What Is Pace?
Pace tells you how long it takes you to cover a set distance.
In running, it is usually shown as minutes per kilometer (min/km) or minutes per mile (min/mile).
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- If you run 1 km in 6 minutes, your pace is 6:00 min/km.
- If you run 1 mile in 10 minutes, your pace is 10:00 min/mile.
So pace answers this question:
“How many minutes do I need for one km or one mile?”
You can quickly work out or check pace with a simple online pace calculator, which is made for this purpose.
What Is Speed?
Speed tells you how much distance you cover in a set time.
In running, it is usually shown as kilometers per hour (km/h) or miles per hour (mph).
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- If you run 10 km in 1 hour, your speed is 10 km/h.
- If you run 5 miles in 1 hour, your speed is 5 mph.
So speed answers this question:
“How many km or miles do I cover in one hour?”
Pace and speed are opposites:
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- Higher speed → lower (faster) pace
- Lower speed → higher (slower) pace
Pace vs Speed: Simple Example
Here is a very simple comparison using the same run:
Example run: 5 km in 30 minutes.
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- Pace:
- 30 minutes ÷ 5 km = 6:00 min/km
- Speed:
- 5 km ÷ 0.5 hour = 10 km/h
- Pace:
Same run, two ways to say “how fast”:
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- Pace talks in minutes per km.
- Speed talks in km per hour.
For another example:
If your pace is 5:00 min/km, your speed is 12 km/h.
If your pace is 7:30 min/km, your speed is 8 km/h (about).
Which Should Runners Focus On?
Most runners mainly use pace, not speed.
Why Pace Is More Useful for Runners
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- Races are set by distance (5K, 10K, half marathon), not by hours.
- Pace shows quickly how long each km or mile will take in that race.
- It helps you plan: “What pace do I need to finish 5K in 30 minutes?”.
Pace is also easier to feel:
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- Keeping “6:30 min/km” for a whole 5K is clear.
- “9.2 km/h” feels more like car language than running language.
That’s why watches, apps, and training plans for runners almost always talk in min/km or min/mile.
Speed can still be useful on treadmills or fitness machines, where the screen often shows km/h or mph, but for outdoor running and race planning, pace is usually the better metric.
How to Use a Pace Calculator
If numbers confuse you, a pace calculator makes things easy.
You can:
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- Enter your distance (for example, 3 km, 5 km, 10 km).
- Enter your time (for example, 21 minutes).
- See your pace in min/km and min/mile.
- Sometimes also see the speed in km/h or mph.
You can try one here: Pace Calculator. It is very useful for planning race goals and checking your progress run by run.
How to Choose the Right Metric for You
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- Use pace if:
- You care about race times (5K, 10K, half marathon).
- You follow running plans or training zones.
- You want to know “how many minutes per km/mile” you run.
- Use speed if:
- You are on a treadmill that shows only km/h or mph.
- You think more in “distance per hour” (like driving a car).
- Use pace if:
You can switch between them any time.
They describe the same thing in two different ways.
For everyday running and training, focusing on pace is usually clearer and closer to how runners talk.
FAQs About Pace vs Speed
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- Are pace and speed the same thing?
They describe the same idea (how fast you move) but in reverse. Pace is time per distance, speed is distance per time. - Why do runners talk about pace instead of speed?
Because races are about distance, not hours. Pace tells exactly how many minutes each km or mile will take, which is perfect for race planning. - How can I change speed (km/h) into pace (min/km)?
You can use a pace calculator; it converts speed to pace for you so you don’t need to do the math yourself. - Which is better to track progress, pace or speed?
For running, pace is usually better because training plans, races, and apps all use minutes per km or mile, making it easier to see improvement. - Do I need to understand both pace and speed?
It helps, but you don’t have to. If you are a beginner runner, just learning to read your pace and using a pace calculator is more than enough to start.
- Are pace and speed the same thing?