{"id":22866,"date":"2023-05-17T17:05:33","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T15:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.220triathlon.com\/?p=137931"},"modified":"2023-05-23T08:45:35","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T06:45:35","slug":"what-is-a-good-running-pace","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/rss_feed\/what-is-a-good-running-pace\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a good running pace?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want to know how your run speed compares in triathlon racing? Olympic marathon runner Steph Davis breaks down the distances to see where and how you can make crucial run-speed gains <\/p>

By Steph Davis\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 17 May 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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As a coach for run training app Runna<\/a>, I\u2019m often asked \u2018what is a good running pace?\u2019 It\u2019s a difficult question to give a straight answer to as there are lots of variables which will affect our running pace.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These include age, gender, fitness level, how often we run, if we\u2019re running as part of a triathlon, what shoes<\/strong><\/a> we\u2019re wearing, if we\u2019re on an easy run or doing an interval session<\/strong><\/a>, if we\u2019re training or racing, if we\u2019re running on trails<\/strong><\/a>, a smooth road, a flat circuit or up and over hills, and how far we\u2019re running on that particular day. It\u2019s also natural to have variations in your pace day to day.<\/p>\n

When it comes to racing, our best times are most likely to be achieved on a flat road circuit as part of a race. We\u2019re able to run quicker on flat and smooth terrain compared to running off road and on a hillier route where our pace will be slower because of the undulations.<\/p>\n

But here are some of the fastest and average times for the most popular running distances.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a good running pace for 5km?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Fastest 5k in the world by a man = 12:35\nAverage 5k for a man = 35:00\nFastest 5k in the world by a woman = 14:06\nAverage 5k for a woman = 42:00<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a good running pace for 10km?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Fastest 10k in the world by a man = 26:11\nAverage 10k for a man = 55:37\nFastest 10k in the world by a woman = 29:01\nAverage 10k for a woman = 1:03:17<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a good running pace for a half marathon?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Fastest half marathon in the world by a man = 57:31\nAverage half marathon for a man = 2:02:00\nFastest half marathon in the world by a woman = 1:02:52\nAverage half marathon for a woman = 2:16:00<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a good running pace for a marathon?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Fastest marathon in the world by a man = 2:01:09\nAverage marathon for a man = 4:21:03\nFastest marathon in the world by a woman = 2:14:04\nAverage marathon for a woman = 4:48:05<\/p>\n

The world record times were run by people who train specifically for these events. During each of these races, from 5k up to marathon, the runners will have entered an unknown territory on race day trying to run their fastest time \u2013 which just so happens to be the fastest time ever!<\/p>\n

How should I split my run training?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In training, we don\u2019t want to try and run our fastest all the time. Let\u2019s save this for race day! Training is a balance between easy, tempo<\/strong><\/a> (80-90% effort) and fast (nearly flat-out!) running. The general rule is to aim for 80% of our training to be easy and 20% to be hard<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important we have a large volume of easy running so we can recover from the harder days, reduce our risk of injury and, most importantly, build up endurance and lower leg strength for running those harder sessions.<\/p>\n

Easy runs should be done at a conversational pace where you feel like you could continue on and on!<\/p>\n

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