace often in XC. XC races are rarely consistently paced, especially on hilly courses. In track, race pace is much more important, but be mindful that races cover this pace.
Speed
The wolves will be out for me on this description. In my eyes, speed is anything faster than 800 race pace. I know many coaches will argue that true speed is 120s, 80s, 30 meter flies, etc. and I agree. Most of those pace can help an athlete run faster at longer distances. However, 200s in 27 or 300s in 41 are speed for most athletes. Coaches can add speed into almost every week of the season.
Strides
Strides can be anything you want them to be. I do 100 meters and I give effort or a pace. It is a great way to hide some speed into easy days.
Warm up / Warm Down
These efforts absolutely count. If blood is flowing and oxygen is filling the lungs, athletes are adapting. These efforts should be easy and warm ups should end with an up tempo piece.
Hill Sprints
When doing short bouts of work up hills, use effort based pacing. Tell your athletes to do the sprint at 400 effort or 200 effort. Times are way too hard to prescribe when hills are involved.
Caveat #1 - Keep them healthy during speedier sessions
Many injuries occur at specific times. Speedier sessions can be tough on muscles and tendons. Be sure to build speed as you do mileage. After time off, speed can be quite easy. Today, my crew did a 45 minute run and finished with 6 x 200 @ 40. It was not true speed but it prepares them for faster running.
Caveat #2 - Have your own terminology
Coaches should stop being so stringent on terms. Set your own and do what makes most sense for your team and your surroundings. The more we worry about terminology, the less we coach.