Take the guesswork out of event day and let your COROS watch guide your pacing from start to finish. With Pace Strategy, you'll know exactly what pace to target for every section of the course.
Pace strategies can be created based on a preset Distance or a Route.
- Distance is best for flat road races
- Route is ideal for trail races, or big trail outings with significant elevation changes
To get started, open your COROS app, head to your Profile page, and select Pace Strategy. Tap the plus icon to start creating your new strategy.
Create a Pace Strategy Using Distance
When creating a Pace Strategy from a target distance, you can choose from one of the preset options (5k, 10k, half marathon, or marathon) or select your own custom distance.
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Select your target time: After selecting a distance, a target time will automatically be calculated based on your current running fitness (see the bottom of this article for more details on how target times are calculated). To adjust your time faster or slower, use the slider just below the target time, or select the drop down arrows for more precision.
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Adjust your splits: Next, you can customize your pacing strategy by targeting positive splits - starting faster and finishing slower - or negative splits - starting slower and finishing faster. For example, if you tend to hit the wall in the last few miles, you might build in positive splits early on so you can still reach your overall goal time.
- Fine-tune each segment: For even more control, you can also manually adjust individual mile splits if you need to target a specific pace at a certain mile. To do so, select Expand and Edit at the bottom of the page. Here you can choose any individual segment and adjust its target time or target pace. Any adjustments you make to individual segments will affect your overall target time.
Once your pace strategy is finalized, rename it at the top of the page and tap Save. You can always come back to edit it later, or sync it directly to your watch.
Create a Pace Strategy Using a Route
If you're preparing for a trail race or a big day in the mountains, creating a Pace Strategy using a Route is recommended. You will be prompted to select one of the routes saved in your COROS route library. (Click here to learn how to create and download routes.)
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Add a start time: If your event is coming up within the next 3 days, you can tap the weather icon to enter your start date and time. COROS will show the forecasted weather for different sections of your course, so you can prepare for changing conditions along the way.
- Select your target time: COROS will automatically set a target time based on the course profile and your current running fitness level (see the bottom of this article for more details on how target times are calculated). You can adjust your time slower or faster by using the slider just below the listed time, or select the drop down arrows for more precision.
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Set time at waypoints: If your route includes waypoints (with waypoint alerts enabled), you can enter the time you expect to take at each aid station. Your overall time will automatically update after you make changes here.
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If your route doesn't include waypoints with waypoint alerts, you will need to exit Pace Strategy and go back to your route library in the Explore page to edit your route there. Follow the steps in this article to learn how to add waypoints to your route, then start a new Pace Strategy with your updated route.
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Fine-tune each segment: Scroll down to view the target pace and elevation details for each segment. COROS automatically calculates the target pace for each segment based on the elevation gain/loss and your running fitness level. To adjust a specific section, select Expand and Edit at the bottom of the page. Here you can choose any individual segment and adjust its target time or target pace.
To preview your entire pace strategy, including what paces you should target at different sections and what the weather conditions will be along the way, select View in Landscape Mode to see a detailed pacing graph for your entire event.
Once your pace strategy is finalized, rename it at the top of the page and tap Save. You can always come back to edit it later, or sync it directly to your watch.
Following Your Pace Strategy on Your COROS Watch
When you're ready to use Pace Strategy on event day, follow the steps below:
- On your COROS watch, open Run, Trail Run, or Hike mode.
- Scroll down to Pace Strategy. Select the strategy you want to follow.
- Before pressing Start, you can select Pacing Details or Segments (if your route has waypoints) to preview your targets ahead of time.
When you're ready, press Start to begin tracking. In addition to your regular data pages for your activity mode, dedicated Pace Strategy data pages will guide you through each segment. The following new data fields will be available:
- Target pace for the current part of the course
- Your estimated finish time and total distance remaining
- Your ahead/behind time from your overall target time
- The remaining time, distance, and elevation gain to the next waypoint (for route-based strategies)
These metrics automatically update as you slow down or speed up.
Waypoint alerts: For route-based strategies, as you approach each waypoint, your watch will automatically begin a countdown so you know exactly when you’re about to reach it. Once you arrive, a new screen will become available showing whether you’re ahead or behind your target time up to that point in the event. While you're at the waypoint, you will also see the planned time allocated for that stop, based on the settings you customized for your Pace Strategy. When you head back out, your watch will update your target pace for the next segment. This process repeats for each section of the course, guiding you all the way to the finish.
Analyze Your Results
After you finish and save your run, open the activity summary in the COROS app and scroll to the bottom to view your Pace Strategy breakdown. There, you'll see how your actual paces compared to your planned targets, so you can review your execution and learn for next time.
How Target Time is Calculated
Pace Strategy uses your current fitness level and the route's elevation profile to generate a tailored pacing plan for you. By adjusting targets based on the grade, we aim to help you manage your effort from start to finish.
As distances increase, particularly beyond 50km, performance becomes more complex to predict. For these longer endurance efforts, we recommend reviewing your plan closely and adjusting it based on your personal experience, your body’s unique response to long distances, and your specific knowledge of the course terrain.