Runner's Pace Calculator
Calculate your ideal training paces based on your easy run pace for tempo runs, intervals, long runs, and more. Perfect for marathon training, 5K preparation, or general fitness running.
Training Pace Calculator
Running Workout Types Explained
Recovery Runs
Very easy runs designed to enhance recovery while maintaining activity. Should feel genuinely comfortable and never strenuous. These runs increase blood flow to muscles, helping them repair after harder workouts.
Long Slow Distance (LSD)
Longer runs at an easy, conversational pace. These build endurance, teach your body to use fat as fuel, and develop the cardiovascular system. The primary focus is on time spent running rather than intensity.
Progression Runs
These runs start easy and gradually increase in pace, finishing faster than you started. They teach your body to run faster when fatigued and develop pace awareness. Progression runs are excellent for marathon training.
Tempo Runs
"Comfortably hard" sustained efforts that improve your lactate threshold—the point at which lactic acid begins to accumulate in your muscles. You should be able to speak in short phrases, but not maintain a conversation. These runs significantly improve race performance.
Fartlek
Swedish for "speed play," these unstructured workouts alternate between faster and slower running based on feel or visual cues rather than strict timing. Fartlek training improves both aerobic and anaerobic fitness while keeping workouts fun and varied.
Intervals
Structured repeats of harder efforts with recovery periods. Great for improving VO2 max, running economy, and speed. Common interval workouts include 400m, 800m, or 1000m repeats with jogging recovery between each.
Hill Repeats
Running up hills at a hard effort, then recovering on the way down. Hill training builds strength, power, and proper running form. The incline reduces impact stress while maximizing cardiovascular benefits and muscle recruitment.
Training Pace Tips for Runners
Running at the correct pace for each workout type is crucial for maximizing training benefits while minimizing injury risk. Most runners make the mistake of running too fast on easy days and too slow on hard days.
The 80/20 rule suggests that approximately 80% of your training should be at an easy effort, with only 20% at moderate to hard intensities. This calculator helps you determine the appropriate pace for each workout based on your established easy run pace.
For beginners, focus primarily on easy runs and gradually introduce one quality workout (like a tempo run or intervals) per week. Advanced runners might include 2-3 quality sessions weekly, always separated by easy or recovery days.
Remember that environmental factors like heat, humidity, hills, and fatigue can affect your pace. Use these calculated paces as guidelines but always listen to your body and adjust accordingly.
