Coach Mark Kennedy

RRCA-certified distance running coach · Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University · Founder, None to Run · As seen in the New York Times, Runner's World & CBC

‍

Whether you're training for your first marathon or just getting started with structured running, knowing your training paces takes the guesswork out of every workout.

This calculator uses your recent race time — a 5K, 10K, or half marathon — to give you five personalised training paces based on the RRCA pace chart developed by coach and author Amby Burfoot.

Instructions:

1. Select your most recent race distance
2. Enter your finish time
3. Hit Calculate — your paces appear instantly

Use these paces for every workout in the N2R Marathon Training Plan.

Not sure which pace applies to which session? Every workout type is defined in the plan.

‍

‍

‍

How to Use This Calculator

Grab a recent race time — a 5K, 10K, or half marathon works best — and plug it in above. That's it. The calculator does the math so you don't have to guess at your paces or overthink it.

A couple of quick tips:

• Use your most recent race, not your best one ever. Fitness changes, and your training paces should reflect where you are right now, not where you were two years ago.
• No race time? A hard training run works too. If you've done a timed 5K on your own — one where you genuinely pushed — that's a fine substitute.
• Don't stress about hitting these paces perfectly. They're a guide, not a grade. Some days you'll run faster, some days slower. Both are normal.

What Each Pace Means

You'll get five different paces back.

Here's what each one is actually for:

• Easy / Long Run Pace — This is your bread-and-butter pace, the one you'll use most often. It should feel comfortable enough that you could hold a conversation. If you're breathing too hard to talk, you're going too fast — even if it doesn't feel fast.
• Marathon Pace — The pace you're training your body to hold for 26.2 miles. You won't run every workout at this pace, but it'll show up in certain training runs so race day pace feels familiar instead of like a guess.
• Half Marathon Pace — A notch quicker than marathon pace. This shows up in some of your quality sessions to build speed and strength without wrecking your legs.
• Tempo Pace — Comfortably hard. Not a sprint, not easy — the effort where you're working, but you could still hold it for a while if you had to.
• Long Interval Pace — Your fastest of the five. Used in shorter, repeated efforts with recovery in between, to build speed in a controlled way.

If this is your first time seeing paces like this, don't worry about memorizing all five today. Start with your easy pace — that's the one you'll lean on most — and let the rest come into focus as you move through the plan.