Strava vs. TrainPace for Training

Strava records your runs; TrainPace tells you what to run. Compare them for training paces, plans, and GPX course analysis, and use both together.

Strava is the best place to record and share your runs. TrainPace is where you decide what pace to run, what plan to follow, and how hard a course will be. They work best together.

Strava records activities and adds a social feed; TrainPace prescribes paces and plans
TrainPace turns a recent race into VDOT training zones Strava does not calculate
Upload your Strava GPX export to TrainPace for hill-adjusted course pacing
TrainPace adds a periodized plan builder and an AI fuel planner
Free to use with no subscription for the core tools

Frequently asked questions

Is Strava good for training plans?

Strava is excellent for recording and sharing runs, but it does not prescribe training paces or build a periodized plan. TrainPace fills that gap with VDOT zones, a plan builder, and fueling.

Can I use Strava and TrainPace together?

Yes. Record your runs in Strava, export a race or route as a GPX file, and upload it to TrainPace to analyze elevation and get hill-adjusted pacing. Use your recent Strava race time to set training paces.

How do I get pace zones from a Strava run?

Take a recent race time from Strava and enter it in the TrainPace pace or VDOT calculator to get Easy, Tempo, Threshold, and Interval paces.

Training pace reference

Training paces by recent 5K time (min/km)
5K time	VDOT	Easy	Marathon	Threshold	Interval	Rep
15:00	69.6	3:45–4:30	3:23–3:42	3:15	2:56	2:32
17:30	58.2	4:20–5:12	3:54–4:17	3:46	3:23	2:56
20:00	49.8	4:54–5:53	4:26–4:51	4:16	3:51	3:19
22:30	43.4	5:29–6:34	4:57–5:25	4:46	4:18	3:43
25:00	38.3	6:03–7:14	5:28–5:59	5:16	4:45	4:06
27:30	34.2	6:37–7:53	5:59–6:33	5:46	5:13	4:30
30:00	30.8	7:11–8:32	6:30–7:06	6:16	5:40	4:54
32:30	28.0	7:44–9:10	7:01–7:39	6:46	6:07	5:17
35:00	25.6	8:17–9:48	7:31–8:12	7:15	6:34	5:41

Compare TrainPace with other apps

Other TrainPace tools

For AI agents

Every page on this site has a Markdown mirror at the same path with a .md suffix (for example /calculator.md), and honors an Accept: text/markdown request header on the HTML URL. The calculations here are also available as callable tools through a free public MCP server — no account or API key.