One recent race sets five paces: easy, marathon, threshold, interval and reps. If you train off maximal aerobic speed instead, the MAS tab does the same job.
e.g. 24:30 or 1:52:00
Your race time gives an estimated VO2max (Daniels-Gilbert). Each kind of run targets a share of it, and the oxygen cost equation turns that share back into a pace. The colors follow the zones: Z2 easy, Z3 marathon, Z4 threshold, Z5 intervals and reps.
59–74 · 83–88 · 95–100% VO2max
Easy at 59 to 74% of VO2max: warm-ups, recovery runs and most long runs. Threshold at 83 to 88%, comfortably hard, roughly what you could race for an hour: 20-minute tempo runs or cruise intervals. Intervals at 95 to 100%, in 3- to 5-minute repeats. Marathon pace is your predicted marathon; reps sit around your current mile race pace, with full recovery. More on the estimate in the VO2 max calculator.
60–70 · 80–90 · 100–105% MAS
French coaches set paces as a share of maximal aerobic speed (MAS, VMA in French): the speed where you hit VO2max, roughly what you can hold for 6 minutes. If you’ve run a 6-minute or Cooper test, switch to the MAS tab.
Your latest all-out race on a flat course. A 5K to half marathon from the last six weeks works best. Coming back from a break? Use an honest, slower guess instead of an old PR: paces from a time you can’t run today will overcook every workout.
Easy running builds your heart, capillaries and tendons, and the gains come from time on your feet. 59 to 74% of VO2max is a pace you can chat at. Run your easy days too fast and you show up tired for the workouts that count.
Yes, with a 1% incline to make up for the missing air resistance. On hills, in heat or at altitude, run by effort and accept a slower pace. Altitude alone cost trained athletes 6.3% of their VO2max per 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in a chamber study from 300 to 2,800 m.
After each race, or every four to six weeks if a time trial shows you’ve improved. Move your paces up in small steps.
Intervals (3 to 5 minutes, 95 to 100% of VO2max) raise your aerobic ceiling. Repetitions are shorter (200 to 400 m) and a bit faster, around mile race pace, with full recovery: they work on speed and form.