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It’s time to incorporate more effort-based training into your schedule.Running is both an art and a science in many ways, and sometimes, you choose whether you want to lean into the former or the latter. Such is the case when running by feel (art) or pace (science).

Running by feel is also known as effort-based training or going by your rate of perceived exertion (RPE). “We define perceived exertion as your own subjective intensity of effort, strain, discomfort, or fatigue that you experience during exercise,” says Luke Haile, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania. Your RPE is affected by numerous factors, from your emotional state to the weather to how well you slept the night before. “When you can understand it, it can really guide your training,” Haile says.

The easiest way to look at running by feel is on a scale of one to 10 (although some versions of RPE go up to 15 or 20), says Greg Laraia, a running coach at Motiv in New York City. One means you’re exercising with barely any effort at all while a 10 would be an all-out, can-barely-breathe effort. In practice, this looks like heading out to run at a six or seven for your easy runs (rather than at, say, 10-minute mile pace). 

If you know your body and your paces well, you can also run by feel sans RPE scale and just going off what an eight-minute mile ~feels~ like, for example. Experienced runners can get so good at knowing how a particular pace feels to them that they don’t even need the feedback from tech—they can simply decide that they want to run eight-minute miles and, more or less, nail it. 

But can ditching your watch and running by feel versus pace still get you to your goals? Read on to find out the pros and cons to both approaches, and how to know which is best for you. (Spoiler: Most likely, you’ll want to integrate a mix of both metrics!)

Pros of Running By Feel

“The real gift of running by feel is [that it’s] almost a mindfulness practice that, with training, allows you to feel how the body is in that moment and to take notice of how your feet feel, how your calves feel, down to your heart rate, breathing, noticing your sweating, and knowing what it feels like when you are at the right pace for a given goal,” says Haile.

The more in tune you get with your body and learn to listen to it, the more you learn when you have more to give to a run or when there’s something lurking under the surface, like an injury coming on, that isn’t allowing you to reach your full potential, Haile adds. 

Because of this, running by feel can help reduce your risk of injury or burnout, says Laraia. If you have a “bad” day but your training plan says you need to run at a higher heart rate zone or a particular pace, you might push yourself to hit that and overdo it. But if you’re running by feel, you keep your pace and heart rate in check (because it feels challenging enough). 

Cons of Running By Feel

For starters, running by feel may not be as accurate for novice runners: Haile and his team have conducted a number of experiments around RPE in both recreational and more experienced (not necessarily fast!) runners. 

“We’ll put somebody through a VO2 max test and see how hard they can actually go, then see how well they can reproduce intensities that are around that [same] anaerobic threshold because that’s really where race pace often lies,” says Haile. 

The verdict: The more experienced the runner, the better they tend to do at reproducing those same intensities. “To tell somebody that’s relatively inexperienced or beginner level to go out and sprint as hard as they can or run a 10 RPE, they might not run that hard,” says Laraia, because they don’t have context for what hard and really hard actually means. Four months later, it’s going to feel way different. (Still, he argues that this could be seen as a positive in some causes, because it shows there’s room for growth.)

Even for more experienced runners, though, accuracy varies. In one of Haile’s studies, published in the journal Perceptual Motor Skills, the 34 men involved in the research were less able to judge how hard they were actually working when running on a treadmill at relatively lower speeds and RPE, compared to working at a higher effort. Interestingly, “when intensity and RPE were higher, they had a finer perceptual acuity,” Haile says.

Another potential drawback is that it’s possible that running by feel can push runners too hard—or hold them back. “That’s where some of these other factors can come into play and cloud that mindful listening of the body,” says Haile. 

For example, maybe you’re exceeding your goal pace (or heart rate) because of some external motivational factors—like trying to run faster that your Strava friends—that are at play and this leads to overreaching. Or maybe there are emotional things going on that are causing you to feel things a little bit more physically when it’s not necessarily a physical issue. “We’ve all been in a place where emotionally it is draining and [that] doesn’t allow us to achieve what our body is actually capable of doing,” Haile says.

Finally, running by feel is more difficult to quantify. “There’s no measurable data,” Laraia says. “If you were to write down your RPE on paper, everyone’s looks the same because it’s based off the sensation that you’re feeling.”

Pros of Running by Pace

If you have a goal in mind, like a time goal for a race that’s attainable—and that’s a key word here—you want to take a more scientific approach, per Laraia. That could mean using your watch to nail a specific pace during each of your training runs. Doing so will enable you to hit the proper pace you need to achieve your race-day goal time. 

