Pace is the thread that connects every part of running. It decides whether an easy run actually builds fitness or quietly digs a hole, whether a tempo session lands in the right physiological zone, and whether a race goes to plan or falls apart in the final third. These guides cover the calculations behind all of that, and the judgement calls the numbers alone will not make for you.
If you are new to training by pace, start with how to calculate running pace to get the arithmetic straight, then read pace zones explained, which is the single most useful concept for anyone running more than twice a week. The most common mistake in recreational running is not lack of effort but distribution of it: easy days run too hard, hard days run too easy, and everything drifting into a grey middle that produces neither recovery nor adaptation.
If you have a race in the diary, the distance-specific guides are the place to go. Each one works from real split tables rather than round numbers, and each is honest about what the target actually requires in training rather than just quoting the pace you need on the day.
All guides
How to Calculate Running Pace
A clear explanation of pace, speed, and splits — and how to use them to plan your race strategy.
Running Pace Zones Explained
What easy, tempo, threshold, and interval paces actually mean, and how to find yours based on your current fitness.
Negative Split Pacing Strategy
Why running the second half of a race faster than the first leads to better performances, and how to execute it.
How to Run a Sub-2-Hour Half Marathon
Sub-2 needs 5:41/km. Every kilometre and mile split, the 10K time that says you are ready, training paces, and why the usual warning about starting fast is arithmetically backwards.
First Marathon Pace Guide
How to choose a realistic goal pace for your first marathon and avoid the common mistake of going out too fast.
Running Pace Chart: Min/km to Min/mile
Convert pace between kilometres and miles, and see the 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon finish time every pace produces.
Parkrun Pacing Guide
How to find your target parkrun time, pace the 5K properly, and use age-grading to measure real progress.
What Is a Good 5K Time?
Average 5K times by age and gender, what counts as good for different ability levels, and how to improve yours.
How to use these alongside the calculators
Every guide pairs with a calculator. Read the guide to understand what the number means, then use the calculator to generate the number for your own times. The 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon calculators all produce splits, predicted times at other distances, and the training paces that support your target.
A note on race predictions across all of these guides: they use the Riegel model, which assumes broadly comparable training for both distances. It is dependable from 5K through to the half marathon and optimistic for the marathon, where long-run volume matters more than the formula can capture. Treat a predicted marathon time as a ceiling rather than a target unless your long runs genuinely support it.