Something I see runners doing often that leads to disappointing races, burnout, and plateaus is not slowing down enough on easy runs and not incorporating structured speed work into their training. If your paces, throughout your weekly volume of training isn’t varied, you might find yourself feeling ‘stuck’ with your training, maybe getting injured, and not progressing as much as you want.
The question, should I pay attention to pace is a resounding yes. Not every run will be a run where you are paying super close attention to your pace, but each run should serve a purpose - and knowing which paces are right for you and which paces you should run on which days is important.
Each run of your week should be run for a purpose and most of them should be easy days. On those days, don't even feel like you need to track your pace.
It IS tempting to want to beat your best pace/distance on every single run but it is also counterproductive! If you do this on every single run, most likely you will end up burnt out or injured. Instead, use your easy runs to focus on form, breathing, cadence, etc. Don’t necessarily worry to much about pace (although you should make sure you aren’t running too fast) and use your energy to focus on other things.
On workout days, hill sprints, strides etc. those are they days/times to be aware of the effort and pace you are giving. I like to train off of effort and during workouts that is when it is key to focus on the effort and pace you are giving. During those runs practice FEELING the pace. If you want to run sub 2 half marathon, then you need to know how to run a sub 9 min mile pace. Part of that is knowing what that sub 9 min mile pace feels like and how to hold it when fatigue sets in.
Practice workouts like fartleks, intervals, hill repeats, and tempos give you a taste for race day and the practice that it takes for speed to come! Make sure to keep an eye on your pace during these quality workouts, stay within the rage of where you are supposed to be, and practice feeling, holding, and controlling the pace.
overall, don't let pace rule your running too much. But, know when when you need to focus on it. I find that runners can tend to let ‘pace’ dominate their runs and some athletes find it hard to enjoy a run if their pace is ‘off’ or feel frustrated when a run doesn’t go well. It is normal to feel that way, but don’t get too wrapped up in the numbers. Don’t try to red line every single run or workout, but also know your paces well enough to know when to use paces to your advantage - for growth and for endurance building.
Be patient. Run easy and happy and hard
A great too that I’ve found super helpful is the Jack Daniels Running Calculator - you can put in a recent race or distance and find your specific paces just for you!
