Running at a Conversational pace ... what the hell is that ?

is it really running and talking to yourself ....

Right, let’s talk about this “Conversational Pace” thing!

You may have heard this term thrown around, and guess what? I’m throwing it around too!

So, if you’re a runner—or just getting started—what comes to mind when I say “conversational pace”?

Let me be real with you: when I first started running, I was all over the place… literally. I’d go from 0 to 100% in seconds, burn myself out, and then absolutely hate running. Hate myself for being rubbish at it, want to give up, but… didn’t give up. Then I’d tell myself I’d never be good at it, and the whole cycle would start again. Sound familiar?

But I’ll be honest: I wasn’t listening to that “conversational pace” advice. It drove me nuts. Like, what even is that? Who cares about talking while running?

Well, turns out, I should have cared. Because when I finally gave it a go, that’s when things started to change. My body felt different, my performance improved, and running didn’t feel like torture anymore.

So, here’s the lowdown: “conversational pace” (or “Zone 2” if you wanna get fancy) is where you keep your heart rate low and steady, at a pace where you can actually hold a conversation without gasping for air. Sounds pretty simple, right? It’s basically a way to build your aerobic base—yeah, I just dropped a big word, but in simple terms, it’s about building endurance.

So, how do you try it? Next time you’re running, try to have a convo—yes, you’ll look a bit weird talking to yourself, but trust me, it works. Can you talk without being out of breath? Or are you struggling to get the words out? If you’re breathless, slow it down. If you can chat away, stay at that pace and see how it feels.

You want a balance in your training, though—throw in some zone 2 work, some intervals, and threshold runs. But don’t expect to be at conversational pace when you’re doing intervals or threshold work! That’s a whole different game.

So now you know. Stick to conversational pace when it matters—it’s a total game changer!!!!

Holly

AKA “The Force”

.