The P-Scale
The P-Scale, short for the Saltmarsh Pace Scale, is a training pace system for distance runners. Every training pace is a percent of the athlete’s current mile race pace, written as a P number. P100 is mile pace, P90 is 10% slower and P110 is 10% faster. Easy running is P62 or slower.
It is the pace language of the 22-Week XC Season Blueprint and the P-Scale track plans. It is coming to every plan on this site.
How it works
P100 is the athlete’s current mile race pace. Every other zone is a percent of it. P90 is 10% slower than mile pace. P110 is 10% faster.
In plain words: for P80, multiply mile pace by 1.20. For P110, multiply by 0.90. A 6:00 miler runs P80 at 7:12 a mile, P90 at 6:36 and P110 at 5:24.
Why mile pace? Every high school distance runner races it, and it sits near the middle of the training range. The whole ladder, from an easy run to a sprint, fits between P62 and P115.
The 100 never moves. P80 means the same effort in July, January and May, in every plan.
One race sets the scale
Use the most recent race the athlete ran all out. Each race distance has its own spot on the scale, so any of them can set P100.
| Anchor race | Its P number | To find P100 |
|---|---|---|
| 1600m or mile | P100 | Use 1600 pace as it is |
| 3200m | P93 | Divide 3200 pace by 1.07 |
| 5K, track or cross country | P90 | Divide 5K pace by 1.10 |
| 800m, 1500m, 3000m | Varies | The calculator converts it |
A 10:40 3200 runner has a P100 of 5:01 a mile. A 20:00 5K runner has a P100 of 5:51.
- Cross country courses. The same fitness runs different times on different courses. Take a fast course as it is. Take 1.25% off an average course for boys and 1.75% for girls. Take 2.5% off a slow course for boys and 3.5% for girls. The calculators do this for you.
- When it resets. Only after a race or an all-out time trial that beats the current anchor, course-adjusted. Never from a workout. A slow race in mud or heat doesn’t lower anyone’s paces.
- Never from a goal. Goals get their own letter, G, and appear only in the track plans’ goal-pace sessions. Training paces come from what the athlete has already done.
- No race yet. Run by the talk test until the first all-out race or time trial. Each plan says when that comes.
- Spring. A real 1600 resets P100. The track plans run a time trial in week 3.
The ladder
Eleven zones cover every session in every plan. The last column shows one athlete, a 20:00 5K runner, so you can see the spread.
| Zone | Name | What it is | Talk test | 20:00 5K runner mile / 400m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P62 or slower | Easy | Recovery and aerobic base. Most of the miles. | Full sentences, easily | 8:05+ / 2:00+ |
| P70–75 | Steady | Comfortably fast. Builds the aerobic engine with little recovery cost. | Full sentences, with rhythm | 7:19–7:36 / 1:49–1:53 |
| P80 | Threshold | Comfortably hard. Could hold it for 20 minutes or more. | Short phrases | 7:01 / 1:45 |
| P85 | Steady-hard | Hard but even. About a 15-minute race effort. | A few words | 6:44 / 1:40 |
| P90 | Aerobic power | 5K race pace. Reps of 3 to 5 minutes. | A word or two | 6:26 / 96 |
| P95 | Strength | Between 3200 and mile effort. | A word | 6:09 / 92 |
| P100 | Mile pace | Current 1600 race pace. | None | 5:51 / 87 |
| P105 | Fast | About 800 to 1000m race effort. | None | 5:34 / 83 |
| P110 | Speed | Quick and smooth. | None | 5:16 / 79 |
| P115 | Sprint | Near top speed, short. | None | 4:58 / 74 |
| Hills | Hill sprints | 8 to 12 seconds up a steep hill, walk back. | None | By effort |
Times under 100 seconds are written in seconds, the way you’d call a lap.
One whiteboard, three athletes
The whiteboard says the same thing to everyone. Each athlete’s split comes from their own race. Here are three runners from one roster, by recent 5K.
| Whiteboard | 17:00 5K | 20:00 5K | 24:00 5K |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 x 800m P90, 400m jog | 2:43 each | 3:12 each | 3:50 each |
| 3 x 1600m P80, 2 min jog | 5:56 each | 6:59 each | 8:23 each |
| 20 min Steady | 6:13–6:28 a mile | 7:19–7:36 a mile | 8:47–9:08 a mile |
| 6 x 200m P100–105, 200m walk | 37 to 35 | 44 to 41.5 | 52 to 50 |
| Easy days | 6:52 a mile or slower | 8:05 a mile or slower | 9:41 a mile or slower |
You write five lines. The plan’s calculator prints thirty sets of splits, grouped by level, on one team sheet.
How to read a session
Every session reads the same way: reps, distance, zone, recovery.
6 x 800m P80, 60 sec jog
That is six 800s at threshold with a 60-second jog between.
