Understanding your pace zones
Learn what each VDOT pace zone is for, how to read your targets, and how zones recalibrate as you improve.
The five training zones
Runapt gives every workout a target pace window drawn from one of five zones. Knowing what each is for helps you run them at the right effort.
- Easy: aerobic development and recovery; conversational and relaxed.
- Marathon: steady endurance that trains efficient fuel use.
- Tempo (threshold): “comfortably hard”, right at your lactate threshold.
- Interval: VO₂max work in short, repeated hard efforts.
- Repetition: fast, sharp reps for speed and running economy.
Reading your targets
- Each planned run shows its zone and a pace window, not a single number: staying inside the window is the goal.
- On the run, the pace-window indicator shows whether you’re too fast, too slow, or on target.
- Use the easy end of a window on tired days and the faster end when you feel fresh.
Tip · Easy should feel easy
Most runners run their easy days too fast. Trust the window — easy running is what lets your hard days be truly hard.
How zones recalibrate
Your paces move with your fitness
As you log faster efforts or a new race result, your VDOT score updates and every zone shifts with it — so your targets stay challenging without you re-entering anything. The AI coach explains in your post-run notes when and why a zone changed.
Frequently asked
- Why is my easy pace so slow?
- Easy zones are deliberately relaxed to build aerobic fitness and aid recovery. Running them harder turns easy days into junk miles.
- How do I update my paces?
- Log a recent race or fast time trial. Runapt recalculates your VDOT and shifts every zone automatically.
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