i've figured out my 10k pace that is comfortable, and so can you
Published on HivePostify by @normie.fitness · Sun Sep 06 2026
Everyone is different when it comes to fitness. My friend who was trying and came really close to breaking a 20 minute 5 km run is in a different world than I am when it comes to cardio, and for him, my ability to bench press and shoulder raise is something that he can only be amazed by. We took different paths in life but I think both of those paths are good ones.
I started to become more concerned with cardio when my father had some heart issues and it was revealed that cardiovascular problems run in our family. I probably can't completely outrun this genetic issue, but I can do as much as I can to slow it down or keep it at bay for a while, which is what I intend to do.
Lately I've been searching for where my comfortable and sustainable pace is and I think I've found it.
You can ignore that crazy spike at the beginning because that is not what happened at all. I believe there is some issue with the watch not being latched onto my arm tight enough and when that happens it produces ridiculous results. If my heart rate was really that high it's probably a reason to go to the hospital.
my entire objective during this run was to keep my heart rate below 155 and stay in zone 3 as often as possible. When I did travel over the threshold I would step back the pace, even if that meant going slower than I felt I could at the time.
What I discovered was that if I stay in the 150 range of BPM or even lower if possible, that running doesn't actually tax me all that much. Later on my knees and shins started to ache a bit, but I believe this has more to do with my cheap footwear than anything else. Now that I am getting a bit more serious about running regularly, it might be time for me to invest in some shoes that cost a bit more than $20.
The pace is a little disappointing but the objective here isn't to break any records but instead to increase my endurance and according to a lot of studies that I have read, staying out of your max level is the best way to accomplish this.
I think that it is probably true on a chemical / biological level but I am more concerned about the psychological aspect of things. If I went out there like my friend who is chasing a sub 20-minute 5k, I know that I could really push myself, but I am going to absolutely hate doing it. The idea for me is to not hate the exercise.
I would go as far as to say that I borderline enjoy doing the runs the way that I am doing them now at the around 8 minutes per km. I probably look like an old man that is going slightly faster than power-walking, but i'm not out there to impress the masses with my exercise regimen.
I honestly believe that I could do this 10k most days of the week with zero recovery time and manage to do it every day. The relative ease in which I did this yesterday kind of encourages me because I now feel that if I just had better equipment, that I could go even further and now I have my sights set on a half marathon at some point in the next year.
I sure as hell am not going to be doing it in the summertime though. We only have another month of that and this brings about something else I am kind of excited about: How well am I going to perform once the oppressive heat is no longer a factor? Who knows, maybe I will be able to press towards 7 minutes with the same heart rate.
That's kind of the idea. A funny thing almost happened on this run. I almost spit on a very attractive women who was also running. I didn't see her. I'm a polite spitter but man oh man, she was very close to getting a literal mouthful. I waved my hands to show how sorry I was but she laughed it off. It's always amusing when I embarrass myself in front of hot ladies.
Get out there and run!
Tags: #fitness#health#exercise#running#strava#jogging