:root {
–primary-blue: #004a99;
–success-green: #28a745;
–light-background: #f8f9fa;
–white: #ffffff;
–dark-gray: #343a40;
–medium-gray: #6c757d;
}
body {
font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif;
background-color: var(–light-background);
color: var(–dark-gray);
line-height: 1.6;
margin: 0;
padding: 20px;
}
.loan-calc-container {
max-width: 800px;
margin: 40px auto;
background-color: var(–white);
padding: 30px;
border-radius: 8px;
box-shadow: 0 4px 15px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
border: 1px solid #dee2e6;
}
h1, h2 {
color: var(–primary-blue);
text-align: center;
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.input-group {
margin-bottom: 20px;
display: flex;
flex-wrap: wrap;
align-items: center;
gap: 15px;
}
.input-group label {
flex: 0 0 180px; /* Fixed width for labels */
font-weight: 500;
color: var(–primary-blue);
}
.input-group input[type="number"],
.input-group input[type="text"] {
flex: 1; /* Input takes remaining space */
padding: 10px 12px;
border: 1px solid #ced4da;
border-radius: 4px;
font-size: 1rem;
min-width: 150px; /* Ensure inputs have a minimum width */
box-sizing: border-box;
}
.input-group input[type="number"]:focus,
.input-group input[type="text"]:focus {
outline: none;
border-color: var(–primary-blue);
box-shadow: 0 0 0 0.2rem rgba(0, 74, 153, 0.25);
}
.input-group span {
margin-left: 10px;
font-size: 0.9rem;
color: var(–medium-gray);
}
button {
display: block;
width: 100%;
padding: 12px 20px;
background-color: var(–primary-blue);
color: var(–white);
border: none;
border-radius: 4px;
font-size: 1.1rem;
cursor: pointer;
transition: background-color 0.3s ease;
margin-top: 20px;
}
button:hover {
background-color: #003b7f;
}
#result {
margin-top: 30px;
padding: 25px;
background-color: var(–success-green);
color: var(–white);
border-radius: 4px;
text-align: center;
font-size: 1.5rem;
font-weight: bold;
box-shadow: 0 2px 10px rgba(40, 167, 69, 0.3);
}
#result p {
margin: 0;
}
.article-section {
margin-top: 40px;
padding-top: 20px;
border-top: 1px solid #e0e0e0;
}
.article-section h2 {
text-align: left;
color: var(–primary-blue);
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
.article-section p, .article-section ul {
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
.article-section li {
margin-bottom: 8px;
}
/* Responsive adjustments */
@media (max-width: 768px) {
.input-group {
flex-direction: column;
align-items: stretch;
}
.input-group label {
flex-basis: auto; /* Allow labels to take full width */
margin-bottom: 5px;
}
.input-group input[type="number"],
.input-group input[type="text"] {
width: 100%; /* Make inputs full width */
margin-left: 0;
}
.loan-calc-container {
padding: 20px;
}
}
Understanding Marathon Pacing
Achieving your marathon goal time requires a consistent and well-calculated pace. The Marathon Pacing Calculator is designed to help runners determine the exact pace they need to maintain throughout the 26.2-mile (42.195 km) race to meet their desired finish time. Understanding this pace is crucial for effective training and race-day strategy.
This calculator takes your desired marathon distance, and your target finish time (broken down into hours, minutes, and seconds), and then computes the average pace per kilometer (or mile, depending on the unit you're working with). It also provides the pace in minutes per kilometer.
The Math Behind the Pace Calculation
The core of this calculation involves converting your target finish time into a single unit (like seconds or minutes) and then dividing it by the total distance.
Step 1: Convert Target Time to Total Seconds
First, we convert your target time into a single unit, typically seconds, for easier calculation. The formula is:
Total Seconds = (Target Hours * 3600) + (Target Minutes * 60) + Target Seconds
Step 2: Convert Distance to Kilometers (if not already)
The calculator assumes the input distance is in kilometers. A standard marathon is 42.195 kilometers.
Step 3: Calculate Pace in Seconds per Kilometer
Now, we divide the total seconds by the total distance in kilometers to find the pace in seconds per kilometer:
Pace (seconds/km) = Total Seconds / Distance (km)
Step 4: Convert Pace to Minutes and Seconds per Kilometer
The result from Step 3 is in seconds per kilometer. To make it more practical for runners, we convert this back into minutes and seconds per kilometer:
Pace Minutes = Floor(Pace (seconds/km) / 60)
Pace Seconds = Round(Pace (seconds/km) % 60)
The final pace is presented as `Pace Minutes:Pace Seconds` per kilometer.
Why is Consistent Pacing Important?
- Energy Management: Going out too fast burns through glycogen stores prematurely, leading to "hitting the wall" later in the race.
- Reduced Injury Risk: Maintaining a steady effort reduces the strain on your body compared to erratic bursts of speed.
- Mental Strength: Knowing you're on track for your goal time provides significant mental boost and confidence.
- Training Efficiency: Practicing target marathon pace during long runs helps your body adapt and become more efficient at that specific effort level.
How to Use the Calculator
-
Enter Marathon Distance: Input the official distance of the marathon you are running (standard is 42.195 km).
-
Enter Target Finish Time: Input your desired finish time by entering the hours, minutes, and seconds.
-
Click "Calculate Pace": The calculator will instantly display your required average pace per kilometer to achieve your goal.
Example Calculation
Let's say you are running a marathon (42.195 km) and your target finish time is 3 hours, 30 minutes, and 0 seconds.
- Total Seconds = (3 * 3600) + (30 * 60) + 0 = 10800 + 1800 + 0 = 12600 seconds
- Pace (seconds/km) = 12600 / 42.195 ≈ 298.59 seconds/km
- Pace Minutes = Floor(298.59 / 60) = Floor(4.9765) = 4 minutes
- Pace Seconds = Round(298.59 % 60) = Round(58.59) = 59 seconds
Therefore, to finish a marathon in 3:30:00, you need to maintain an average pace of approximately 4 minutes and 59 seconds per kilometer.
function calculatePace() {
var distanceKm = parseFloat(document.getElementById("distance").value);
var targetTimeHours = parseFloat(document.getElementById("targetTimeHours").value);
var targetTimeMinutes = parseFloat(document.getElementById("targetTimeMinutes").value);
var targetTimeSeconds = parseFloat(document.getElementById("targetTimeSeconds").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
if (isNaN(distanceKm) || distanceKm <= 0 ||
isNaN(targetTimeHours) || targetTimeHours < 0 ||
isNaN(targetTimeMinutes) || targetTimeMinutes 59 ||
isNaN(targetTimeSeconds) || targetTimeSeconds 59) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid numbers for all fields.";
resultDiv.style.backgroundColor = "#dc3545"; // Red for error
return;
}
// Convert target time to total seconds
var totalSeconds = (targetTimeHours * 3600) + (targetTimeMinutes * 60) + targetTimeSeconds;
// Calculate pace in seconds per kilometer
var paceSecondsPerKm = totalSeconds / distanceKm;
// Convert pace back to minutes and seconds
var paceMinutes = Math.floor(paceSecondsPerKm / 60);
var paceSeconds = Math.round(paceSecondsPerKm % 60);
// Ensure seconds are displayed with two digits if less than 10
var formattedPaceSeconds = paceSeconds < 10 ? "0" + paceSeconds : paceSeconds;
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Target Pace: " + paceMinutes + ":" + formattedPaceSeconds + " per km";
resultDiv.style.backgroundColor = "var(–success-green)"; // Green for success
}