Pace Calculator
Pace Calculator Description
It assists in the approximation of your pace for various physical activities such as running, walking, and cycling. It is also used to determine how long it will take you to cover a specific distance if you have your pace, or how far you can reach if you have a certain pace and time.
Segment Pace Calculator
For those who chart split times along the way during an event—e.g., running from checkpoint A to B, then to C this calculator calculates the pace for each part. With knowledge of the time in each checkpoint and your measurement of the distance between them (through online maps or apps), you can determine how fast you traveled on each leg of your exercise. This is particularly useful for monitoring performance over repeated courses and identifying where you could gain speed or endurance.
Average Race Paces and World Records
| Distance | Men’s Record Pace (min/mile or min/km) |
Women’s Record Pace (min/mile or min/km) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 meter | 2:35 / mile or 1:36 / km | 2:49 / mile or 1:45 / km |
| 200 meter | 2:54 / mile or 1:48 / km | 2:52 / mile or 1:47 / km |
| 400 meter | 3:23 / mile or 2:06 / km | 3:12 / mile or 1:59 / km |
| 800 meter | 3:41 / mile or 2:17 / km | 3:48 / mile or 2:21 / km |
| 1500 meter | 3:43 / mile or 2:19 / km | 4:07 / mile or 2:34 / km |
| 1 mile | 4:04 / mile or 2:31 / km | 4:13 / mile or 2:37 / km |
| 5k | 4:14 / mile or 2:38 / km | 4:34 / mile or 2:50 / km |
| 10k | 4:27 / mile or 2:46 / km | 4:45 / mile or 2:57 / km |
| Half marathon | 4:41 / mile or 2:55 / km | 5:10 / mile or 3:13 / km |
| Marathon | 4:41 / mile or 2:55 / km | 5:10 / mile or 3:13 / km |
Training: Pace and Heart Rate
Your pace is the speed you cover, usually expressed in minutes per mile or per kilometer. Heart rate is the rate at which your heart beats per minute. Both these elements are closely related: pace goes up, and your heart rate also tends to go up.
Applying both pace and heart rate in training can be helpful in enhancing performance, avoiding overtraining, and tracking fitness gains.
Monitoring Heart Rate and Zones
Heart rate may be monitored through the use of devices such as heart monitors or by taking your pulse manually at the wrist or neck.
Resting Heart Rate (RHR): This is your heart rate when relaxed and resting, typically between 60-100 bpm for the majority of adults. Normal resting rates may be as low as 50-90 bpm according to some studies. Lower resting rates typically indicate greater cardiovascular conditioning, although very low resting rates (below 50 bpm) or very high resting rates (above 90 bpm) may indicate health issues.
Maximum Heart Rate (MHR): This is the greatest number of beats per minute your heart is capable of registering at maximum effort. The best method to determine MHR is via cardiac stress test conducted in a clinical environment. Since such a test is not always feasible, a popular estimation is:
MHR = 220 – age
This is a standard formula but one which does have significant drawbacks and inter-individual variability.
Exercise Intensity and Heart Rate Zones
Different training goals correspond to different heart rate zones. For example, exercising at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate is typically recommended for effective fat burning.
Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise involves moderate-intensity activities sustained over longer periods, like steady jogging or cycling, typically at 70-80% of MHR. During aerobic exercise, your muscles receive enough oxygen to produce energy efficiently.
Anaerobic exercise is characterized by repeated short bursts of strenuous activity, such as heavy lifting or sprinting, typically at 80-90% MHR. Your muscles here use sources of energy that don’t require oxygen and generate lactic acid, which creates the burning and fatigue sensation.
Both forms of exercise are useful, but aerobic training is essential for endurance sports like the marathon, where being able to maintain a pace for hours is vital.
Understanding Thresholds
Aerobic threshold is the exercise intensity where your body uses oxygen almost exclusively to power your muscles. Training to increase this threshold makes you able to run quicker for longer periods of time.
Anaerobic threshold is the place where lactic acid begins to build up quicker than your body can remove it. Training at and somewhat below this threshold enhances your capacity to manage high-intensity work.
The best method for finding these thresholds is in a lab, but you can approximate them by tracking heart rate on certain workouts. For example, a 30-minute all-out run where you average heart rate for the final 20 minutes will approximate your anaerobic threshold.
Why Threshold Training Matters
Training near these thresholds delays fatigue by enhancing the way your body uses energy. This is to say that you can exert yourself harder and longer without diminishing speed as rapidly.