A watch that reports pace every few seconds can still make you run less smoothly. On a hard 400-meter lap, a reading 15 seconds per mile too slow might prompt you to surge; a moment later, a reading 10 seconds too fast might make you ease off. You end up chasing the display instead of holding the effort the workout calls for.
Ultramarathon runner and USA Triathlon-certified coach Nick Farr, owner of P3 Fitness, calls this the “yo-yo runner” problem. The name fits: live pace can lag when speed changes quickly because it relies on recent GPS data, and trees, buildings, tight turns, and other signal obstacles can make the number jump. Follow every fluctuation and your running may start to jump around too.
That’s more than a screen annoyance. A workout meant to build a particular quality can turn into something else, with less chance of producing the intended gains. Farr says live pace is useful, but only as one input to a pacing decision. The right cue depends on the workout: elapsed time, pace averaged across an interval, or perceived effort may tell you more than a momentary GPS estimate.
If you’re choosing cues for speed, threshold work, or a steady aerobic long run, the aim is to deliver the workout’s intended stress and still leave room for recovery. That starts with knowing what your watch’s pace fields actually represent.
What your watch’s pace numbers tell you
Several watch fields can display minutes per mile, but they summarize different parts of a run. Pick the wrong one and you may be reacting to a reading that’s slow to settle, too broad to guide a short rep, or simply poorly matched to the task.
Current pace estimates how fast you’re moving now. Farr says it can help during a sustained effort, but GPS delay and interruptions make it unreliable when you change speed quickly.
Lap pace averages your speed over the lap or interval you’re running. It takes time to settle, much like current pace, but gives a steadier indication of how a longer rep is tracking.
Overall average pace covers the entire run or race. It won’t tell you much about a single short interval, but it can help you judge the accumulated effort of a steady run, a long run, or a race.
There’s no single best field for every session. “The best metric is really dependent on what we’re trying to accomplish in that run,” Farr says. Set your watch to show the information that answers that question, rather than accepting whichever metric its first screen happened to display.
Short speed reps: use time and distance
For efforts lasting 30 to 90 seconds, Farr’s advice is to use the watch as a stopwatch, especially on a track. The track gives you distance; the watch gives you elapsed time. As Farr puts it, “Time and distance never lie.”
For a two-minute 400-meter repeat, check your time at fixed points instead of trying to correct every live-pace wobble. You should reach 100 meters—the straightaway—in about 30 seconds, the 200-meter mark, or half a lap, in 60 seconds, and 300 meters in 90 seconds. Then cross the line at two minutes. Those checkpoints give you a useful reference without letting a tight oval’s GPS readings dictate your stride.
The same idea can work on roads and trails, where landmarks help replace a track’s measured marks. On a two-minute quarter-mile rep, reaching roughly 0.12 to 0.13 miles at the one-minute point suggests you’re on pace.
Pair those checks with an effort rating on a 1-to-10 rate of perceived exertion (RPE) scale, where 10 is all-out. “If pace is the outcome and effort’s the input,” Farr says, “it’s important to pay attention to that effort piece.”
Longer reps and tempo sessions: use lap pace
Once a rep lasts long enough for the average to settle, lap pace becomes more useful. That can mean 800-meter reps, mile repeats, cruise intervals, or longer tempo segments. Instead of responding to each brief fluctuation, you can use the lap average to see how the full interval is going.
If you’re a little behind your target halfway through a rep, a modest increase may bring the average closer to your goal. The word “modest” matters: lap pace gives you a basis for adjusting, not a reason to turn a controlled interval into a sprint.
RPE still belongs in the decision. Heat, fatigue, or other conditions can make a familiar pace feel much harder, so the watch’s average should be read alongside how the effort feels.
Long runs: look at the whole run, then check for a fade
For a steady long run, overall average pace can help you keep track of cumulative effort. The goal is usually to manage the run as a whole, rather than correct every faster or slower stretch.
Farr also recommends checking lap times late in the run. Instead of relying on the automatic mile splits many watches use, create a few manual half-mile or mile splits near the end. They can expose a late fade that the overall average conceals, while the average still gives you a view of the full run.
Terrain should shape pace too. “Maintain the same effort, not the same pace,” says Kai Ng, a New York City-based RRCA- and USATF-certified run coach, as he previously told Runner’s World. On a run intended to stay aerobic, let your pace ease on climbs and pick up on descents if that’s what it takes to keep effort consistent.
Set up your watch before the workout
A new watch won’t know which information matters to your training. Farr recommends building a display that puts useful information within easy reach.
His basic setup puts current pace, lap time, lap distance, and lap pace on the main screen, with heart rate on a second page. For intervals, he can press the lap button at the start of each rep—or program the laps in advance—and get a fresh set of figures. On an ordinary easy run, leaving the lap alone keeps the total time, distance, and average pace for the full outing.
Build your own screens around the sessions you do most. Track reps call for lap time and distance; longer intervals and tempo work benefit from lap pace. On long runs, show overall average pace alongside a recent lap pace. For easy days, try a simpler screen with time, distance, and heart rate—and no pace. Practice changing screens and pressing the lap button on low-pressure runs, so the controls are familiar when you need them.
Over the next few weeks, compare the watch’s numbers with what the effort feels like. That can help you build a more reliable sense of pace, one rep and long run at a time. The goal is for the watch to confirm your judgment, not make it for you.
When it helps to ignore the watch
Easy runs
Easy runs are a good time to let feel lead. Farr encourages his athletes to spend less time looking at their watches; if the habit is hard to break, covering the display can help. Breathing, heart rate, and perceived effort can all help keep the run easy. Heart rate is still useful, provided you’re not watching every small change as it happens. Most coaches suggest an RPE of 3 or 4 out of 10 for these runs.
Heat, humidity, and elevation can make a pace that usually feels comfortable much harder. Chasing the usual number under those conditions can turn a recovery run into a demanding workout.
Strides
Strides are brief accelerations, often just 15 to 30 seconds. That’s generally too short for live pace to catch up or lap pace to settle, so Farr recommends using RPE instead.
A stride should feel fast and powerful, around 7 to 9 out of 10, while staying controlled. It isn’t an all-out sprint. Keep your shoulders relaxed, turn your legs over quickly, and aim for smooth mechanics.
Matt Rudisill has been an Associate Service Editor at Runner’s World since 2025. He graduated from Penn State in 2022 with a journalism degree and spent three years in communications for the university’s athletic department, serving as the main contact and photographer for its nationally ranked cross country and track and field teams. He also worked on communications for Penn State football, men’s basketball, and women’s gymnastics. At Runner’s World, he has interviewed Olympians, world champions, and other experts for service articles aimed at helping runners of all ages and experience levels train smarter and race faster. Away from running, he tweets bad takes about the Phillies and watches movies.
