Workout Paces
BCTC TRAINING RESOURCES
Discover your most effective training paces
What if you could take your current running fitness and determine what intensities you need to train at to improve your performance? You can — using your VO2max to pick the right paces for easy runs, intervals, and more.
VDOT is a short-hand for VO2max, a measure of one’s current running ability pioneered by Coach Jack Daniels (seriously). VDOT is a measure (or score) of your fitness based on how fast you can currently run a selected distance. Training based on VDOT is a proven method based on years of science. It can help runners of all levels improve because it’s based on human physiology. Once you know your VDOT, you can then determine the intensity you need to apply to certain training activities. For example, if you can run a 5:20 mile, then your most efficient easy runs should be between 7:36 and 8:23 minutes-per-mile pace.
A runner’s VDOT score used to require specific lab testing. Today, thanks to lots of data accumulation, there are calculators that can identify your training paces based on a recent race or performance over a specific distance.
To use the VDOT Running Calculator provided by V.02 on this page, identify a recent race or performance of yours, then enter the Event Distance and Time. Click the Calculate button to view Race Paces, Training paces, and race equivalents.
Easy pace running refers to warm-ups, cool-downs, recovery runs, recovery running within a workout and generally long runs.
Intensity: Generally, in the range of 59-74% of VO2max or 65-79% of your maximum heart rate (HRmax). In general, easy running is a comfortable, conversational pace, which certainly may vary daily, depending on how you are feeling, and the weather and terrain with which you are faced. You may be up to 20 seconds per mile slower or faster than the specified pace on a given day.
Purpose: Running at your easy pace promotes physiological benefits that build a solid base from which higher-intensity training can be performed. The heart muscle is strengthened, and the muscles being exercised receive increased blood supplies and increase their ability to process the oxygen delivered through the cardiovascular system.
Sample workout notation: 30-45 minutes E
Marathon pace is the term applied to a steady runs or long repeats. The term applies even if you’re not training for a marathon.
Intensity: Generally in the range 75-84% of VO2max or 80-90% of your HRmax.
Purpose: Used to experience race pace conditions for those training for a marathon or simply as an alternative to Easy pace running for beginners on long run days.
Sample workout notation: 10 minutes E, 60-90 minutes M
Steady, prolonged or tempo runs or intermittent runs, also called cruise intervals, are done at “threshold” pace.
Intensity: Generally in the range of 83-88% of VO2max or 88-92% of HRmax. Threshold pace is comfortably hard running for either a steady 3-4 miles (or 5 to 6km) or repeated runs of 5 to 15 minutes each, with 1 to 3 minutes of rest between the runs.
Purpose: To improve endurance.
Sample workout notation: 3 x 1 mile T (1 min) or 20 minutes T.
Interval training involves specific focus on optimizing your VO2max.
Intensity: Generally, in the range of 97-100% of VO2max or 98-100% of HRmax. Intervals are “hard”, but not all-out running by any means. Intervals are similar to a pace that you could maintain for about 10-12 minutes in a serious race. Intervals are best if they involve runs of 3 to 5 minutes each (800m and 1000m workbouts are common), with jog recoveries of similar duration (not necessarily, equal distance); relative to the runs they follow. If a workout calls for “hard” runs, then go by feel and, conservatively imagine 5k race pace, as the intensity of each run.
Purpose: Stress your aerobic power (VO2max). At proper Interval intensity, it takes about two minutes to gear up to functioning at VO2max, so the ideal duration of an “Interval” is 3-5 minutes each to ensure proper time at the desired intensity. The reason not to go past 5-minutes is to prevent too much anaerobic involvement, which can result in too much increase in blood-lactate concentration and defeat the purpose of the workout.
Sample workout notation: 6 x 2 minutes I (1 min jog), 5 x 3 minutes I (2 min jog), 4 x 4 minutes I (3 min jog)
Pace reps and strides are aimed at anaerobic and biomechanic improvements.
Intensity: Reps are fast, but not necessarily “hard,” because workbouts are relatively short and are followed by relatively long recoveries. Recoveries should be long enough that each run feels no more difficult than the previous run, because the purpose of Reps is to improve speed and economy and you cannot get faster (nor more economical) if you are not running with relaxed form. If it takes 3 minutes recovery between 400m Reps, then that is what is needed. Reducing rest time between individual workbouts does not make for a better workout, in fact it probably makes for a worse workout because the short rests could increase the stress and lead to poor economy. Think of Reps as similar to current 1500m or mile race pace.
Purpose: To improve your speed and economy.
Sample Workout: 8 x 200m R (200m jog) or 4 x 400m R (400m jog)