Unless you regularly run on treadmills, tracks or pre-measured trails, it's often hard to know how far you've run. There are many methods available for estimating your running distance, but keep in mind that each option leaves room for error. If you have a specific distance you want to run, consider running on a track or purchasing a watch that calculates distance. If you can't give up your trail runs, and you don't want to spend money on extra gizmos, you may have to settle for a best-estimate on distance traveled.
Treadmill Estimate
Step 1
Run your desired distance on a treadmill. If you want to run 3 miles outdoors, run three miles on a treadmill.
Step 2
Average your per-mile pace on the treadmill. If it took you 30 minutes to run 3 miles, you know you average a 10-minute mile pace.
Step 3
Run outside for time, ticking off each mile as you hit your average per-mile time. When you've run 10 minutes, you know you've gone approximately 1 mile.
Step 4
Jog for distance, then divide your total time run by your per-mile time. If your total running time was 43 minutes, based on your 10 mile-per-hour pace, you can assume you ran 4.3 miles.
Track Estimate
Step 1
Go to a track wearing a pedometer on your waist or shoe. Make sure the pedometer starts at zero when you start running.
Step 2
Run a mile using your regular pace and stride length that you use on longer runs.
Step 3
Write down the number of steps it took you to run a mile.
Step 4
Run your outdoor course while wearing a pedometer.
Step 5
Divide the number of steps it took you to run your course by the number of steps it took you to run a mile. This will give you an estimate of the distance you ran.
Internet Estimate
Step 1
Run your course, trying to stick to streets rather than trails.
Step 2
Log onto an Internet running-distance calculator like MapMy Run, Gmaps Pedometer or Runningmap.com.
Step 3
Enter your course into the website and the site will provide you with a distance estimate.
Tips and Warnings
- Some MP3 players have apps that calculate distance, calories burned and steps taken. If you already own an MP3 player, research available applications and consider purchasing one of these apps if its available.
- Most people run faster outdoors than they run on a treadmill. If you're using a treadmill to estimate your running time, you may actually run farther outdoors in the same amount of time that you ran on a treadmill. Treadmill mile-per-hour estimates don't account for real-world variables like hills or rough terrain. Your estimate could be thrown off by these variables.
Things You'll Need
- Treadmill
- Running track
- Pedometer
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