So every workout does its job: an easy run slow enough to recover, a threshold fast enough to make you progress. Most runners run their easy runs too fast.

Pace zones or HR zones?

The two go together: pace tells you what you're running, heart rate tells you what it costs you. In the heat or uphill, trust your HR; on short intervals, trust your pace.

How do you find your max HR?

At the end of a maximal effort: a 2 to 3 minute hill, all out, after a solid warm-up, with your watch on your wrist or a chest strap. Skip it unless you've seen a doctor if you have any doubt about your heart.

Free tool

Your pace and heart rate zones.

A recent race time gives you your threshold pace and your five pace zones; your max HR gives you your five heart rate zones. From recovery (Z1) to VO2max (Z5).

Your pace zones

A recent time, 5K to marathon, run all out.

Distance

Time

min

Threshold pace: 5:03 /km; sustainable for about an hour

Z1Recoveryslower than 6:35 /km
Z2Endurance5:50–6:35 /km
Z3Tempo5:20–5:50 /km
Z4Threshold4:55–5:20 /km
Z5VO2maxfaster than 4:55 /km

Your HR zones

Max HR

Measured: the highest you've seen at the end of a max effort.

bpm

Or your age

Only if you don't know your max HR.

yrs

Z1Recoveryunder 111 bpm
Z2Endurance111–130 bpm
Z3Tempo130–148 bpm
Z4Threshold148–167 bpm
Z5VO2maxabove 167 bpm

How it's calculated

Threshold first, then five zones.

Your race time gives your threshold pace: the one you could hold for about an hour, derived from Riegel's formula. The zones sit around it: Z1 slower than 130% of threshold, Z2 up to 115%, Z3 up to 105%, Z4 up to 97%, Z5 beyond that.

Your HR zones are 60, 70, 80 and 90% of your max HR. These are the coach's zones: the ones your training plan would use for each workout — easy endurance in Z2, threshold in Z4, VO2max in Z5.

Your max HR is measured, not guessed: the highest value you've seen at the end of an all-out effort. Age-based estimates can easily be off by 10 beats, and all your zones with them.

Questions

What you ask us.

Why train by zones?: So every workout does its job: an easy run slow enough to recover, a threshold fast enough to make you progress. Most runners run their easy runs too fast.
Pace zones or HR zones?: The two go together: pace tells you what you're running, heart rate tells you what it costs you. In the heat or uphill, trust your HR; on short intervals, trust your pace.
How do you find your max HR?: At the end of a maximal effort: a 2 to 3 minute hill, all out, after a solid warm-up, with your watch on your wrist or a chest strap. Skip it unless you've seen a doctor if you have any doubt about your heart.

Your zones, put to work in a plan.

Watch or not, all you need is a phone number.

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