The Ultimate Pacing Practice

The Ultimate Pacing Practice

Workout - The Ultimate Pacing Practice

  • 15min @ 6'30''/km
  • 3 lots of:
    • 4min @ 5'45''/km
    • 3min @ 5'00''/km
    • 2min @ 4'30''/km
    • 1min @ 3'00''/km
    • 3min rest
  • 12min @ 7'00''/km
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Here’s a rundown of Top 3 running interval sessions for pacing sourced from This Messy Happy. The video is definitely worth watching — we’ve extracted the core workouts so you can get started this week. Check out the full video for additional details and context.

Key Points

  • Pacing drills train your body to recognize each race‑pace (5k, 10k, half‑marathon) by feel, without relying on a watch.
  • Start with 10‑15 minutes of easy jogging plus dynamic drills and strides; finish each session with a cool‑down.
  • Keep your perceived effort (RPE) steady within each set: roughly 8/10 for 10k pace, 9/10 for 5k pace, 7/10 for half‑marathon pace.
  • Easy recovery periods should last about half as long as your hard efforts.

Workout Example

  1. 10k Pace Intervals – Complete 5‑8 repeats of:
    • 5 min at your 10k race pace
    • 2½ min easy jog or walk recovery
    • The effort level should feel identical from the opening repeat to the final one (RPE ≈8/10).
  2. 5k Pace Pyramid – Following a 15‑20 min warm‑up:
    • 1 min @5k pace (RPE 9) + 30 s jog
    • 2 min @5k pace + 1 min jog
    • 3 min @5k pace + 1½ min jog
    • 4 min @5k pace + 2 min jog
    • 5 min @5k pace + 2½ min jog
    • Then work back down through 4‑3‑2‑1 minutes, keeping the same recovery ratio.
  3. Paced Variation 1 – Three rounds of a 10‑minute block:
    • 4 min at half‑marathon pace (RPE 7)
    • 3 min at 10k pace (RPE 8)
    • 2 min at 5k pace (RPE 9)
    • 1 min all‑out effort
    • 3 min easy walk recovery between sets.

Closing Note Test these workouts over the coming week and adjust the paces to fit your numbers in the Pacing app. Regular repetition builds race‑pace awareness and delivers stronger confidence when it counts on race day. Enjoy the run!


References

Inspired by This Messy Happy

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