Easy run pace calculator: your easy pace and zone 2 heart rate, ready for your Garmin
Enter your MAS, or a recent race time, and your max heart rate: the calculator instantly shows your easy run pace and the heart-rate range to stay within. Then connect your Garmin to Running Workout, and your AI assistant sends an easy run at that target to your watch within minutes.
Last updated: October 27, 2026
Connect your Garmin, then ask for the run
Free to start · official Garmin connection · workouts sent to your watch
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Ask your assistant
Once your Garmin is connected, paste one of these into Claude or ChatGPT:
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« Look at my easy runs from the last two weeks: did I stay under 75% of my max heart rate? »
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« Send a 45-minute easy run to my watch for tomorrow, between 65 and 75% of my max heart rate. »
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« Which max heart rate are you using for me, and where does it come from? Give me my easy run range in bpm and in min/mi. »
Free to start · 4 workouts a month sent to your watch
Your easy run range
Easy running sits between 60 and 70% of your MAS (maximal aerobic speed), with a heart rate between 65 and 75% of your max HR. No measured MAS? A recent 5K, 10K, half or marathon time is enough to estimate it; everything is computed in your browser.
Measured with a 6-minute test, or estimated from a recent race below.
For the heart-rate range. Without a test, your connected assistant estimates it from your Garmin activities.
I don't know my MAS: estimate it from a recent race
Estimate for a trained runner: 5K at 95% of MAS, 10K at 90%, half at 85%, marathon at 79%.
Your easy-run range
Add your MAS, or a recent race time, for pace and distance.
Add your max heart rate for the heart-rate range.
Your assistant can send this easy run to your watch, heart-rate target included: "Create a 45-minute easy run for tomorrow and send it to my watch."
Connect my GarminHow to read the result
Focus on the bpm range first: it tells you whether you are really running easy, while the pace is only a guide on flat ground.
- Pace and speed: 60 to 70% of your MAS. Running near the slow end is not a failure, especially in the heat or on a tired day.
- Heart-rate range: 65 to 75% of your max HR, in beats per minute.
- Upper limit: 75% of max HR. Above it starts the "grey zone", between 75 and 85%, which tires you without building endurance.
- Distance in 45 min and in 1 hour: handy to ask for an easy run in miles rather than in minutes.
The check without a watch stays the same: you should be able to speak in full sentences. If you can't, you are above the range.
Why follow heart rate rather than pace
Because easy pace changes with heat, hills, wind and fatigue, while heart rate follows the real effort: if you keep the same bpm range, a hill slows you down, and that is the point.
With Running Workout, your assistant (Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini) writes the target the way you ask for it before sending the workout to Garmin Connect: a percentage of max HR, converted to bpm from the max HR in your profile; a bpm range, sent as is; or a pace, computed from your MAS. During the run, the watch shows the target and alerts you when you drift out of it.
Garmin zone 2 and easy running: how they match
They overlap without being the same: by default, Garmin zone 2 runs from 60 to 70% of max HR, Running Workout's easy run range from 65 to 75%. The top of zone 2 and the bottom of zone 3 are therefore both easy running.
| Garmin zone (default) | % of max HR | Max HR of 180 | Easy running (117 to 135 bpm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 50 to 60% | 90 to 108 bpm | Below the range |
| Zone 2 | 60 to 70% | 108 to 126 bpm | Upper half inside the range (65 to 70%) |
| Zone 3 | 70 to 80% | 126 to 144 bpm | Lower half inside the range (70 to 75%), then grey zone |
| Zones 4 and 5 | 80 to 100% | 144 to 180 bpm | Outside the range: hard sessions |
These limits are the default settings in Garmin's manuals. If your zones are set by heart rate reserve, lactate threshold or by hand, they change: compare bpm, not zone numbers. An easy run requested "in zone 2" goes out with the zone number, which the watch applies according to your settings; for the range on this page, ask for "between 65 and 75% of my max heart rate".
No known max heart rate, and four worked examples
Use pace in the meantime and let Running Workout find the value: with no declared max HR, it takes the highest heart rate recorded in your Garmin activities over the last 90 days, and your assistant tells you where the figure comes from. If your recent runs were all easy, that value is too low: give it a measured one. Garmin watches start from "220 minus your age" by default, a formula, not a measurement.
| MAS | Speed (60 to 70%) | Pace | In 45 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 mph (12 km/h) | 4.5 to 5.2 mph | 13:25 to 11:30 /mi | 3.4 to 3.9 mi |
| 8.7 mph (14 km/h) | 5.2 to 6.1 mph | 11:30 to 9:51 /mi | 3.9 to 4.6 mi |
| 9.9 mph (16 km/h) | 6.0 to 7.0 mph | 10:04 to 8:37 /mi | 4.5 to 5.2 mi |
| 11.2 mph (18 km/h) | 6.7 to 7.8 mph | 8:56 to 7:40 /mi | 5.0 to 5.9 mi |
Frequently asked questions
What heart rate for an easy run?
Between 65 and 75% of your max HR: with a max HR of 180, that is 117 to 135 bpm, and 135 bpm is the ceiling. The calculator does the maths for your own max HR.
How do I calculate my zone 2 heart rate?
On Garmin, by default, zone 2 runs from 60 to 70% of max HR, so 108 to 126 bpm for a max HR of 180. It overlaps Running Workout's easy run range (65 to 75%) without matching it.
Can I send this easy run to a Garmin watch?
Yes: connect your Garmin to Running Workout, add the connector to Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini, then ask for, say, a 45-minute easy run between 65 and 75% of your max HR. The workout lands in Garmin Connect, then on the watch at the next sync.
What if I have neither a MAS nor a recent race time?
Rely on heart rate and the talk test in the meantime. For a reliable MAS, do the 6-minute test: your assistant sends it to the watch, then computes your MAS from the activity.
Is Running Workout free?
Free to start: Garmin connection, plans, reading your activities and 4 workouts a month sent to your watch. Running Workout Pro (€4.90 a month or €35 a year, no commitment) removes the limit.
Connect your Garmin, then ask for the run
Free to start: your assistant finds your max heart rate in your Garmin activities and sends the easy run to your watch at the right target.
Connect my Garmin