Practicing specific paces also allows you to test faster speeds and push your limits, which is important if your main goal is getting faster. If you’re running by feel all the time, it’s hard to see your progress in speed. 

As mentioned, running by pace may be the better bet for runners with less experience as it helps them to learn how it feels to stick to various paces, which they can then riff off of later in their training journey. To do that, you still want to tune into how you feel on the run, but you’re examining that based on the pace your running (rather than vice versa). Cons of Running by Pace

The main issue with this approach is that it doesn’t take into account all those aforementioned factors that can affect how you feel—physically and mentally—on a particular day. A 8:30-per-mile pace may feel easy on some days and really, really hard on others. 

“A lot of running, especially distance running, does come down to how you’re feeling mentally,” says Laraia, and he keeps this in mind when working with clients. “If they’re feeling great, by all means let’s go, but if they’re feeling shitty, I’m not going to force them to do a hard effort.” 

Again, pushing to hit a certain pace despite not feeling truly up for it can lead to injury and/or burnout. Take the long slow distance run for example: These efforts are meant to feel easy and should be done at a lower heart rate. If you’re trying to keep up with a specific pace, despite that pace actually feeling difficult, then you won’t gain the benefits of those long zone 2 efforts. 

Second, running by pace may drive runners to pursue unrealistic race goal times. With running by feel, you may realize that your original goal pace/finish time is too ambitious, and you can adjust accordingly. 

Pace vs Feel: How to Determine Which Metric Is Right for You

Everyone could probably benefit from running one or two runs per week by feel, based on all the above benefits! But just how much you lean into this artful approach depends on:

If you’re training for a race, whether it’s a 5K or a marathon, and have a particular time goal in mind, you’ll likely benefit from running most of your training runs by pace. And on race day, this becomes more important the longer the race is: “Sticking with pace early on especially is important when you don’t want to overdo it and then have nothing left or underdo it and then you have some left in the tank when the finish line’s already crossed,” Haile says. “Sometimes it seems that letting pace guide you early and then letting feel guide you later is something that works really well for runners.”

If you’re a new runner, it would be wise to opt for running by pace until you have enough runs under their belt to truly understand what various paces and efforts feel like. This is especially true if you eventually want to sign up for a race.

If you’re more experienced and/or aren’t training for a race (or don’t have a firm race-day goal), you may want to consider adding more runs by feel into your routine to benefit from the mindfulness aspect. 

Another option to add to the mix beyond running by pace versus feel would be to run based on your heart rate zones: Run your easy run at a low heart rate and your hard days in higher heart rate zones with your long runs in those middle ranges, Laraia explains. This somewhat straddles the line between running by pace and by feel as it’s more objective than the latter but more forgiving than the former. Tips for Running by Feel

Running by feel is a skill that you can improve. Haile suggests scheduling a couple of runs by feel per week, one easier and one harder, and during those sessions, pay extra attention to the different parts of your body and how you truly feel. You can’t know if a certain pace feels right, if you don’t really know what “right” is, after all. 

“When you’re really noticing it and feeling it (‘oh, that feels too fast’ or ‘this is too slow’) beyond whatever the [watch] is telling you, you can listen into your body and know that this is what is right [in this moment] given this heat or humidity or maybe this nice cool evening,” says Haile. 

Laraia also suggests taking some notes in a training journal after each run by feel. Consider how you felt at the start, middle, and end of the run and jot that down. You could then look at your watch data (even if you did not look during the run) to get a little more science- and data-driven and see where your heart rate was during each of those runs and cross-reference that with how you felt, per Laraia. Maybe mentally you felt great but your heart rate was a little elevated (for you). Having these little self check-ins is a good way to help make running by feel more accurate, Laraia explains.

“The biggest thing is just keeping in mind that it is just another tool in your toolbox versus an end-all be-all,” says Laraia. “It’s safe and it’s relatively reliable because it’s based on you, the person actually training or using it, which is great. The more time you practice and check in with yourself and either write it down or provide feedback to a coach, the better off you’ll be using it.”

Long before he became the fastest man in history, before the Olympic gold medals, world records, and global superstardom, Usain Bolt was simply a gifted teenager with extraordinary speed and limitless potential. In 2002, on the track at Kingston's National Stadium in Jamaica, the world witnessed the first chapter of a story that would forever change athletics.

