---
title: "Running Pace Calculator – VDOT Training Zones, Easy to Tempo Pace | TrainPace"
description: "Free VDOT running pace calculator. Enter any race time to get Easy, Tempo, Threshold, and Interval training zones. Includes Yasso 800s, race predictor for 5K to marathon, and printable pace charts."
url: https://trainpace.com/calculator
---

# Running Pace Calculator – VDOT Training Zones

Free VDOT running pace calculator. Enter any race time to get Easy, Tempo, Threshold, and Interval training zones. Includes Yasso 800s, race predictor for 5K to marathon, and printable pace charts.

Paces come from the Daniels & Gilbert running formula: your race result is converted to a VDOT fitness score, and each training zone is a fixed percentage of the velocity that VDOT sustains. The tables below are generated from that same formula, so they are usable directly — the interactive calculator only adds your exact race result, unit preference, heart-rate zones, and hot-weather adjustments.

## Training paces by 5K time

**Training paces by recent 5K time (min/km)**

| 5K time | VDOT | Easy | Marathon | Threshold | Interval | Rep |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 15:00 | 69.6 | 3:45–4:30 | 3:23–3:42 | 3:15 | 2:56 | 2:32 |
| 17:30 | 58.2 | 4:20–5:12 | 3:54–4:17 | 3:46 | 3:23 | 2:56 |
| 20:00 | 49.8 | 4:54–5:53 | 4:26–4:51 | 4:16 | 3:51 | 3:19 |
| 22:30 | 43.4 | 5:29–6:34 | 4:57–5:25 | 4:46 | 4:18 | 3:43 |
| 25:00 | 38.3 | 6:03–7:14 | 5:28–5:59 | 5:16 | 4:45 | 4:06 |
| 27:30 | 34.2 | 6:37–7:53 | 5:59–6:33 | 5:46 | 5:13 | 4:30 |
| 30:00 | 30.8 | 7:11–8:32 | 6:30–7:06 | 6:16 | 5:40 | 4:54 |
| 32:30 | 28.0 | 7:44–9:10 | 7:01–7:39 | 6:46 | 6:07 | 5:17 |
| 35:00 | 25.6 | 8:17–9:48 | 7:31–8:12 | 7:15 | 6:34 | 5:41 |

**Training paces by recent 5K time (min/mi)**

| 5K time | VDOT | Easy | Marathon | Threshold | Interval | Rep |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 15:00 | 69.6 | 6:02–7:14 | 5:26–5:58 | 5:14 | 4:43 | 4:05 |
| 17:30 | 58.2 | 6:58–8:22 | 6:17–6:53 | 6:03 | 5:27 | 4:43 |
| 20:00 | 49.8 | 7:54–9:28 | 7:08–7:49 | 6:52 | 6:11 | 5:20 |
| 22:30 | 43.4 | 8:49–10:34 | 7:58–8:44 | 7:41 | 6:55 | 5:58 |
| 25:00 | 38.3 | 9:44–11:38 | 8:48–9:38 | 8:29 | 7:39 | 6:36 |
| 27:30 | 34.2 | 10:39–12:42 | 9:38–10:32 | 9:17 | 8:23 | 7:14 |
| 30:00 | 30.8 | 11:33–13:44 | 10:28–11:26 | 10:05 | 9:07 | 7:53 |
| 32:30 | 28.0 | 12:27–14:46 | 11:17–12:19 | 10:53 | 9:51 | 8:31 |
| 35:00 | 25.6 | 13:20–15:46 | 12:06–13:12 | 11:41 | 10:34 | 9:09 |

## How the zones are used

- Easy — most weekly mileage, conversational effort, builds aerobic base and aids recovery.
- Marathon — sustained race-effort work for marathon-specific fitness.
- Threshold — comfortably hard tempo runs and cruise intervals, roughly one-hour race effort.
- Interval — 3-5 minute repeats at near-maximum aerobic capacity to raise VO2max.
- Repetition — short 200-400m reps for speed, running economy, and neuromuscular power.

## Other TrainPace tools

- [VDOT Calculator](https://trainpace.com/vdot) — fitness score and equivalent race times
- [Training Plan Builder](https://trainpace.com/plan) — week-by-week 5K to marathon plans
- [Race Fuel Planner](https://trainpace.com/fuel) — carbs per hour and gel counts
- [Elevation Finder](https://trainpace.com/elevation-finder) — GPX route and climb analysis

## For AI agents

Every page on this site has a Markdown mirror at the same path with a .md suffix (for example /calculator.md), and honors an Accept: text/markdown request header on the HTML URL. The calculations here are also available as callable tools through a free public MCP server — no account or API key.

- [llms.txt](https://trainpace.com/llms.txt) — site index for agents
- [llms-full.txt](https://trainpace.com/llms-full.txt) — every page's Markdown in one file
- [MCP server docs](https://trainpace.com/mcp) — endpoint, tools, and client setup