Half Marathon Pace

Half Marathon Pace is a measure of distance and time - how long does it take to cover of distance of 13.1 miles. It is measured in minutes/mile. For example, if you complete a half marathon in 2hours 10 minutes, then your average half marathon pace is approximately 10 minutes/mile.

Mile pace
If a runner takes 10 minutes to run a mile, his pace is 10minutes/mile. His speed on the other hand is 6 mph since he will run 6 miles in 1 hour or 60 minutes.

Race pace
Race pace is the pace of a runner during the race. Race pace is usually faster than training pace for many runners. The excitement and the adrenaline during the race help contribute towards a faster race pace.

Average pace
Average pace is the ratio of the total distance covered by the runner to the total time it takes to cover the distance.

For instance, if a runner takes 2 hours to complete a half marathon, then his average pace is 120 minutes/13.1 miles=9.16 minutes/mile.

Very seldom do runners have the same pace throughout the race. Many runners start fast and lose their pace towards the end of the race. Some runners start slow and increase their pace towards the end of the race.

Half Marathon Pace guide

Using mile markers
Every mile has a sign post starting from mile 0. Note the time you start at a mile and you end at the next mile. This will give you the average pace for 1 mile.

Using Garmin watches
The Garmin watch has a display on it which indicates the average pace for a mile. Garmin watches are fairly expensive in the range of several hundred dollars.

Using Pace tattoo
A Pace tattoo is a temporary tattoo on the hand which indicates the pace you need at every mile for a defined finish time.

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