- Ranges. P70–75 means start at the slow end and finish no faster than the fast end.
- Relaxed. Shoulders, arms and face loose. Speed comes second.
- Strides. 15 to 20 seconds, building to P100–105, relaxed. The same in every plan.
- G, goal pace. Track plans only. After the week 3 time trial, athlete and coach set a goal, and G is that pace. Goal-pace sessions rehearse it. In week 11, one rep at G (600m, 1000m or 2000m, by event) checks whether the goal is on.
- Stop rule. End the set when a rep misses its P pace by more than 2 seconds per 400m, or when a relaxed rep tightens up. The last rep is not the place to prove anything.
Off the track
On grass, hills and mud, a split means little. So the plans write those sessions as effort and keep pace targets for the track and flat loops.
- Effort sessions. “20 min Steady effort” or “5 x 6 min P80 effort.” The athlete runs the talk test for that zone, not the watch.
- Heat and wind. Every pace slows. Run by the talk test, and shorten the session before you cancel it.
- Stop rule off the track. End the set when the athlete can’t pass the zone’s talk test, or when form breaks: shoulders up, arms crossing, head rolling.
How it compares
If you already coach with Daniels’ tables, lactate zones or the Winter Block’s gears, here is the map.
| P-Scale | Daniels’ tables | Lactate terms | Winter Block gear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy, P62 or slower | E | Below LT1 | Chat |
| Steady, P70–75 | No close match | LT1 | Steady |
| P80 | T | LT2 | Strong |
| P90 | I | VO2max | No close match |
| P100 | R | No close match | No close match |
| Hill sprints and strides | No close match | No close match | Zoom |
The other steps, P85, P95 and P105 to P115, follow Canova. His system sets every pace as a percent of race pace. The P-Scale is built on that idea, with one change: 100 is always mile pace. In Canova’s own plans, 100% is the pace of the event you’re training for. So for a 5K runner, Canova’s 100% is P90 here.
The Norwegian Method’s LT1 and LT2 sessions sit at Steady and P80.
What it trades, on purpose
One number per zone costs a little precision. Here is where, and why I accept it.
- Slower runners train a bit easier than Daniels’ tables. Below about a 5:45 mile, P80 and P90 run 2 to 7 seconds per 400m easier than Daniels’ T and I paces, more for slower runners. For a 28:00 5K runner, P80 is 9:50 a mile against Daniels’ threshold of 9:27. That’s the safe direction for a developing runner.
- The spring reset jumps. A fall 5K on a slow course undersells mile speed. When a real 1600 resets P100 in spring, a 20:00 runner’s P100 often lands about 30 seconds a mile faster than the fall estimate. That’s growth plus the course, not an error.
Where to use it
Start with a free calculator. Enter one race and get every zone for one athlete.
These plans run on the P-Scale. Each high school plan comes with its own full calculator: enter the roster once, and it writes every athlete’s split beside every rep for the whole season.
| Plan | Season | How it anchors | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22-Week XC Season Blueprint | Summer and fall | 5K = P90 | $59 |
| P-Scale 800m, 1600m and 3200m Plans | Spring track | 1600 = P100, plus G | $39 each |
| P-Scale Track Bundle | Spring track | All three track plans | $99 |
| Middle School Track Plan | Spring, grades 5 to 8 | Bridge athletes learn the P-Scale they’ll use in high school | $39 |
| HS Distance Bundle | All year | Blueprint, Winter Block and all three track plans, plus a one-page P-Scale crosswalk | $179 |
The Winter Training Block adds P numbers beside its gear names this winter. The Middle School XC Coach’s Kit follows next summer.
FAQ
Why is 5K pace P90 and not P100?
Because 100 is always mile pace, for every athlete in every season. That keeps each P number’s meaning fixed. A 5K is run about 10% slower than mile pace, so it sits at P90.
Is this just Daniels’ tables with new names?
No. Daniels’ tables read paces off a chart. The P-Scale uses one formula and adds the steps between his zones. The two land close for faster runners. For slower runners, the P-Scale runs a little easier.
An athlete ran a great workout. Should I raise their paces?
No. Paces change only after a race or an all-out time trial that beats the current anchor. A good workout means the paces are working.
What if an athlete hasn’t raced yet?
Run by the talk test until the first all-out race or time trial. Then enter that time.
How fast should easy days go?
No faster than P62. That’s a speed limit, not a target. Slower is always fine.
Do boys and girls use the same scale?
Yes. The only difference is the cross country course allowance, which takes a little more off girls’ times on average and slow courses.
Does it work for middle schoolers?
In the Middle School Track Plan, Explorers run by feel, Builders get one lap card, and Bridge athletes learn the P-Scale they’ll use in high school.
Do I need the plan’s calculator?
The free calculators give every zone for one athlete. A plan’s calculator handles the whole roster and puts a split beside every rep, every day of the season.