Running is about pacing yourself. To pace yourself properly you need to know your optimal pace. You can figure this out by calculating your pace in minutes per mile. All you'll need to know is the time and distance of a recent race or run. Use this to maintain a pace that is sustainable when you run. If you're interested in finding out your pace for everyday runs, invest in a good stopwatch.
Formula
To calculate your pace, first convert your time into seconds. Convert hours by multiplying them by 60 squared, and convert minutes by multiplying them by 60. Add up the total of all the seconds to get your total time in seconds. Divide the total number of seconds by the number of miles that you ran to get your pace in seconds per mile. Finally, convert this to minutes per mile by dividing it by 60.
Example
Assume that you ran 13.1 miles -- a half marathon -- in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 11 seconds. Convert the hours to seconds by multiplying 2 by 60 squared to get 7,200. Convert the minutes by multiplying 15 by 60 to get 900. Add 11 seconds to 7,200 and 900 to get 8,111 seconds. Divide 8,111 by 13.1 to get a pace of 619 seconds per mile. Finally, divide 619 by 60 to get the pace of 10.3 minutes per mile.
Purpose
Knowing your typical pace per mile allows you to track your pace during a race or even a regular run. Using a stopwatch you can compare your time to your pace at split points. For instance, if the distance is posted every mile and you typically run a pace of 8 minutes per mile, you know that you need to complete each mile in 8 minutes. You can use this information to slow down or speed up to keep on pace.
Calculators
If you just want to know your pace but don't feel like doing the math, use an online pace calculator such as those provided by websites including Cool Running, McMillan Running and Runner's World. Simply enter your race time and distance and these calculators will tell you your pace in minutes per mile.
