The
Runner's World Running Pace
Calculator
The most
important thing all runners need to know about their
training is: What pace should I run during my
workouts?
RW's Training Pace Calculator will answer this basic
question for you, and suggest a number of key workouts.
To use the
Training Pace Calculator, follow these simple steps: (1)
Input your time from a recent 5-K, 5-mile or 10-K, or a
time that you could reasonably complete at one of these
distances in your present condition; (2) Choose if you
want to receive your training paces in minutes per mile,
or minutes per kilometer; (3) Click on the
"calculate" button; (4) Read the additional
information about the training paces that are displayed.
Special
Note: Please read the brief but important
Putting
It All Together.
Easy runs
Top coaches and
exercise physiologists believe that most runners should
do 80 to 90 percent of their weekly training at the easy
run pace (this includes your long runs, done at
approximately the same pace). Easy runs build your
aerobic fitness, and your muscular and skeletal
strength. They also help you burn more calories and
recover for harder workouts.
::top
Tempo runs
Tempo
runs help you improve your running economy and your
running form. They are often described as "hard but
controlled" runs, and they will help you prepare
for races of 10,000 meters to the marathon. Tempo
workouts generally fall into one of two categories:
steady runs of 2 to 6 miles; or long intervals with
short recoveries. Here's an
example of the latter: 4 x 1 mile at tempo run pace
with 2 minutes of recovery jogging between repeats. You
should do tempo runs no more than once a week, and they
should make up no more than 10 to 15 percent of your
total training.
::top
Maximum-oxygen runs
Maximum-oxygen workouts help you improve
your running economy and your racing sharpness. These
workouts are often called "interval workouts,"
and are most useful when you are preparing for a race of
5000 meters to half-marathon. Here's an example of a good
maximum-oxygen workout: 6 x 800 meters at
maximum-oxygen pace with 4 to 6 minutes of recovery
jogging between repeats. You should do maximum-oxygen
workouts no more than once a week, and they should make
up no more than 6 to 10 percent of your total training.
(When you run these workouts, you are running at or near
100 percent of your maximum oxygen capacity, which
scientists call max VO2; hence the name for these runs.)
::top
Speed-form runs
Speed-form
workouts help you improve your running economy, form and
leg speed. These are also interval workouts tailored to
help you prepare for races of 800 meters to 5000 meters.
Here's an example of a good speed-form workout: 8
x 400 meters at speed-form pace with 3 to 4 minutes of
recovery jogging between repeats. You should do
speed-form workouts no more than once a week, and they
should make up no more than 4 to 8 percent of your total
training.
::top
Yasso 800s
Yasso 800s are an invention of Runner's
World staffer Bart Yasso, who has run more than 50
marathons and ultramarathons. Because of their
simplicity, Yasso 800s have proven popular and useful
for marathoners worldwide. Basically, Bart says that if
you want to run a marathon in 2:45, 3:29 or 4:11, you
should train to the point where you can run 10 repeats
of 800 meters in the same time?2:45, 3:29 or 4:11. The
only difference is that your marathon time is
hours:minutes and your 800 time is minutes:seconds. Bart
suggests doing Yasso 800s once a week as part of your
marathon training. Start with perhaps 4 x 800 and build
up to 10 x 800. Between the 800s, take a recovery jog
that lasts as long as your 800s. (Additional hint: Yasso
800s are a great workout for any runner. Because they
are "strong but controlled," they're basically
a form of tempo training.) A good Yasso 800 workout:
6 x 800 at Yasso pace with recovery jogs between the
800s.
::top
Long runs
Long runs form the foundation of all
marathon training programs. Long runs build everything
from your confidence to your discipline to your
fat-burning. So, even when you're not training for a
specific marathon, it's a good idea to do at least one
semi-long run a week. Because long runs are done at a
relaxed pace, there's great latitude in how fast you
actually run. In general, we believe that slower is
better than faster. Let your long runs be your slow
runs, and save your legs for other days of the week when
you might do tempo runs or maximum-oxygen runs. But
there are a thousand theories about how to do long runs,
none of which have yet been proven superior to the
others. The important thing is building up the distance
and training your body to keep going for 3, 4, 5 or
however many hours it's going to take you.
::top
Troubleshooting: This calculator uses JavaScript.
If it isn't working for you, check the following: is
your browser JavaScript capable? (Most 3.0 or newer
browsers are.) Is JavaScript active? (Check your
preferences.)
Calculator programmed by Dan Burfoot.
<< back to calculators
|
