Pausing during runs: yay or nay?

joshua_d_runs wrote:

I've always wondered if it was actually detrimental or took away from the quality of your run if you pause a few times. Not during like a tempo or fartlek, but a long run or if you're just out running 8 miles. Pausing the watch is usually out of our control due to stoplights or whenever nature calls. Y'all against it or don't mind? I have friends who abhor stopping for like 20 seconds, but also know people who don't really care. If on a long run over 15 miles and you pause more than a few times, is the run less beneficial?

If you need to pause because of traffic that's no big deal. If you need to pause because you're tired or mentally weak then you're doing something wrong.

the answer here wrote:

joshua_d_runs wrote:

I've always wondered if it was actually detrimental or took away from the quality of your run if you pause a few times. Not during like a tempo or fartlek, but a long run or if you're just out running 8 miles. Pausing the watch is usually out of our control due to stoplights or whenever nature calls. Y'all against it or don't mind? I have friends who abhor stopping for like 20 seconds, but also know people who don't really care. If on a long run over 15 miles and you pause more than a few times, is the run less beneficial?

If you need to pause because of traffic that's no big deal. If you need to pause because you're tired or mentally weak then you're doing something wrong.

Great answer.

As an 800/1500 runner who does decent mileage, I could give two sH!ts about whether I am "tough enough" to not stop if I feel tired. Most of my runs have elements of fartlek anyway. I hit the key workouts hard and never get injured, and if I feel the "mojo" I will roll out 10-13 mile runs without any pauses.

Most runs I stop and do some stretching while my muscles are hot and ready to stretch. The most important thing is to listen to your body, and sometimes the body needs a little break. Recovery is part of training.

I sometimes pause if I'm feeling crappy during a recovery day if I had a harder effort earlier that week. The purpose of those runs is just to loosen up and get easy mileage, so I don't worry about pace or feel bad for stopping.

Stopping during a workout or a race is a different story. Long run is probably ok unless it's a workout substitute or you have to cut it short.

joshua_d_runs wrote:

I've always wondered if it was actually detrimental or took away from the quality of your run if you pause a few times. Not during like a tempo or fartlek, but a long run or if you're just out running 8 miles. Pausing the watch is usually out of our control due to stoplights or whenever nature calls. Y'all against it or don't mind? I have friends who abhor stopping for like 20 seconds, but also know people who don't really care. If on a long run over 15 miles and you pause more than a few times, is the run less beneficial?

No. You are okay for these brief pauses. A long run should not be at that hard of an intensity anyway.

It doesn't matter.

If you're doubling, does it matter if you pause for TEN HOURS between your morning and evening run? No. If you're doing a long run, does it matter if you hit two drinking fountains and a bathroom along the way? No.

It doesn't matter.

To answer the question in the most literal way: Stopping on any run provides less physical benefit than not stopping.

But in the bigger picture: if your training plan is built around 3-4 key runs and/or workouts and you are just talking about the non-key runs then there isn’t much harm to stopping occasionally to grab a drink at a water fountain, stop at a light, take in a view.

This reminds me of being at Pre-Classic one year when I bumped into Craig Mottram along Pre’s Trail. I don’t know him but he stopped during his run while waiting for someone and chatted with me. He explained that he was somewhat injured and not going to race. I asked if he was done with his run and explained that he still had a few miles of easy running to go and it didn’t matter the pace or time as long as he accumulated x miles of for the day. I assume that this was one of his non-criticalmruns for the week.

More info on Mottram? Did he mentioned how much was is goal mileage per day?

Do you ever have the feeling that BIG MACdaddy is watching you at night when you are all alone at your house and trying to think in some type of coherent way in the infinite abyss of your subconscious mind?

Eh???

about 4 miles

New Folder (2) wrote:

about 4 miles

Your post is Spam.

Try again.

DaddyMacDaddy wrote:

Do you ever have the feeling that BIG MACdaddy is watching you at night when you are all alone at your house and trying to think in some type of coherent way in the infinite abyss of your subconscious mind?

Eh???

I don't know if Mahk Daddy is watching me or thinks of me. But I certainly think of him and his big muscular strong leg muscles. And his pretty smile. I hope one day Mahk Daddy and I go for a run and go out for a cup of coffee.

New Folder (2) wrote:

about 4 miles

Moran idiot>>>Spammed again.

Your website is going into a black hole

New Folder (2) wrote:

To answer the question in the most literal way: Stopping on any run provides less physical benefit than not stopping.

It's not at all obvious that this is true. Actually, it seems obvious that it is false. Otherwise it would make no sense to ever rest during interval workouts.

Whether stopping has adverse effects for training depends on the goals of the specific workout and the context of the stopping.

I seriously doubt that waiting for a traffic light has any effect on a moderate to easy run. If one is doing some specific workout, with specific times or paces, one ought to be doing it somewhere where it can be done properly, e.g. a track or a park.

In any case, thirty seconds rest here or there is just noise in the context of a general training plan.

Said all that, I'd generally stop as little as possible. What always seemed stupid to me was jogging in place at a stoplight. Either keep running at a legit pace (in the other direction) or stop running. You look like a moron.

every run, regardless of length, time of day, how much I emptied my bowels before, etc. I have to poop about 20-30 minutes in. that is the reality of my situation and if I try to fight it then it's a suicide mission

I don't think stopping/walking matters as much as some runners might think. Years ago to test this premise, I ran a 4-mile tempo on a flat course. The next week, I ran the same 4 miles in a 5/1 ratio, running for 5 minutes and walking for one minute. My 4-mile time was only 20 seconds slower with the walks, but my average HR over the 4 miles was 2 beats lower with the run/walk.

world famous pooper wrote:

every run, regardless of length, time of day, how much I emptied my bowels before, etc. I have to poop about 20-30 minutes in. that is the reality of my situation and if I try to fight it then it's a suicide mission

ben saareL? tthat u?

I get your point, but since when does a runner care about what he/she looks like and what some stranger thinks?

New Folder (2) wrote:

To answer the question in the most literal way: Stopping on any run provides less physical benefit than not stopping.

Less stimulus yes, not necessarily less benefit. The two aren't synonymous, less is more sometimes