Whether you are preparing yourself for marathons or shorter-distance races, our Running Split Calculator is used to help you organize and plan your running training. Easily estimate your pace for the whole race and encourage yourself to do more exercise, improve your heart function, and lose some pounds.

For more calculators related to lifestyle and everyday life, check out the list below:

What are splits in running?

Split is a term that can be found in running and racing. It represents the time needed for a person to pass a specific distance. For example, let’s imagine that you’re running five miles. Thus, your time at each mile is called a mile split.

What are splits in running?

Now you may wonder about the real use of splits. Generally, runners tend to use splits to see if they’re pacing evenly and staying on track towards hitting a specific goal. Therefore, if you’re running a timed mile, you may want to check your splits every quarter-mile to see if you’re on the right pace.

Not only using mile splits are beneficial for a runner. But, tracking it during races is also crucial. Especially if you’re trying to reach a specific goal time. Once you know your pace, you can estimate your finish time and train to improve it.

Splits are mostly short, seconds or minutes in length, and they effectively measure how fast a runner runs a certain number of miles or kilometers.

For example, if you run a lap around the track, normally, you would finish it without splits. But, running can be broken into splits. In this case, a lap can be broken into 100-meter splits, and each will be a matter of seconds. Samely, if you run a 5,000 km, however many minutes it took you to run a kilometer can be a split.

How to track your split time?

There are numerous ways and devices you can use for tracking your split time. Most running watches are made and equipped to track and record splits. During a race, only you need to do is hit a button on the watch once you hit a mile marker. However, if your watch comes with GPS support, it will automatically track your splits. Therefore, you don’t need to do anything.

Runners tend to calculate their pace after each run. In addition, calculating your pace after a run gives a runner an average overall pace, not a specific split for each segment.

For instance, this is how a 1 kilometer split times could look like for a 5,000 km race in 24 minutes at an even pace:

DistanceSplit Time (minutes) Total DistanceTotal Time (minutes)
1 km4:481 km4:48
1 km4:482 km9:36
1 km4:483 km14:24
1 km4:484 km19:12
1 km4:485 km24:00
How to track your pace in running

Also, when you’re running, many smartwatches display your current and average mile time for the whole period you’ve been running. If you notice that your current pace is much faster or slower than the previous, it is a good indicator to adjust your running speed. In addition, you can set many watches and apps to alert you with your split time at the end of each mile.

2 km in miles? How much is that?

First of all, let’s define what a kilometer is according to the metric system. By definition, a kilometer (1 km) is a unit of length equivalent to one thousand meters (1000 m).

For example:

  • 1 km is equivalent to 0.62 mi.
  • 5 km is equivalent to 5.11 mi.
  • 10 km is equivalent to 6.21 mi.

But, how much is 2 km converted into miles?
If we use the conversion formula below:

\text{Formula: mi (miles) = km (kilometers)} \times \text{0.62137}

We can find out that 2 km, when converted into miles, equals 1.24 mi.

Running training

Truth be told, each runner who doesn’t plan his training well will most likely get injured and never reach his true potential. In addition, without a good plan, it’s almost impossible to know whether one is training too much or training too little. To get that balance right, you need to do some smart planning.

But wait, what is a training plan after all?

Essentially, a training plan is a schedule of your weekly runs, strength sessions, and recovery routines. We make it to give us a birds-eye view of your training progress. Importantly, the plan doesn’t need to be too strict, but you should stick to some key guidelines. Undoubtedly, the plan will improve your overall pace and help you get more strength and aerobic capacity.

The training generally differs depending on which distance you are competing. Thus, for:

800 m distance

3 x 600 m = 3 sets 2 x 300 m with a minute rest after each repetition and a 10-minute rest between each set.

400 m distance

3 sets = 2 x 200 m with the same rest timing as the previous example.

1500 m distance

4 sets = 600 m + minute rest and then 400 m with 8-minute breaks between sets.

Marathon distance

5 sets = 3 x 1000 m with 30-second breaks after the repetitions and 5-minute breaks between each set.

Note: The values you could see in the examples above are just made to help you visualize and understand what split running training is. For a real training plan, always consult your coach and dietician to keep your diet balanced.

Running split calculator

As for measuring running split time, we have built a calculator meant to automate the process and calculate everything for you. Therefore, you can learn how to utilize the Running split calculator for your next training in the steps below.

Steps:

  • Specify the distance for which you calculate split times in m, km, yards, etc.
  • Enter the total time in which you want to complete the race (your pace)
  • Choose how often you want to create splits.

What do the results show us?

  • total number of full splits
  • duration of each full split
  • shorter run
  • duration of the shorter run

Half marathon pace calculator – Example

Let’s put the calculator in a real scenario and use it to calculate the split times.

Scenario: A person named John is about to run a half marathon next week. He wants to plan his race and prepare as best as he can. So, he would like to know at what time to do splits. His normal pace is 7 min 5 s per mi. A half marathon equals roughly 13.1094 miles. Finally, John wants to know when to do splits using our Running split calculator.

Steps:

  • Specify the total distance: 13.1094 miles
  • Enter John’s pace: 7 min 5 s

Results:

  • Full splits: 13
  • Duration of each full split: 426 s
  • Shorter run: 176.06 m
  • Duration of the shorter run: 46.6 s
  • Total time to complete the marathon: 1 hour 33 minutes 4 seconds

FAQ

How do I run negative splits?

Negative splits are called when a person is running the second half of a race faster than the first. So, for example, if you run the first half of the marathon in 2:00:00, but then the second in 1:56:30, you run a negative split.
Achieving a negative split is not easy, and it takes a lot of discipline and practice. Most people can’t do it in their first marathon. But, generally, if you can hold back and keep the energy in the first half of the race to run faster in the second half, you’ll perform much better overall.

What is a mile split in the running?

Split is a racing term that means the time it takes to complete a specific distance. Some runners use splits to see if they’re pacing evenly and staying on track to hit a specific goal. So, if you’re running a timed mile, you may check your splits every quarter-mile to see if you’re on pace.

What is a positive split-run?

A positive-split race is the opposite of a negative-split race. A positive-split race is one in which the second half’s duration is longer than the first.