I grudgingly have to hand it to Runner's World. Its companion, Running Times, was geared towards coaches and trackletes and it was hands-down one of my favorite publications. It folded in December and RW has really stepped up its game since then.
My previous emails were hella long so I didn't want to get into the nitty-gritty of breathing and focusing. I have another race coming up soon and can break it down for you then. Short version: it takes YEARS to be able to run by effort. Even then we can lie to ourselves (and if we're coming back from babies or injury and are in a hurry to get to where we used to be, we WILL lie to ourselves) so heart rate provides a really solid gut check. Over time, you become good at matching your breathing, cadence etc to a pace figure, and THIS is what I'm talking about when I say 'racing by effort'. I'm still checking my heart rate regularly and pace occasionally to make sure I haven't gotten carried away.
“The findings suggest that we can be slightly off when it comes to matching effort with pace,” Brick said. “I feel it is important to learn to match and connect effort with a given pace. Try it out: Run at what you feel is your 5K pace, 10K pace, marathon pace, etc. Check your watch after a mile, and learn to match that sense of effort with your actual pace. Over time and with experience it is likely that connection will improve.”
ICYMI (In case you missed it), you've been doing this already. You're welcome.
You are coached. You are loved. YOU ARE WELCOME.
Cheers,
Coach MK
PS Guess who is getting her BOSU MASTER Certification next weekend????!?!??!?! WOOOOOHOOOO!