AVG Elapsed Pace: Definition, Calculation, and When to Use It

What is AVG Elapsed Pace?

AVG Elapsed Pace, or Average Elapsed Pace, is a metric that calculates your average speed over a given distance by dividing your total elapsed time—which includes any stops or pauses—by the total distance covered. It provides a comprehensive view of the entire duration of an activity from start to finish.

Defining AVG Elapsed Pace

To fully understand AVG Elapsed Pace, let's break down its components:

• AVG (Average): This signifies that the pace is an overall calculation across the entire activity, not a momentary or instantaneous measure.
• Elapsed: This is the critical differentiator. "Elapsed time" refers to the total duration from the moment you start an activity to the moment you finish it, encompassing all time, including any periods of rest, stops, or inactivity.
• Pace: In the context of endurance activities like running, cycling, or swimming, pace is typically expressed as the time it takes to cover a specific unit of distance (e.g., minutes per kilometer, minutes per mile).

Therefore, AVG Elapsed Pace combines these elements to give you a single average pace that factors in every second from the beginning to the end of your workout or event, regardless of whether you were actively moving or stopped.

How AVG Elapsed Pace Differs from Moving Pace

Understanding the distinction between AVG Elapsed Pace and Moving Pace is crucial for accurate performance analysis:

• Moving Pace: This metric exclusively calculates your average speed based only on the time you were actively in motion. Any periods where you were stopped (e.g., waiting at a traffic light, tying your shoe, taking a water break, pausing your watch) are excluded from the time calculation. Moving Pace is often what fitness trackers display as "average pace" when they auto-pause or you manually pause them.
• AVG Elapsed Pace: In contrast, AVG Elapsed Pace includes all time from the moment you press "start" to the moment you press "stop" on your device. If you run 10 kilometers in 60 minutes but took a 5-minute break during that time, your elapsed time is 60 minutes. Your Moving Pace would be calculated based on 55 minutes of actual movement, while your AVG Elapsed Pace would be based on the full 60 minutes.

This difference means that AVG Elapsed Pace will always be equal to or slower than your Moving Pace for any activity that involves stops.

When is AVG Elapsed Pace Most Relevant?

AVG Elapsed Pace serves specific and important purposes in fitness tracking and performance:

• Official Race Results: For competitive events (marathons, triathlons, cycling races), official finish times are always based on elapsed time (either gun time or chip time), not just moving time. Your AVG Elapsed Pace will closely reflect your official race performance.
• Overall Session Management: It provides a realistic understanding of the total time commitment for a training session, including necessary breaks. This is vital for scheduling and managing training load.
• Longer, Self-Supported Activities: For activities where stops are common and part of the experience (e.g., long hikes, bikepacking trips, casual group runs with coffee breaks), AVG Elapsed Pace gives a more honest representation of the total time taken.
• Comparing Total Efficiency: While Moving Pace shows how fast you can go, AVG Elapsed Pace indicates how efficiently you completed the entire task, including transitions and breaks.

When is Moving Pace More Useful?

While AVG Elapsed Pace has its place, Moving Pace is often preferred for other types of analysis:

• Performance Analysis of Active Segments: To assess your actual running or cycling efficiency without the influence of stops. This is key for understanding your physical capabilities.
• Interval Training: When performing structured intervals, Moving Pace allows you to accurately measure the speed of your work intervals and recovery periods, independent of rest between sets.
• Comparing "Pure" Speed: If you want to compare your speed on different routes or under varying conditions, Moving Pace can be a more consistent metric, as it removes the variability of unplanned stops.
• Target Pace Training: For training to hit specific race paces, Moving Pace helps ensure you are hitting the desired speed during your active running or riding segments.

Calculating AVG Elapsed Pace

The calculation for AVG Elapsed Pace is straightforward:

AVG Elapsed Pace = Total Elapsed Time / Total Distance

Let's use an example:

• Activity: A 10-kilometer (10 km) run.
• Total Elapsed Time: You started your watch at 9:00 AM and stopped it at 10:00 AM. Your total elapsed time is 1 hour (60 minutes).
• Stops: During your run, you stopped for 5 minutes to tie your shoe and grab water.

Using the formula: AVG Elapsed Pace = 60 minutes / 10 km = 6 minutes per kilometer (min/km).

For comparison, if we were to calculate Moving Pace: Moving Time = Total Elapsed Time - Stop Time = 60 minutes - 5 minutes = 55 minutes. Moving Pace = 55 minutes / 10 km = 5.5 minutes per kilometer (min/km).

As you can see, the AVG Elapsed Pace (6 min/km) is slower than the Moving Pace (5.5 min/km) because it accounts for the entire duration from start to finish.

Practical Applications for Athletes and Trainers

For both individual athletes and professional trainers, understanding and utilizing AVG Elapsed Pace offers valuable insights:

• Realistic Goal Setting: When predicting race times, using AVG Elapsed Pace from long training runs (that mimic race conditions, including aid station stops) can provide a more accurate and achievable target.
• Training Load Management: For trainers, understanding an athlete's total elapsed time helps in assessing overall training load and recovery needs, as even passive time contributes to the mental and physical duration of an effort.
• Data Interpretation: Athletes and coaches can better interpret the data from GPS watches and fitness apps, recognizing whether a displayed "average pace" refers to moving pace or elapsed pace, and adjusting their analysis accordingly.
• Strategy for Long Events: For ultra-endurance events, where planned and unplanned stops are inevitable, monitoring AVG Elapsed Pace can help athletes manage their overall event strategy and ensure they meet cut-off times.

Key Takeaways

AVG Elapsed Pace is a fundamental metric that offers a holistic view of your performance by considering the entire duration of an activity. While Moving Pace highlights your pure athletic speed, AVG Elapsed Pace reflects your overall efficiency and the true time commitment from start to finish. For serious athletes and coaches, understanding when and why to use each metric is key to comprehensive training analysis, realistic goal setting, and optimized performance.