It’s not slow, it’s “party pace!”

One of my favorite running phrases is, “Party Pace,” which means a fun easy pace that you can maintain. I remember being so fixated on trying to “get fast,” when the more I started to run longer distances, the more I felt myself slowing down. I loved when I personally cracked that code because I ended up surprised at how much longer I was able to run.

One of my favorite running days was on a Sunday in January. I had made myself a small warm cup of coffee around 6 AM, and headed out around 6:45 to my favorite running location at the time. It was about 30 miles from me, but I personally used the drive to let my stomach settle from anything I ate/drink, also to either listen to music/no music, set the tone for my run and to just have moments to myself. 

I got out the car, started stretching, put my headband on and vest and set out to run in the foggy morning. My face was so cold, but I remember even the smallest of things were making me so happy (like a purple colored fire hydrant haha). About 45 minutes in, I grabbed one of my Bloks chews to hydrate. This run was feeling so good, and the best part was that I never really paid any attention to my watch. I already had an idea of how much I had to run to meet my 11 mile distance. I ran at a party pace with a HR of 165 BPM, and hit my intended distance. 

This was my breakdown: 

2.5 Miles @ 13:40/Mile 

1.9 Miles @ 13.20/Mile 

1.9 Miles @ 12:45/Mile 

2.5 Miles @ 13:40/Mile 

1.2 Miles @ 13:10/Mile 

1.2 Miles @ 12:40/Mile 

So it was about two sections of progressive work, followed by getting faster for three rounds, then doing it all over again. The intent was to just hit the mileage, and not worry about the pace. I love party pace though! Once I stopped getting fixated on time, I eventually ran farther and faster, just give it time. You’ll see improvements.