Training pace calculator
One real race result in — every training pace out, plus the race times that fitness is worth. Daniels’ VDOT method.
- Easy runs6:11/kmMost of your week. Conversational — you can speak full sentences.
- Threshold / tempo5:16/kmComfortably hard, about an hour-race effort. Tempo runs, cruise intervals.
- Intervals (VO2max)4:57/km3-5 minute repeats with jog recoveries. Hard but controlled.
- Repetitions4:47/kmShort, fast reps (200-400m) with full recovery. Form and speed.
Fitness score (Daniels’ VDOT): 38.3
Paces are half the answer; the other half is which days to run them. The free training plans arrange these exact zones into complete schedules.
Common questions
What pace should my easy runs be?
Slower than most runners think — a conversational effort around 72% of your VO2max, which this calculator derives from a race you have actually run. If you can only speak in short bursts, you are running your easy days too fast, which is the most common self-coaching mistake.
Why calculate training paces from a race result?
Because a race is the one honest measurement of your fitness. Deriving paces from a goal time trains the runner you hope to be, not the one you are — the classic route to overtraining. This is Jack Daniels’ VDOT method: one result sets every zone.
What race should I use?
The most recent one you ran close to all-out — a 5K or 10K works best. A parkrun counts. If you have not raced in months, run a hard-but-honest 5K time trial and use that.
What is threshold or tempo pace?
Roughly the pace you could race for an hour — comfortably hard, about 88% of VO2max. Tempo runs and cruise intervals live there. It develops your ability to clear lactate, which is what lets race pace feel sustainable.
Related: race time predictor · pace calculator · how training plans work
The math is open source: training_plan_kit on GitHub.