At just 15 years old, Bolt lined up for the men's 200 metres at the World Junior Championships with the weight of expectation resting on young shoulders. Competing before a passionate home crowd, the Jamaican prodigy produced a performance that instantly captivated the athletics world. Crossing the finish line in 20.61 seconds, he became the youngest athlete ever to win the men's 200m title at the championships.

It was far more than a gold medal. It was the moment the world realised that a once-in-a-generation talent had arrived.

Bolt's victory in Kingston marked the beginning of one of the greatest careers in sporting history. Over the years that followed, he rewrote the record books, dominated the Olympic Games and World Championships, and transformed sprinting into a global spectacle through his breathtaking speed, infectious personality, and unrivalled confidence. His legacy continues to inspire young athletes across the globe, many of whom dream of following the same path he once began as a teenager.

This week, that dream comes alive once again as the World Athletics U20 Championships take centre stage at the iconic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The venue has already witnessed the birth of future superstars. In 2014, it was where Britain's Dina Asher-Smith and Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei captured their first global titles, launching careers that would later produce world championships, Olympic medals, and lasting legacies in athletics.

Twelve years later, another generation arrives in Eugene hoping to create its own defining moment.

Among the brightest young talents is Great Britain's Jake Odey-Jordan, the 200m bronze medallist from Lima who now owns the European U20 100m record after an astonishing 10.01-second performance. He enters the championships eager to build on his growing reputation as one of Europe's most exciting young sprinters.

The United States will look to Tate Taylor, who has already made history as the first American high school athlete to break the 20-second barrier for the 200 metres. Fresh from a Diamond League victory in a sensational 19.75 seconds, he arrives in Eugene carrying the momentum of one of the most remarkable junior seasons ever recorded.

Jamaica, the nation that introduced the world to Usain Bolt, will once again have high hopes through Shanoya Douglas. The talented sprinter has established herself as one of the championship's leading contenders after producing lifetime bests of 10.98 seconds for the 100m and 22.11 for the 200m this season.

History has repeatedly shown that the World U20 Championships are far more than a junior competition. They are often the first chapter in the careers of future Olympic champions, world record holders, and global icons. Every generation arrives with ambitious dreams, but only a select few leave having announced themselves to the world.

No one can say with certainty whether the next Usain Bolt will emerge this week. Greatness cannot be predicted, and legends are never manufactured. Yet every legendary career begins with a single breakthrough performance.

For Bolt, that defining moment came in Kingston in 2002.

Now, under the famous lights of Hayward Field, another group of gifted teenagers stands ready to chase history. Somewhere among them could be the next athlete whose name will inspire the world for years to come.

"An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head." More than seventy years after those words were spoken, they remain among the most powerful messages ever shared in distance running. They are often quoted as simple motivation, but behind them lies a remarkable story of sacrifice, courage, conviction, and an unwavering belief that true greatness is never measured by financial reward.

Few athletes have left a legacy as enduring as Emil Zátopek. Known around the world as "The Czech Locomotive" for his relentless determination and unmistakable running style, he redefined what was possible in endurance racing. His legendary performance at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki still ranks among the greatest achievements in athletics history. In the space of just nine days, he captured Olympic gold in the 5,000 meters, the 10,000 meters, and, incredibly, the marathon—a race he had never attempted before.

Yet the world in which Zátopek competed was vastly different from today's professional athletics landscape. During the 1950s, elite sport officially operated under strict amateur rules. Olympic athletes were forbidden from accepting prize money or earning a living directly from competition, although unofficial financial arrangements existed in many sports. Zátopek himself never raced for appearance fees or lucrative prize purses. Instead, he served as an officer in the Czechoslovak People's Army, receiving a military salary while representing his country. Running brought him glory, but not personal wealth.

It was within that environment that his famous words carried genuine meaning. For Zátopek, success was never driven by the promise of money. He believed the greatest performances were fueled by hope, ambition, discipline, and the courage to pursue dreams that seemed impossible. Those qualities, rather than financial incentives, formed the foundation of lasting excellence.

With the benefit of history, his words carry even greater significance. In 1968, during the Prague Spring, Zátopek openly supported democratic reforms in Czechoslovakia. When the movement was crushed, he paid a heavy personal price for standing by his principles. He was stripped of his military rank, removed from public life, and forced into years of manual labor. The man who had once stood proudly atop the Olympic podium found himself performing physically demanding jobs, far removed from the stadiums where he had inspired millions.

