The 5 Training Paces That Matter (and the 12 That Don't)

Almost every useful running workout fits into five paces: easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition. Each one trains a different system, and together they cover everything a 5K-to-marathon runner needs. The other labels you see in apps and plans, from "recovery pace" to "LT2" to "steady state," are mostly new names for those same five, or zones you drift into by accident when a run has no clear purpose.

Key takeaways

• Five paces map neatly onto how your body responds to intensity: easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition.
• Easy running should make up roughly 75–80% of your training. It is the pace most runners get wrong, by running it too fast.
• Threshold, interval and repetition work each have a clear job and a sensible weekly limit.
• Most other named paces are subdivisions or blends of the big five, so you can ignore them without losing anything.
• Two quality sessions a week, built from these paces, is enough for most recreational runners.

Why five paces is enough

Exercise physiologists describe a handful of intensity "domains," each with a distinct response. Below your first lactate threshold, effort feels steady and sustainable for hours. Between the first and second thresholds, fatigue builds slowly. Above the second threshold, sometimes measured as critical speed, your body cannot reach a steady state and you tire within minutes. At the very top sits near-maximal speed, limited more by your muscles and nerves than by oxygen.

The five classic paces, popularized by coach Jack Daniels, line up with those domains:

• Easy (E): comfortably below the first threshold
• Marathon (M): at the upper edge of steady, aerobic running
• Threshold (T): around the second threshold, the top of what you can sustain
• Interval (I): above it, pushing your VO2 max
• Repetition (R): near-maximal speed, for economy and leg speed

To make this concrete, here are approximate paces for a runner whose 5K best is 25:00 (5:00/km, 8:03/mile):

• E: 6:40–7:15/km (10:45–11:40/mile)
• M: about 5:38/km (9:04/mile)
• T: about 5:16/km (8:29/mile)
• I: about 4:50/km (7:47/mile)
• R: about 4:36/km (7:24/mile), or roughly 55 seconds per 200 m

If your times are different, you can work out your own paces from a recent race. Our guide to what VDOT actually predicts explains how.

Pace 1: Easy

Easy pace builds the engine: more capillaries, more mitochondria, a stronger heart, and tougher tendons and bones. It is also where you recover between hard days.

• Feel: relaxed, conversational. If you cannot speak in full sentences, slow down. The talk test is the simplest check.
• How much: roughly 75–80% of your weekly running, including most of your long run.
• Common mistake: drifting toward marathon pace "because it feels fine." It feels fine today, and costs you tomorrow.

Our explainer on the 80/20 running rule covers why this proportion works so well.

Pace 2: Marathon

Marathon pace is steady, aerobic and controlled, but noticeably quicker than easy. Its main job is specific: teaching your body and brain to hold goal pace while fueling, for a long time.

• Feel: "I could keep this up for a long while, but I'm concentrating."
• Sample session: a 90-minute long run with the final 30–40 minutes at marathon pace.
• Who needs it: essential if you are training for a marathon, optional otherwise. For 5K and 10K runners, it is a useful moderate stimulus in small doses.

Pace 3: Threshold

Threshold pace sits around the second threshold: roughly the pace you could race for about an hour, which for many recreational runners lands somewhere between 10K and half-marathon race pace. It trains your ability to produce and clear lactate at higher speeds.

• Feel: comfortably hard. You can say a few words, not sentences.
• Sample sessions: 20 minutes continuous, or "cruise intervals" such as 4–5 × 6 minutes with 1 minute of easy jogging.
• Limit: Daniels suggests keeping threshold running to about 10% of weekly volume in a single session.
• Common mistake: running it too fast. A threshold run that turns into a race leaves you wrecked for days and teaches less.

Pace 4: Interval

Interval pace targets your VO2 max, the ceiling of your aerobic system. It is roughly what you could race for 10–15 minutes, around 3K to 5K race pace for most people.

