Running pace zones: how to use them
How to define pace zones from threshold pace, when to use them instead of heart rate and how to adjust them on hills.
Pace is the most direct reference for running: it responds instantly and it's what counts on race day. Pace zones tell you how fast to run each type of session.
Based on threshold pace
As with heart rate, you start from the pace you could sustain for about an hour. Zones are percentages of that pace: easy runs quite a bit slower, VO2max intervals quite a bit faster.
When to use pace and when heart rate
- Short and medium intervals: pace, because heart rate lags.
- Easy runs: heart rate, so you don't overdo it even if pace feels slow.
- Heat, wind or fatigue: heart rate or feel; your usual pace will cost more.
Watch out for hills
On a climb pace drops even though the effort is the same. On rolling terrain or in the mountains, grade-adjusted pace or heart rate are better guides.
If you schedule structured workouts, setting the target as a pace zone makes your watch alert you when you drift out of range.