Threshold pace in running: finding it, training it, holding it
Threshold is the pace you can hold for about an hour in a race: any faster and lactate accumulates faster than it is cleared. It is the session that brings the most progress over 10K and the half. Here is how your AI coach calculates it from your VMA and builds it week after week.
Last updated: 2026-09-19
Where threshold sits
For most runners, threshold sits between 85 and 90% of VMA. With a VMA of 15 km/h, that gives 12.75 to 13.5 km/h, a pace of 4:27 to 4:42 per kilometre. It is roughly your race pace over 15 km.
The AI coach calculates this range from the VMA read on Garmin and sends it to the watch as the step target. The watch alerts you if you leave the zone: the only way to learn a pace without checking the clock every stride.
The plan's threshold sessions
The plan progresses them through three formats: short 3 × 8-minute blocks with 2 minutes of jogging early in preparation, then 2 × 15 minutes, then 25 to 30 continuous minutes four weeks before the race.
Between blocks, recovery is active, never standing still. The complete session, warm-up and cool-down included, lasts 50 to 70 minutes.
The mistakes that make threshold useless
Running too fast: beyond 92% of VMA the session becomes a badly calibrated interval workout that tires without building threshold. Running too slowly, below 83%, turns it into a fast jog with no stimulus.
- 85 to 90% of VMA, never more.
- Active recovery between blocks.
- One threshold a week is enough; two in half-marathon preparation for variants with 5 sessions or more.
The watch corrects in real time. The coach checks afterwards in the Garmin activity whether the pace held matched the target, and tells you in the weekly review.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run threshold by heart rate?
Yes, between 85 and 90% of maximum heart rate. The coach can send the target as HR rather than pace, useful in strong heat or on hilly routes.
Is threshold useful for the marathon?
Yes, but less central: the marathon is run at 80 to 85% of VMA, a little under threshold. The marathon plan keeps one threshold session every two weeks.
How long before progress shows?
Three to five weeks of regular threshold are enough to hold the same pace at a lower heart rate, the first sign that threshold is rising.
Let your assistant write your sessions
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See the connection guide