How to Determine Running Pace – RUN

You’ve probably heard the old guidance that long runs should be run at one to two minutes per mile slower than your marathon pace. This guidance came from coaches and elite runners in the 1960s and 1970s—the first running boom in the U.S. And it worked at the time because the average marathon finish time was three and a half hours (over an hour faster than today).

But then the second boom in running occurred in the 1990s and 2000s, with the bulk of marathon finish times between 4:30:00 and 5:30:00. Marathon pace for a five-and-a-half-hour marathoner is 12:36 minutes per mile. Using the old 1-2 minutes slower per mile rule for long runs, the runner would never do any running (only walking), or if they did, it was uncomfortably slow.

The concept of endurance training related to marathon pace continues to cause great confusion. So how is an athlete to determine running pace if the 1-2 minutes slower than your marathon time rule no longer stands? It’s all based on training zones and your relative race pace at various times.

How to Determine Running Pace Using Training Zones and Timed Runs

What Is Relative Race Pace?

Instead of using pacing calculations based on marathon pace, a more accurate way of determining your individualized pace is based on your relative race pace you could hold for a set period.

For walking or recovery runs, that would be a pace you could sustain for six and a half hours or more. On your easy or long runs, consider what pace you could sustain for four and a half to six and a half hours. On the most extreme side of the scale, you’ll run your speed work at a pace you could sustain for five to 25 minutes.

As the pace of your runs increases, you’ll use a shorter endurance timeframe to find your ideal speed.

Optimal Training Zones Defined

In training, you are trying to improve four main aspects of your fitness—endurance, stamina, speed, and finishing sprint—so let’s connect those to intensity, effort/breathing, and paces.

Improving Endurance (Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3)

Endurance training comprises the bulk of training runs, from recovery and easy runs to long runs. The range of paces is very wide because you get benefits from very slow running as well as moderate efforts for extended periods of time. As a result, coaches often break endurance training into three distinct zones.

Zone 1: Walking & Slow Running

Most runners don’t spend much time in Zone 1. It’s mostly used in run/walk programs where the athlete runs for a period of time in Zone 2, then recovers by walking for a period in Zone 1.

Zone 1 is also used during the recovery interval in repetition workouts like speed workouts. You run fast for a period of time or distance, then slow to a walk or very slow run (often called a recovery jog) for a period of time or distance before the next repetition begins.

As you would expect, your breathing is only slightly elevated, and you can easily carry on a conversation at Zone 1 speed.

Zone 2: Easy Runs & Long Runs

Zone 2 is where runners spend the most training time. Usually called “easy runs,” Zone 2 runs are when you go out and just run. You don’t run fast, but you don’t run slow. You never lose your breath, but you finish feeling pleasantly fatigued. These runs can be short (10-30 minutes) but can also be long runs that last an hour or two (or three).

You know you’re in Zone 2 when you can carry on a conversation with your training mate. It’s one of the reasons we love easy runs. You can get together with your running friends and chat away as the miles roll by. And if you use a heart rate monitor, Zone 2 is around 60-75% of heart rate reserve.

Warning: You know you’re going too fast on a Zone 2 run when you get out of breath. Most experienced runners know when they are running too fast on easy runs because their “inner GPS” sends little messages that they should slow down. Listen to that voice, and you’ll never run too fast on easy runs.

Zone 3: Moderate Runs

The fastest running in the endurance zone is Zone 3. The pace for Zone 3 runs is two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half-hour race pace. For fast marathoners, this is their marathon pace. For the rest of us, it’s more like half marathon to 30K race pace.

Legendary coach Jack Daniels called this zone “No man’s land” training. It is a bit faster than necessary for endurance gains but a little too slow for stamina gains.

I call it Danger Zone #1. Spend too much time in Zone 3, and you’re likely to get injured or to burn out. That’s been proven over and over again.

That said, this does not mean that all Zone 3 running is bad (no matter what you may have heard). After all, if your goal pace falls within Zone 3 (like for a three-hour marathoner), then you need to do some running in Zone 3 to get race-ready.

For the rest of us, it’s best to avoid extended time in Zone 3.

Zone 4: Stamina Training

Stamina (Zone 4) training boosts your lactate threshold. Any improvement in your lactate threshold pace immediately improves your race times, so a lot of training programs include Zone 4 workouts.

While a physiology laboratory can administer a lactate threshold test, most runners find that their lactate threshold is the pace they can race for one hour.

One hour race pace may be half-marathon race pace for world-class runners, a 10K for many others, or something in between for the rest of us. To get your exact lactate threshold pace (often abbreviated vLT), you can use the McMillan Running Calculator.

Since heart rate is commonly measured with today’s running watches, you’ll find that your lactate threshold heart rate range is 75-87% of heart rate reserve. And the talk test shows that in Zone 4, your conversation is limited to sentences; otherwise, you’ll really get out of breath.

Like endurance training, stamina training (Zone 4) is often broken into three types—runs that are just slightly slower than your lactate threshold, runs that are right at your lactate threshold, and runs slightly faster. This “full-spectrum” approach to stamina training is what I prefer, as it keeps the training fun with different workouts from week to week.

