Pace is a measure of the distance traveled in a unit of time. Runners usually measure pace in minutes per mile, swimmers in seconds per 100 meters, rowers in seconds per 500 meters, and so on. To calculate pace, you need to know both the distance traveled and the time it took to cover that distance.
Distance per Time
Step 1
Time your workout using a stopwatch. Record this time in minutes and seconds on a sheet of paper.
Step 2
Determine the distance covered by multiplying the number of laps by the distance per lap, clocking the distance in your car, using a handheld GPS or referring to an online pedometer tool such as Map My Run. Record the distance.
Step 3
Convert all time units to the desired unit. If you are calculating distance per second, convert minutes to seconds by multiplying by 60. If you are calculating distance per minute, then convert hours to minutes by multiplying by 60, and seconds to minutes by dividing by 60. If you are calculating distance per hour, convert seconds to minutes by dividing by 60, adding the result to the number of minutes, dividing by 60 again, and adding that number to the number of hours.
Step 4
Convert all distances to the desired units. For example, if you are calculating swimming pace per 100 meters from a 1,000-meter time trial, divide 1,000 by 100 meters, to get 10 100-meter units.
Step 5
Divide the distance value by the time value to find the pace as a decimal.
Step 6
Convert any decimals to smaller units of time. To convert a decimal portion of an hour to minutes, or a decimal portion of a minute to seconds, multiply by 60. As an example, Joan Benoit’s gold-medal-winning marathon time in the 1984 Olympics was 2:24:52. The calculation of her pace in minutes per mile would look like this:
52 sec ÷ 60 sec/min = .87 minutes; 2 hr x 60 min/hr = 120 min
120 min + 24 min + .87 min = 144.87 min
144.87 min ÷ 26.2 mi = 5.53 min/mi
0.53 sec x 60 sec/min = 32 sec
So Benoit’s winning marathon pace was 5:32 minutes per mile.
Speed-Pace Conversions
Step 1
Convert all units of time to a decimal by dividing smaller units by 60.
Step 2
Divide 60 by your pace in minutes per mile to get speed in miles per hour. In the example of Joan Benoit, her pace of 5:32 minutes per mile would be 10.87 miles per hour.
60 min/hr ÷ 5.53 min/mi = 10.87 mi/hr
Step 3
Divide 60 by your speed to get pace. For example, Greg Lemond rode 34.51 miles per hour in the final time trial of the 1986 Tour de France to win by a very narrow margin. To convert his speed to pace in minutes per mile, divide 60 minutes per hour by 34.51 miles per hour to get 1:44 minutes per mile.
60 min/hr ÷ 34.51 mi/hr = 1.73 min/mi
0.73 min x 60 sec/min = 43.8 sec
Things You'll Need
- Stopwatch or watch with a second hand
- Paper and pencil
- Measured course, car odometer, handheld GPS or online mapping pedometer tool
- Calculator
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