Because a pace number on its own tells you almost nothing about the runner behind it — not their age, their terrain, their training history, or even whether their watch measured the route accurately. "Stop comparing your pace" isn't a platitude; it's a practical warning that the comparison you're making is probably meaningless, and that chasing it can talk you out of real progress.
Why do people keep saying this?
Because it comes up constantly, in both directions. Slower beginners see faster splits online and feel like they're failing. Faster beginners post a genuine personal best and get told they're being competitive or "in the wrong place" for sharing it. Both reactions point at the same root problem: pace, stripped of context, is a terrible way to judge how well someone is doing.
A runner's pace depends on dozens of things that never show up in the number itself — height and stride length, hills versus flat ground, heat and humidity, how many months or years they've been running, whether they're racing or jogging easy, even how their watch calibrated that particular route. Two runners who feel exactly equally challenged can post paces that are minutes apart per kilometer. Comparing the numbers compares almost nothing real.
Isn't a faster pace still objectively better, though?
Not in any way that matters for a beginner. Speed is a byproduct of time spent running consistently, not a target to chase directly. A runner who's been training for three years will almost always be faster than someone in week two — that gap says nothing about who is trying harder, who "deserves" to call themselves a runner, or who is more likely to stick with it. It just says one of them has more months behind them.
This is exactly why running forums are full of both extremes reacting to the same advice. The slower beginner worrying about an 11-minute kilometer and the faster beginner getting side-eyed for a quick 5K personal best are dealing with the identical mistake: measuring their run against a stranger's run instead of against their own last run.
So what should I actually compare my pace to?
Your own history — and nothing else. A few useful comparisons:
- This run versus your last few runs — are you covering the same distance a little more comfortably than a month ago?
- How you felt, not just the clock — did today's effort feel easier at the same pace, or did the same effort produce a faster pace?
- Consistency over time — are you still showing up three times a week, whatever the number says?
None of these require knowing what anyone else on the internet ran today. They're the only comparisons that actually track your own improvement.
What's the harm in comparing anyway?
Mostly that it changes your behavior in the wrong direction. Runners who fixate on beating a stranger's pace tend to start faster than they should, skip the easy runs that build real fitness, and burn out or get hurt chasing a number that was never actually about them. Others get so discouraged by the comparison that they quit before their own progress has had time to show up — often within just a few weeks of consistent running.
If you want a deeper look at why a genuinely slow-feeling pace is completely fine early on, is 11 min/km too slow? breaks down why the number matters far less than showing up. And for the numbers that do exist as a rough reference point, what is a good running pace for beginners? covers the talk test and typical ranges without turning them into a scoreboard.
How do I actually stop doing it?
Try a comfortable session without watching pace continuously. If you use a phone, set it up before leaving and pause somewhere safe before reading stats or adjusting it. The LULURUN 360° rotating running armband is one compatible carry option; some movement is normal.
FAQ
Is it ever useful to compare my pace to someone else's? Only if you know their exact context — same route, similar experience level, comparable conditions — and even then it's rarely worth the mental energy. Comparing your own runs to each other is almost always more useful.
Why do faster beginners get told to stop comparing too? Because the same instinct — measuring yourself against someone else's number instead of your own progress — can push a fast beginner toward overtraining or feeling entitled to judge slower runners, neither of which helps anyone run happier.
Will comparing paces ever motivate me instead of discouraging me? For some people, briefly. But it tends to wear off fast, because it's not tied to anything you actually control. Comparing this month to last month keeps working for as long as you keep running.
Run happy, run free.