The Susie Chan Steady State Run Beats Speed Work

The Susie Chan Steady State Run: 1 Habit Worth Copying

She has run some of the toughest ultramarathons on the planet, and her favorite session of the week is still the slow one.

The Susie Chan steady state run has become something of a signature session for the Peloton instructor, and according to a new feature from Fit&Well, it is the one workout she refuses to skip. Chan has completed four Marathon des Sables races and set a 12-hour treadmill world record, yet her favorite weekly run is not built for speed. It follows the same philosophy behind the 135-minute moderate pace long run she brought to Peloton’s Pace Your Race Program earlier this year.

Chan told the outlet, “My favorite thing to do is a steady state run.” That preference has held since she took up running in her mid-30s, and it comes down to something simpler than pace: company.

Why the Susie Chan Steady State Run Works

For Chan, the appeal is social first and physical second. She runs most Sundays with friends, several of whom have joined her on past ultramarathon attempts, covering trails around Hampshire in the UK. Running with others sets a natural rhythm that solo training rarely does, and it removes the temptation to push pace just to get the session over with.

 

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The rule is simple. Keep the effort conversational. If you cannot hold a conversation, the pace is too fast. That threshold, sometimes called zone 2 training, builds aerobic capacity without the fatigue that harder sessions leave behind, which is part of why it survives in a demanding training week when other workouts get cut.

The Physiology Behind It

Chan describes steady, conversational-pace running as one of the foundations of the sport, and the physiology backs her up. Training at an easy effort improves the body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently, which supports faster paces later without demanding more from the runner in the moment. It is also far more sustainable than constant high-intensity work, since the lighter physical toll makes it easier to show up for the next run.

That approach mirrors how Chan has built her own career. Rather than treating every session as a test, she saves her hardest efforts for race day and treats the rest as maintenance.

Bringing the Habit to Peloton

Members do not need a trail in Hampshire to borrow the idea. Peloton’s Pace Your Race marathon program builds steady, conversational-pace long runs into its 18-week structure, and Chan leads one of the program’s Long Run sessions herself. Members who prefer training outside can apply the same principle during the Peloton Great Outdoor Challenge, running through the end of August. (Sidenote: they recently clarified that to earn the badge your classes need to be Peloton classes, not just outdoor tracking.)

Whether the goal is a first 5K or a fall marathon, the idea behind the Susie Chan steady state run stays the same. Find a pace that lets you talk, bring people along if you can, and treat the easy days as seriously as the hard ones.

Do you find this approach to help your training?

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