How bad is it to stop temporarily during a run?

60 sec isn’t bad, which is why even for slower threshold reps people often stop for a minute every 1-2k. Anything over 2 minutes mid-workout is getting a bit long, unless you’re doing very hard speed intervals

It won't make any difference to the training effect.

You are overthinking it

Limit unintended rest as much as possible within reason, but at the same time don't worry about it.

Thank you all for your answers. Now I don't need to commit suicide.

Yes.

Yeah NBD, Smalls. The training effect is nearly identical.

I will say, you could’ve just slowed down on the hill while maintaining the proper effort. If your LT pace is 8:30 on a flat trail, it could be 9:15 or who knows on the uphill, and you’d still be getting all the internal benefits of the tempo.

And that’s related to a potential benefit you did lose: learning to race by gauging effort rather than strictly the numbers on your watch. If you take two equally fit runners racing a hilly 10k, the one who knows how to dial in the right effort is going to beat the guy bent on maintaining X:XX pace who goes into oxygen debt every time he hits a hill.

That was actually funny. You just proved to me you aren't crazy. But seriously, what happens during ANY given workout, especially tempo runs, doesn't matter.

This is interesting. I usually get upset with myself when I have to walk or stop for a moment, but I admit that I have been improving pretty consistently regardless. But I would say it's better to be hard on oneself for stopping so that they don't get complacent.

One could argue that by stopping, they technically did end the workout. So now they can start a new one by starting again.

I'm not sure how it's possible for you to get on every single thread and ruin it. Please tell me your secret.

You're overthinking running.

You shouldn't. That's a sign that you are obsessive. It's completely unnecessary and a distraction from what you're supposed to be focused on. Move forward.

So what is a better thing to focus on? Simply the miles completed? Perceived effort? Pace?

It's cumulative.

You could split a 10 mile easy run into 10 x 1 mile with 2 minutes rest. It doesn't matter.