His story reminds us that the values he expressed were not empty words crafted for public admiration. He lived by them, even when doing so came at enormous personal cost. His belief that hope and conviction mattered more than material rewards became evident not only in the races he won, but also in the hardships he endured with remarkable dignity.

Distance running has changed dramatically since Zátopek's era. Today's elite athletes compete in a fully professional sport where prize money, sponsorship contracts, appearance fees, and endorsement deals can be worth millions. Success on the track and roads now offers opportunities that were unimaginable during the age of amateur competition. Professionalism has transformed the sport, allowing athletes to train full-time, access world-class coaching and sports science, and build financially secure careers.

Yet despite these changes, the essence of Zátopek's message has never lost its relevance.

Every elite runner naturally hopes to earn a good living from years of dedication and sacrifice. There is nothing wrong with financial success, and the rewards available today have elevated the standard of competition across the world. But history consistently shows that money alone is rarely enough to sustain greatness. The athletes whose careers endure the longest are often those driven by an inner passion to improve, to test their limits, and to chase excellence for its own sake. Financial rewards become the result of that commitment, not the reason for it.

When competition is motivated solely by wealth, its deeper purpose can fade. But when an athlete races with genuine belief, relentless determination, and an unwavering dream, extraordinary performances often follow naturally.

That is why Emil Zátopek's words continue to resonate across generations. His legacy extends far beyond Olympic medals and world records. It lives in every runner who laces up their shoes with a goal that cannot be measured in dollars, every athlete who refuses to surrender when the race becomes painful, and every competitor who understands that the greatest victories begin long before the finish line.

The economics of distance running may have evolved beyond recognition, but the heart of the sport remains unchanged. Every athlete still arrives at the starting line carrying something far more valuable than money—hope in their heart and dreams in their head. Those invisible qualities have always been, and will always remain, the true fuel of greatness.

Winning a major championship is never just about crossing the finish line first. Behind every gold medal lies a carefully crafted race plan, and Josh Kerr's unforgettable Commonwealth Games triumph in Glasgow was a perfect example of tactical brilliance meeting extraordinary finishing speed.

While the final time of 3:54.12 for the mile will be remembered as the official result, the split times reveal a much deeper story—one of patience, precision, and devastating acceleration when it mattered most.

Kerr resisted any temptation to force the pace from the gun. Instead, he settled into a controlled rhythm, allowing the opening stages to unfold naturally. His first four 100-metre segments—14.9, 15.1, 15.3 and 15.1 seconds—brought him through 400 metres in 60.4 seconds, a measured opening that conserved valuable energy while keeping him firmly in contention.

The second lap remained equally composed. Passing 500 metres in 15.3 seconds before recording splits of 15.7, 16.2 and 15.4, Kerr reached 800 metres in 2:03.0. The pace had eased, but that was exactly where the Scottish star wanted to be. Rather than chasing early speed, he was setting the stage for a decisive finish.

Everything changed after halfway.

Kerr gradually increased the tempo with smooth, controlled acceleration. His 900-metre and 1,000-metre splits of 15.2 and 14.9 seconds signalled that the race was beginning to stretch. He then surged through 1,100 metres in 14.3 seconds before covering the next 100 metres in just 13.4 seconds to reach 1,200 metres in 3:00.8.

From there, the home crowd witnessed championship running at its finest.

Instead of fading, Kerr became even stronger. He reeled off three consecutive 100-metre splits of 13.4, 13.4 and 12.8 seconds, dismantling the field with every stride. His final 100 metres were covered in a stunning 12.5 seconds, sealing an emphatic victory and sending the Glasgow crowd into celebration.

The progression of his race was remarkable. After opening with relaxed 15-second splits, Kerr transformed the closing stages into a demonstration of world-class speed endurance. His ability to accelerate continuously over the final 600 metres highlighted not only exceptional fitness but also supreme confidence in his race plan.

Championship middle-distance racing is rarely about producing the fastest possible time from the start. More often, it rewards athletes who understand when to conserve energy and when to unleash everything they have left. Kerr executed that philosophy to perfection.

His split chart paints the picture of a runner who never panicked, never wasted effort, and saved his greatest weapon for the closing stages. It was a textbook display of patience followed by relentless aggression—a combination that turned a tactical race into a memorable Commonwealth gold medal performance.

For aspiring middle-distance runners, Kerr's Glasgow masterpiece offers an important lesson: the strongest finish often belongs not to the athlete who runs hardest from the gun, but to the one who knows exactly when to make their move. On home soil, Josh Kerr timed that move to perfection, producing a performance that will stand as one of the defining moments of the championships.

