I am loooking to increase the default pace of my runs (and long run pace) from around 9:00 to 8:00 over the course of the next year. I am thinking a good way to do this would be to have something that can show me my pace while running so I can get used to the feel of running 8s like I am now used to running 9s. What would be the best tool for this purpose? I am looking for something reliable, cheap and most importantly simple. I have a good HR monitor and don’t think I need any other functions/options besides a pace measurement.
Without getting a GPS? I would suggest just drive or ride some of your favorite running routes. Make mental notes of where the mile marks are approximately and then just see if you are hitting the mile splits you want. Almost too simple huh?
garmin makes a number of gps based systems. However I found the best way to get the feel for a pace was to work out the time interval for one lap of a track and then do at least one or two runs a week that included laps around the track. To get my marathon pace down I often did 21K of laps around a track.
get a nike tailwind. It hooks onto your shoe, 98% accurate and will give you speed and distance. You won’t notice it on there, but the drawback with this model is that it only displays on the piece itself, so feedback will not be instantaneous.
On long runs, it must take years of running to recognize pace time using RPE, rate of perceived effort. This question is never much of an issue with people who have run for 5-10 years; in fact, the good ones, can pretty much tell you in a 13-14 mile run, what their exact mile pace without any markers or GPS technology, just by instinct and “suffering feeling.”
I can now pretty much tell at the least the first six to eight miles, that I’m right on an 8:30 or 9:00 minute per mile, and miss it by 8-9 seconds. However, the longer it is in the long run, I find that I want the run to be over so bad, I “inflate” the speed of what I’m actually running, to make me feel secure that the run is about over.