Where to run in Paris? Our favorite places to do split sessions, jogging and paces

Published by Margot de Sortiraparis · Photos by Graziella de Sortiraparis · Published on December 3rd, 2023 at 03:41 p.m.
Running in the city is no easy matter: even more so if you live in a particularly urbanized district, with lots of uneven ground... Not to mention the inconvenience caused to pedestrians and cyclists by our pace. So, here's a selection of the places where we prefer to run, whether you're planning a jogging, split, pace or hill session!

First of all, let's brush up on the basics of running: if you're an amateur, we bet you've already heard of jogging sessions, where you have to adopt a rather slow pace (you should be able to hold a conversation) so as to build up your endurance and push your body to maintain the effort for longer. These sessions are run at a pace known as"basic endurance".

At a more intense level, there are short split sessions, which allow you to run at your maximum speed for very short periods, generally ranging from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. For example, many runners train on split sessions by repeating the 30-30 rhythm (30 seconds hard, 30 seconds rest) 10, 15, 20 or 30 times. Sometimes, short splits need to be done on hills, to strengthen your muscles and prepare your body for the different gradients: these are the dreaded hill sessions!

There are also long split sessions, most often used to prepare you to maintain a certain pace during a 10 km race, a half-marathon or a marathon. In these sessions, you're asked either to run at a certain pace (e.g. 5:30 per kilometer) over several kilometers, or to maintain an effort over several minutes (e.g. 8 minutes at 5:30 per kilometer).

For each of these sessions - fundamental endurance, hill workouts, short splits or long splits - it's strategic to know where to do them correctly, to maximize your chances of finishing your race on target! So we've come up with a selection of places to go, depending on your sports programme for the day.

For a fundamental endurance session

Jogging is the "all-purpose" session that you can do wherever you like: if you live near a park or not far from the Quais de Seine, it's perfect! We also recommend :
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For a short split session

There's nothing better than an athletics stadium for running laps at top speed when you're doing a split session. And that's just as well, because many of them are open to the public!


For a hill session

This time, it's the gradient that counts, and that's what we're looking for: you'll find it in Montmartre with its famous staircases, in the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont or in the Parc de la Butte du Chapeau Rouge, perfect for this kind of session!

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For a long-distance split or pace session (marathon, half-marathon, 10 km...)

This time, especially if you're preparing for a road race, we'd advise you to opt for the flat: it's easier when you have to keep up a fairly fast pace, and above all, you don't have to run 15 laps of the stadium when you have to keep up a pace of 4 kilometers. We recommend choosing a fairly flat park for this type of session, such as the quays of the Seine or the banks of the Canal de l'Ourcq!

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So get your sneakers on and let's go for a run in the capital!

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