At just nine years old, Oliver Smith has achieved something extraordinary—not by chasing records or medals, but by proving that determination, compassion, and consistency can create a life-changing impact.

Hailing from Wombwell, on the outskirts of Barnsley, Oliver set himself a remarkable challenge at the beginning of the year. Rather than attempting a single marathon, he decided to complete the equivalent distance of nine marathons over several months. From January 1 to April 26, the young runner covered an incredible 380 kilometres, breaking the distance into manageable daily runs suitable for a child his age.

His routine was built on dedication. Saturdays were reserved for parkrun events, Sundays for junior parkrun, while the remaining kilometres were steadily accumulated throughout the week. Averaging approximately 3.3 kilometres each day, Oliver never lost sight of the goal that inspired every step.

The challenge carried deep personal meaning. Last summer, Oliver's father, Tom Smith, suffered a devastating health setback after losing most of the vision in one eye. Medical examinations revealed a 4-centimetre meningioma wrapped around his optic nerve, leading to a complex 12-hour operation at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.

Throughout the family's difficult journey, The Brain Tumour Charity provided invaluable guidance, support, and reassurance. Grateful for the help his family received, Oliver decided he wanted to give back in the most meaningful way he could. He launched a fundraising campaign with an initial goal of raising £2,000 to support others facing similar challenges.

What followed exceeded everyone's expectations.

Oliver brought his incredible fundraising challenge to a memorable conclusion at the Mini London Marathon, finishing on the very same day his mother, Hannah Smith, completed her first-ever London Marathon. It was a fitting family celebration of courage, resilience, and perseverance.

By the time Oliver crossed the finish line, donations had soared beyond £16,500—more than eight times his original target. His remarkable achievement captured the hearts of supporters, demonstrating how one young boy's determination could unite an entire community behind an important cause.

For Oliver, however, the journey is far from over. Inspired by the overwhelming support and the difference his efforts have made, he has already begun working toward his next fundraising challenge.

His story serves as a powerful reminder that age is no barrier to making a meaningful difference. Sometimes, the greatest acts of courage are measured not by speed or distance, but by the willingness to take one small step after another for the benefit of others.

Oliver Smith's inspiring journey is more than a fundraising success—it is a testament to the strength of family, the power of kindness, and the extraordinary impact that can begin with the simplest decision to help.

Sometimes the smallest opportunity creates the greatest triumph, and Jamaica's Navasky Anderson proved exactly that with a stunning performance to capture the men's 800m title at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Less than 24 hours after scraping into the final by the slimmest of margins, Anderson produced the race of his life, surging to victory in 1:45.33 to complete one of the most remarkable comeback stories of the championships. His gold medal was not only a reward for exceptional talent but also for courage, determination, and unwavering belief when everything was on the line.

The journey to the top nearly ended in the semifinals. Locked in an intense battle with England's Max Burgin for the final qualification place, Anderson threw himself across the finish line in a dramatic dive, stopping the clock at 1:45.38. That desperate effort earned him the last available place in the final as the fastest non-automatic qualifier, keeping his Commonwealth dream alive by the narrowest of margins.

With another chance in his hands, the Jamaican made sure it counted.

In a fiercely contested final, Anderson displayed outstanding tactical awareness and patience throughout the opening stages before unleashing a devastating finishing kick down the home straight. His perfectly timed acceleration left the rest of the field with no answer as he crossed the finish line first, securing a memorable Commonwealth crown and one of Jamaica's standout victories of the Games.

Australia's Luke Boyes delivered an impressive performance to claim the silver medal in 1:45.93, while Kenya's Wyclife Kinyamal battled strongly to take bronze in 1:46.12 after another highly competitive championship race.

Anderson's unforgettable triumph will be remembered as one of the defining moments of Glasgow 2026—a powerful reminder that championships are not always won by the fastest qualifier, but often by the athlete who refuses to surrender. From a fearless dive that kept his hopes alive to a brilliant gold-medal performance less than a day later, the Jamaican wrote one of the most inspiring chapters of these Commonwealth Games.

Men's 800m Final Results

1. Navasky Anderson (Jamaica) — 1:45.33

2. Luke Boyes (Australia) — 1:45.93

3. Wyclife Kinyamal (Kenya) — 1:46.12

Navasky Anderson arrived in the final as the last man to qualify, but he left Glasgow as the Commonwealth champion—a remarkable transformation that perfectly captures the unpredictable beauty of championship athletics.