Marathon Training Pace Calculator
Get your personalised marathon training paces for every type of workout — easy runs, long runs, marathon pace, tempo, and intervals. Based on your current best race time.
The 80/20 Rule
Research consistently shows that elite marathon runners do approximately 80% of their training at easy or conversational pace and only 20% at threshold or faster. This is counterintuitive — most recreational runners run too hard on easy days, which means they cannot run hard enough on hard days. Easy pace should feel genuinely comfortable — you should be able to hold a conversation without pausing to breathe.
Understanding Each Training Zone
Easy pace (60–70% effort): builds aerobic base, promotes recovery, should dominate training. Long run pace (similar to easy or slightly faster): builds endurance, trains fat burning, the most important session of the week. Marathon pace: race-specific training, teaches the body to sustain target effort. Tempo pace: improves lactate threshold. Interval pace (5K or faster): improves VO2 max and running economy.
How Often to Do Each Type
A typical marathon training week: 1 long run, 1 tempo or threshold session, 1 interval session, 2–4 easy runs. Total quality sessions (tempo plus intervals) should not exceed 20% of total weekly mileage. Most marathon training mistakes involve too much intensity, too often, too soon.
The Long Run
The cornerstone of marathon training. Most plans peak at a long run of 32–35 km run 3–4 weeks before race day. Run the long run 45–90 seconds per km slower than goal marathon pace — running it faster increases injury risk without additional training benefit. Negative splits on race day are almost always the strategy of runners who achieve personal bests.
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