Training Paces: How to Calculate Them From a Race
Getting your training paces right is what separates training with a plan from just going out for a run. From what I see around me, most recreational runners make the same mistake: they run their easy days too fast and their hard days too slow. They end up in that “no man’s land” where they neither recover nor improve. Luckily, the time from a recent race tells you how fast each session should be. In this guide I explain where those paces come from and how I use them to organize the week.
Why you shouldn’t always run at the same pace
Every session has a different goal, and every goal has its own pace. If you always run at the same speed, which is what half the world does, you stop improving.
Easy days need to be easy, because their job is to build your base without leaving you tired for tomorrow. Quality days, intervals and threshold work, are where you push. When you mix the two and run your easy days too fast and your hard days too gently, you don’t train either one well. That is why it pays to work out your paces and to stick to them.
Where your training paces come from: your race time
A recent race result is the best snapshot of your current fitness. From a 5K, 10K or half marathon time you can estimate your aerobic capacity and, from there, the pace for each type of session.
The idea behind it is equivalent performances. If you run a 5K in a given time, that time predicts fairly reliably what you could do over other distances and how fast you should train. The best-known system is the VDOT model from coach and physiologist Jack Daniels, and most of the pace tables and calculators out there come from it. You don’t need a lab test. One well-run race is enough to start.
The race does need to be recent and representative, though. If you use a result from a year ago, when you were in different shape, the paces you get won’t fit you.
The five pace zones
Every method has its nuances, but almost all of them work with these five.
1. Easy pace
The comfortable pace, the one for most of your kilometers. You should be able to talk in full sentences without gasping. It builds your aerobic base and helps you recover. I go into detail in the guide on how to train in zone 2.
2. Marathon pace
One step above easy. It is the pace you could hold for a marathon, and it teaches your body to stay efficient for a long time.
3. Threshold pace (tempo)
The famous “comfortably hard” pace, the one you could hold for about an hour in a race. As a reference, it is usually 15 to 20 seconds per kilometer slower than your 10K pace. It is one of the zones that gives you the most return, because it improves your ability to sustain a high effort without fatigue taking over.
4. Interval pace (VO2 max)
The pace for hard intervals, close to your maximum. It develops your maximal aerobic capacity and is done in repetitions with recovery between them.
5. Repetition pace (speed)
The fastest one, for very short reps. It improves your running economy, technique and raw speed.
How to calculate your training paces without the hassle
You could work these zones out by hand with formulas, but it is tedious and easy to get wrong. That is what our training pace calculator is for. Enter the distance and time of a recent race you ran all out, and it gives you the pace for each zone: easy, marathon, threshold, intervals and repetitions.
If you want to know what time you could run over another distance, there is also the race time predictor, which works with the same logic.
How to apply your training paces to the week
Having your training paces is only half the job. The other half is using them well, and this is where I see the most mistakes.
Most of your kilometers should be easy. Quality work is the icing, not the cake. And easy means easy: the most common mistake is running easy days too fast, which leaves you flat for the days that matter.
Don’t overdo the fast zones either. Intervals and repetitions are very demanding, and for a recreational runner one or two quality sessions a week are usually enough. If you need ideas, here are the 5 interval workouts for a 10K I like most.
Finally, recalculate when you improve. If you run a faster race, your fitness has changed and so have your paces. Training with the old ones keeps you below what you can do.
If you are preparing a specific race, find it in the race directory and adjust your paces to that distance. For longer races, don’t forget nutrition: there is a guide on what to eat before, during and after a race and the race carb calculator.
Conclusion
Working out your training paces from a race is the simplest way to train with judgment instead of by feel. The five zones are easy, marathon, threshold, intervals and repetitions, and each has its job. Get your paces from a recent race, run each day at the pace it calls for, respect the easy days and update them when you improve. Choose well, run better.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my training paces?
The easiest way is to take the time from a recent race you ran all out and enter it in a pace calculator. It gives you the recommended pace for each zone: easy, marathon, threshold, intervals and repetitions. It is far more reliable than guessing.
Which race should I use to calculate my training paces?
Any distance you have run all out recently. A 5K or 10K are the most common choices. What matters is that it reflects your current fitness, because an old result will give you unrealistic paces.
How fast should my easy runs be?
At a pace where you can talk in full sentences without gasping. As a reference, well over a minute per kilometer slower than your 10K pace. Running them too fast is the most common mistake and stops you from recovering for your quality days.
How often should I recalculate my training paces?
Every time you run a faster race or notice a clear change in fitness. If you keep using old paces, you will train below your real level.
How many quality sessions should I do per week?
For a recreational runner, one or two interval or threshold sessions a week are usually enough. The rest of your kilometers should be easy.
