Understanding and Adjusting Your Race Pace
The final phase of competition prep plans always includes sessions at your target race pace.
Your coach’s tips are there to help you complete them correctly, but this article will help you better understand how to approach these sessions. Keep in mind, this pace might need to be adjusted depending on how your training has gone so far.
If your training has gone smoothly, and you've completed most sessions while hitting the target times:
You're likely capable of running at the predicted race pace. Over the course of your specific race-pace sessions, you'll be able to assess whether it truly fits your current fitness — if it feels manageable, or if it should be adjusted slightly up (but don’t get overconfident!) or down (sometimes being conservative helps you finish strong — and go faster overall).
If you've missed several sessions or struggled to hit the target splits:
It’s best not to stick rigidly to the predicted race pace. Instead, play it safe and slightly reduce the pace to one that feels more comfortable and realistic for you.
If you're somewhere in between and unsure?
Start by slightly reducing the race pace listed in your training sessions. If, during your workouts, you feel much better than expected, you can gradually increase the pace. That’s exactly what race pace training is for — giving you experience at that pace so you can refine it and determine the most realistic target for you!
Your coach’s tips are there to help you complete them correctly, but this article will help you better understand how to approach these sessions. Keep in mind, this pace might need to be adjusted depending on how your training has gone so far.
If your training has gone smoothly, and you've completed most sessions while hitting the target times:
You're likely capable of running at the predicted race pace. Over the course of your specific race-pace sessions, you'll be able to assess whether it truly fits your current fitness — if it feels manageable, or if it should be adjusted slightly up (but don’t get overconfident!) or down (sometimes being conservative helps you finish strong — and go faster overall).
If you've missed several sessions or struggled to hit the target splits:
It’s best not to stick rigidly to the predicted race pace. Instead, play it safe and slightly reduce the pace to one that feels more comfortable and realistic for you.
If you're somewhere in between and unsure?
Start by slightly reducing the race pace listed in your training sessions. If, during your workouts, you feel much better than expected, you can gradually increase the pace. That’s exactly what race pace training is for — giving you experience at that pace so you can refine it and determine the most realistic target for you!
Updated on: 16/06/2025
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