RusaPace
BeginnerSplits
BeginnerPace steps down kilometre by kilometre across the whole race — every split a little faster than the last, rather than one drop at halfway. Best with a GPS watch running dynamic pacing: ease in, keep early heart rate down, and build effort steadily.
Every negative split is an estimate on flat ground — hills, heat and aid stations will change the real numbers.
| km | split | pace | elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:15 | 7:15 /km | 0:07:15 |
| 2 | 7:14 | 7:14 /km | 0:14:29 |
| 3 | 7:13 | 7:13 /km | 0:21:42 |
| 4 | 7:12 | 7:12 /km | 0:28:55 |
| 5 | 7:12 | 7:12 /km | 0:36:06 |
| 6 | 7:11 | 7:11 /km | 0:43:17 |
| 7 | 7:10 | 7:10 /km | 0:50:27 |
| 8 | 7:09 | 7:09 /km | 0:57:36 |
| 9 | 7:08 | 7:08 /km | 1:04:44 |
| 10 | 7:07 | 7:07 /km | 1:11:52 |
| 11 | 7:07 | 7:07 /km | 1:18:58 |
| 12 | 7:06 | 7:06 /km | 1:26:04 |
| 13 | 7:05 | 7:05 /km | 1:33:09 |
| 14 | 7:04 | 7:04 /km | 1:40:13 |
| 15 | 7:03 | 7:03 /km | 1:47:17 |
| 16 | 7:03 | 7:03 /km | 1:54:19 |
| 17 | 7:02 | 7:02 /km | 2:01:21 |
| 18 | 7:01 | 7:01 /km | 2:08:22 |
| 19 | 7:00 | 7:00 /km | 2:15:22 |
| 20 | 6:59 | 6:59 /km | 2:22:21 |
| 21 | 6:58 | 6:58 /km | 2:29:19 |
| 21.0975 | 0:41 | 6:58 /km | 2:30:00 |
Riegel Formula
Intermediate- 5K0:28:47 (5:45 /km)Same pace, no fatigue 0:30:00
- 10K (your result)1:00:00 (6:00 /km)Same pace, no fatigue 1:00:00
- Half2:12:23 (6:16 /km)Same pace, no fatigue 2:06:35
- Marathon · rough guide only4:36:01 (6:32 /km)Same pace, no fatigue 4:13:10
Assumes you have trained for the longer distance. A fast 5K does not make a marathon.
Riegel (1981), exponent 1.06
Training paces
Intermediate- Easy6:56–8:14 /kmMost of your running; you could hold a conversation
- Marathon6:21–6:36 /kmRace-day rhythm for long races
- Threshold6:03–6:09 /kmComfortably hard; about 20–40 minutes at a stretch
- Interval5:28–5:41 /kmHard repeats of about 3–5 minutes with easy jogs between
- Repetition4:58–5:12 /kmShort, fast, fully rested; form over fatigue
Repetition paces are a multiple of your interval speed, not a fraction of the cost model — very short efforts are not oxygen-limited.
A recent flat, cool race is the best input; a hot, hilly or walked race makes every pace here too optimistic.
Easy pace is a range, and on a bad day the slow end is the right one.
These paces come from one model; other systems you may have seen use different definitions and will not match — do not average them.
A race is not a lab test; this is an estimate, not a prescription.
Daniels & Gilbert (1979), Oxygen Power. The zone boundaries are this site's convention.
Run/walk lab
BeginnerWalking is part of the plan from the gun, not a failure mode — the method that gets many runners to the line feeling strong.
Time a normal walk over 200 m. People invent a walk pace they cannot hold when tired.
A stress test, not a measurement — late in a long race the paces you typed will not hold.
You run 19.55 km in 2:07:04 and walk 1.55 km in 0:15:30, over 31 cycles.
| km | elapsed | ends on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:06:41 | run |
| 2 | 0:13:32 | run |
| 3 | 0:20:12 | run |
| 4 | 0:27:03 | run |
| 5 | 0:33:44 | run |
| 6 | 0:40:35 | run |
| 7 | 0:47:15 | run |
| 8 | 0:54:06 | run |
| 9 | 1:00:47 | run |
| 10 | 1:07:38 | run |
| 11 | 1:14:18 | run |
| 12 | 1:21:09 | run |
| 13 | 1:27:50 | run |
| 14 | 1:34:41 | run |
| 15 | 1:41:21 | run |
| 16 | 1:48:12 | run |
| 17 | 1:54:53 | run |
| 18 | 2:01:43 | run |
| 19 | 2:08:24 | run |
| 20 | 2:15:15 | run |
| 21 | 2:21:55 | run |
| 21.0975 | 2:22:34 | run |
Show the maths
One cycle: 665 m in 4:30.
31 full cycles; the line cuts the last one.
Heat
BeginnerEnter the temperature you expect for most of the race, not the start line's.
large — slow down 4.5–6.0 % (estimate).
Goal pace 7:07 /km.
Temperature 28 °C + dew point 23.2 °C — 156 on the combined scale.
These are averages across many runners and many races.
Slower runners slow more than faster ones.
Sun, wind and a hot finish after a cool start all push the other way.
Runners used to the heat tend toward the low end of the range.
Temperature + dew point guideline as published by Mark Hadley (Maximum Performance Running, 2013); Magnus dew-point approximation (Alduchov & Eskridge 1996). Direction of effect: Ely et al. (2007).
Heart-rate zones
Beginner| Zone | Feel | % of max |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Very easy — recovery | 92–110 |
| 2 | Easy — full sentences | 110–129 |
| 3 | Steady — short sentences | 129–147 |
| 4 | Hard — a few words | 147–166 |
| 5 | Very hard — no talking | 166–184 |
Add a resting heart rate to see reserve zones.
Age formulas are population averages; your real max can be 10–12 beats either side. A measured max beats any formula.
Tanaka, Monahan & Seals (2001); Karvonen (1957).