Steady State Pacing (AKA Sub-Threshold)

The appropriate pace range for steady-state runs is between your 1:15:00 and 2:30:00 race pace. If you remember, your lactate threshold occurs at around your one-hour race pace (10K pace for many runners, half-marathon pace for elite runners), so steady state runs are slightly slower than your lactate threshold pace, which is why they are also called sub-threshold runs.

Your heart rate will likely be between 75% and 87% of heart rate reserve, and the runs should last at least 25 minutes and can go as long as an hour and 15 minutes. Note: These are often run as continuous runs, but you can also break them into repeats lasting 5-15 minutes with short (one-minute) recovery jogs.

These are pretty tough efforts, not because of the pace but because of the duration of running, so be prepared to increase your concentration to stay on pace and to take a good recovery day afterward to reap the full benefits. Begin with shorter steady-state runs of 25 minutes at 2:30:00 race pace and build to one-hour runs with shorter (25- to 45-minute) steady-state runs at 1:15:00 pace.

Unlike the three endurance workouts discussed above, steady-state runs are the first workouts that require a warm-up. For all the remaining workouts, you should begin the run with 10 to 20 minutes at an easy pace. Following this warm-up (which may also include stretching and faster “strides”), you can proceed into the faster portion of the run.

Tempo Run Pacing

Tempo runs are slightly more intense than steady-state runs and are best run right at your lactate threshold.

As the name suggests, you really improve your running tempo or rhythm with these workouts. They last between 15 and 30 minutes and are run between your 0:40:00 (40-minute) and 1:15:00 race pace. That’s around 10K pace for many runners and up to half-marathon pace for elite runners.

Tempo runs are meant to be “comfortably hard,” so don’t push the pace. Your heart rate will likely be between 80% and 85% of heart rate reserve.

Like the steady-state run, tempo runs are usually continuous efforts, but you can also break them into repetitions if you prefer.

Cruise Intervals

The Cruise Interval workout was popularized by the late, great running coach, Jack Daniels. They, like the other stamina workouts, are meant to increase your lactate threshold pace. Cruise Intervals are like shorter and slightly more intense tempo runs but broken into repetitions so you never accumulate too much lactic acid.

They typically last three to eight minutes, and the pace is between 0:25:00 and 0:45:00 race pace (5K for some runners, 10K race pace for others).

They are followed by short recovery jogs (30 seconds to 2 minutes). You’ll probably find that it’s easy to run too fast on these. The tendency is to treat them like regular long intervals. However, keep it under control and work on a smooth, fast rhythm. Control in training is key to improvement.

Speed Training (Zone 5)

When distance runners talk about “speed work,” they are talking about Zone 5 training. These workouts are designed to increase your VO2 max—the amount of oxygen you can use.

As you would imagine, Zone 5 training is fast, with the pace range between your five-minute and 25-minute race pace. For most runners, that’s one mile to 5K race pace, but it could be half-mile to 2-mile race pace for slower runners and mile to 5-mile race pace for faster runners.

Your breathing is fast and labored, and your heart rate will creep toward maximum on Zone 5 workouts. You’ll improve your running economy, your mental toughness, and your VO2 max with Zone 5 workouts.

Note: Since most running watches today estimate your VO2 max, runners have become more focused on speed zone training to boost VO2 max. That can work, but you must be careful.

If you remember, I called Zone 3 running Danger Zone #1 and suggested that spending extended periods of time running in it often leads to injury and burnout. The same goes here, which is why I call Zone 5 Danger Zone #2.

A common mistake is to focus on speed work for too long. A little is good and beneficial, but after a few weeks, your improvement plateaus, and if you continue to challenge the system, you’ll get injured or see your performances drop.

Form and Sprint Training

Form and sprint training for distance runners is often more about effort and feel than an exact pace. And the correct effort and corresponding fatigue are related to not just pace but also duration of the running.

Form and sprint training correspond to running between your one-minute and your eight-minute race paces. When the repetition is very short, say 10-15 seconds, the breathing and heart rate don’t even have time to respond. These strides, as they are often called, work on the neuromuscular system and are not heavy breathing workouts.

The main focus is on excellent running form while running at near top speed for less than 25 seconds with long (60-second) recovery walks between.

As the repetition length exceeds 25 seconds and extends to up to 60 seconds, breathing, heart rate, and effort ramp way up. There is a lot of lactic acid buildup and mental suffering.

Sprint training helps your body buffer lactic acid. Done in small doses, sprint training can be very beneficial for runners. You must just ease into this type of fast running, and it’s best to have a coach at your side to make sure you perform the workouts correctly.

Identifying and Applying Pacing in Your Training Plans

Whew! That’s a lot, I know, but hopefully, it helps you understand the different zones and workouts runners and coaches talk about.

In your training plan, you’ll likely find a variety of workouts; just remember to control yourself so you stay in the correct zone. If you do that, you increase the likelihood of success and decrease the likelihood of injuries.

And remember that the ultimate metric in training is effort and breathing. Pace, heart rate, and power are helpful to get you in the ballpark, but over time, you’ll lean more on effort/breathing to guide your workouts. This is a great skill to develop as it allows you to have a great workout even when the conditions alter your pace or heart rate (like in the heat).