Running - pace

[redsky75]

Hi, I've been running (jogging really) two or three times a week for the last couple of years. I love it most of the time, I usually do 5k each time I go out. Today I had a lovely run, 6k, breathing was spot on, felt breathless but not uncomfortably so and generally just enjoyed the scenery, the music etc. When I came home I checked my pace and it was so slow...average was over 7mins per km. sometimes I do about 6.30 mins per km. quite often when I've been a bit faster though I haven't really loved it and just endured it really. What I'm asking is how important is speed/pace v enjoyment?

I wouldn't worry about it, an enjoyable run is always good and most people train far too fast. There's a training approach called MAAF (google it) which advocates keeping your heart rate in the aerobic zone only and doing very little speed works. It seems to work well for those who stick it, i don't have the patience to do it! A good guide for training pace is that you should be able to hold a conversation (in that ideal world where we could have a running buddy!).

That's really interesting, just read an article about it and I think it could be something I could do to help me go further and maybe faster although enjoyment is important obviously!

It's just MAF I think

It depends what you want to get from your running. If you are just enjoying running for the sake of it then pace doesn't matter at all. If you want to set targets and get faster or if you are entering races and aiming for a certain time then pace will matter more.
Personally I fall somewhere in the middle - I mostly run for enjoyment, and mostly on trails so I tend not to focus on pace as the terrain is so changeable (and I like to enjoy scenery). But if I have a race coming up I also want to do as well as I can so I'll do a bit of speedwork to get me faster.
I find that intervals and hill reps are good for increasing pace, and also think about your cadence - faster cadence with shorter strides will tend to increase your pace too.
But if you are just enjoying the run then don't spoil the simple pleasure of that.