Calculator
Instructions
Ever wonder what pace you should be running in workouts? How ’bout when you run a 5K and want to know what you could run for 10K? Well, wonder no more. Since the mid-1990’s, I've been working on a method that estimates your equivalent race performances using a current race time at any distance as well as giving the appropriate pace range for all the different types of workouts that you perform.
While there are lots of other methods for estimating race performances (and I've tried most of them) I haven't found one that is specific enough, is laid out in an easy-to-read format or that is based on what runners in the real world are capable of doing. So, I created my own and I'll share it with you.
To use the calculator, simply choose a recent race distance, making sure to choose a distance for a performance which accurately reflects your current fitness level. In other words, put in a good race, not a bad one. Next, enter your time in hours (if necessary), minutes and seconds. Hit Calculate and voilà! your equivalent performances for every race distance from the 100m to the marathon as well as your optimal training paces for all the key workouts.
One note: The calculator is designed to prescribe training paces that advance your fitness above your current race times. Therefore, if you put in your goal time instead of your current time, then the suggested training paces will actually be faster than necessary for your goal time. For example, if your marathon goal is 3:30:00 and you input this into the calculator, it will provide training paces to run faster than 3:30:00, thus advancing your fitness from the 3:30:00 used in calculating your training paces. Many runners and coaches find it helpful to print out their training paces from their current race time and their goal race time. Over the training cycle, you should see your training paces advance from your current race time toward your goal race time training paces.