5.5 minutes is not 5:50: the running-pace decimal trap
The decimal part of a minute must be multiplied by 60 to become seconds. Reading it as hundredths produces an incorrect pace.
Pace calculator →Start with a complete run
A 5 km run completed in 27.5 minutes has an average pace of 27.5 / 5 = 5.5 min/km. That is 5 minutes 30 seconds per kilometre. Writing 5:50 adds 20 seconds to each kilometre, or 100 seconds over the full distance. The input field on this site expects decimal minutes, so keeping the notation straight is essential.
Convert a stopwatch reading before entering it
Enter 27.5 for 27 minutes 30 seconds, and 27.75 for 27 minutes 45 seconds. The time converter can help with the seconds component. The corresponding speed for a 5.5 min/km pace is 60 / 5.5, or about 10.91 km/h. A lower pace number means faster running; a higher speed number means faster running.
Use the same timing convention
Elapsed time includes stops, whereas a device’s moving time may exclude them. Check that convention before comparing two runs or a device record with a race result. The calculation describes the average across the entered distance. It does not account for hills, changing effort or the physiological intensity of a training session.
Try the calculators
- Pace calculator
Turn distance and time into pace and speed.
- Time conversion
Convert hours, minutes and seconds.
- Speed, distance and time calculator
Solve for speed, distance or time from the other two, with metric and imperial units.