• Feel: hard, deep breathing, but controlled. You should finish the last rep at the same pace as the first.
• Sample sessions: 5 × 1,000 m or 5–6 × 3 minutes, with 2–3 minutes of easy jogging between reps.
• Rep length: about 3–5 minutes is the sweet spot. Shorter reps with short rests can work too.
• Limit: keep the total at interval pace to the lesser of 10 km or 8% of weekly volume.

Pace 5: Repetition

Repetition pace is fast running with full recovery, close to your current mile race pace. The goal is not fitness from suffering, it is better mechanics, economy and speed.

• Feel: fast and smooth, never strained. If your form falls apart, the rep is too long or the pace too fast.
• Sample session: 8 × 200 m at R pace with a 200 m walk or jog between.
• Mini version: 4–6 strides of 15–20 seconds after an easy run give many of the same benefits.
• Limit: the lesser of 8 km or 5% of weekly volume.

The 12 paces you can stop worrying about

These labels are not wrong. They just are not separate categories you need to track. Here is where each one fits.

1. Recovery pace: the slow end of easy.
2. Aerobic or "zone 2" pace: easy, in five-zone watch systems.
3. Long-run pace: easy, sometimes finishing at marathon pace.
4. LT1 or aerobic threshold pace: the top edge of easy.
5. Steady-state pace: between easy and marathon. Occasionally useful, often just grey-zone running.
6. Tempo pace: usually threshold, sometimes marathon. Ask which one your plan means.
7. Half-marathon pace: between marathon and threshold, closer to threshold for faster runners.
8. LT2, anaerobic threshold or lactate threshold pace: threshold.
9. Critical speed or "CV" pace: slightly faster than threshold, roughly 30–40 minute race pace.
10. 10K pace: between threshold and interval.
11. 5K or "VO2 max" pace: interval.
12. Mile and 800 m pace: repetition.

And two words that are not paces at all: fartlek and progression run are formats. A fartlek mixes paces by feel; a progression run moves from easy toward marathon or threshold. Both still use the big five.

How to build a week from five paces

Here is a sample week for the 25:00 5K runner above, on about 35 km (22 miles):

• Monday: rest
• Tuesday: 10 minutes easy, 5 × 3 minutes at interval pace (4:50/km, 7:47/mile) with 2 minutes jogging, 10 minutes easy
• Wednesday: 40 minutes easy
• Thursday: rest or easy cross-training
• Friday: 10 minutes easy, 3 × 8 minutes at threshold pace (5:16/km, 8:29/mile) with 1 minute jogging, 10 minutes easy
• Saturday: 30 minutes easy + 6 strides
• Sunday: long run, 70–80 minutes easy

Two quality days, everything else easy. Every four to six weeks, race or time-trial again and update your paces. If a pain changes the way you run, or lasts more than a few days, see a physiotherapist or doctor before your next hard session.

Find your next race

Paces need a target. Find a 5K to set your benchmark, follow our beginner 5K guide if you are just starting, or look ahead to half marathons once your threshold work is clicking. The full race calendar has events worldwide.

FAQ

What are the five running training paces?

They are easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition. Easy builds aerobic fitness, marathon pace rehearses race rhythm, threshold improves your ability to sustain hard efforts, interval targets VO2 max, and repetition sharpens speed and running economy.

How do I find my training paces?

Use a recent all-out race or time trial, ideally a 5K or 10K, and enter it into a VDOT or similar pace calculator. On easy days, double-check with your breathing: if you cannot talk in full sentences, slow down regardless of what the calculator says.

What pace should a tempo run be?

Most coaches mean threshold pace: comfortably hard, roughly what you could race for about an hour. For many recreational runners that is between 10K and half-marathon race pace. Some plans use "tempo" for marathon pace, so check what your plan intends.

Is half-marathon pace the same as threshold pace?

Not exactly. Threshold pace is roughly one-hour race pace, so it matches half-marathon pace only for runners who finish in about an hour. For a two-hour half marathoner, half-marathon pace is noticeably slower than threshold.

How often should I run at interval pace?

Once a week is plenty for most runners, as one of two quality sessions. Keep the total time at interval pace to around 8% of your weekly volume, and make sure the following day is easy.