The Difference Between Current Pace and Goal Pace “These calculators can help set a baseline for you, just be very thoughtful how you use them,” says Lamar. Just remember, a calculator isn’t equipped to factor in elements like how hot or humid it is on race day, how much sleep you got the night before, and what you ate before running.

“But it pays to be conservative, because you always speed up at the end.” “The faster you’re looking to finish your race, the tighter that window is going to be,” he adds. Online, you can use the Runner’s World Race Time Predictor tool, but in general, your 10K pace will be around 45 to 60 seconds per mile slower than your best mile time or somewhere between 10 and 30 seconds slower than your 5K pace, says Knighton. If you’ve run a race or specific distance recently, you can use that finish time to determine a good 10K time for you. “You should be able to regulate your breathing and speak some words, but it should feel like a challenge,” says Lamar.

“It teaches you to rely on your own body and intuition rather than technology, which may or may not be accurate.” That’s because if you go by pace or heart rate, there are a number of factors that can mess with those numbers including elevation, inclines or declines, weather, or overtraining.Īnother way to determine your effort is the talk test, or how breathless you are at a certain pace. Perceived effort is one of the most valuable ways that you can figure out what the best pace is for you, explains Chris Knighton, a USATF-certified coach specializing in 5K through half-marathon distances. “The go-to standard for a 10K is an eight out of 10 on the RPE scale,” says Lamar. One of those methods is rate of perceived exertion, which ranks your effort level on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being no effort and 10 being max effort). Coaches and runners use a couple of different methods for gauging pace. If you’ve never run that distance before, that’s okay. On the most basic level, your 10K pace is the pace you can hold consistently for 6.2 miles. If you’re thinking about running or racing a 10K, here’s everything you need to know to conquer the 6.2-mile distance and at what speed to target to you cross the finish line with a PR. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play

Download 10k marathon in miles