Easy pace / general aerobic
- What it is
- Relaxed running that makes up most of your weekly miles, including warm-ups, cool-downs, recovery runs and long runs.
- How it feels
- Comfortable. You can hold a full conversation.
- What it's for
- Builds your aerobic base and endurance while letting your body recover between harder sessions.
Marathon pace
- What it is
- The pace you could hold for a full marathon. Steady, and a notch quicker than easy.
- How it feels
- Controlled. You can talk in short sentences.
- What it's for
- Gets you used to race rhythm and builds endurance, usually as part of a long run.
Threshold pace
- What it is
- Roughly the pace you could hold for about an hour in a race. Run as a continuous 20 minute effort or as longer reps with short recoveries.
- How it feels
- Comfortably hard. Only a few words at a time.
- What it's for
- Trains your body to hold a faster pace for longer before fatigue builds up.
Interval pace
- What it is
- Hard running in reps of about 3 to 5 minutes, with a jog recovery of similar length or slightly shorter.
- How it feels
- Hard. You're breathing heavily and can't chat.
- What it's for
- Raises your top-end aerobic fitness, the engine behind your 5K and 10K times.
Rep pace
- What it is
- Fast, short reps of 200m to 400m, close to your one mile race pace, with a full recovery between each.
- How it feels
- Quick but smooth and relaxed. Never a sprint.
- What it's for
- Improves your speed and running form so quicker paces feel easier.
Fast reps
- What it is
- Very fast, very short reps of 100m to 300m, around your 800m race pace, with a long recovery.
- How it feels
- Close to flat out, but still in control.
- What it's for
- Develops raw speed. Mostly for track and shorter-distance racing.