Don't chase faster paces. Earn them.

What is EPP?

Earned Pace Progression is a transparent training system in which future pace targets are determined by consistently achieved performances, session quality and recovery rather than by the calendar alone.

Future pace targets are earned through consistently completed training, not automatically increased because another week has passed.

"Complete the workout. Record how it went. Understand the decision. Progress when the evidence says you are ready."

Equipment: EPP evaluates pace, work-interval structure and completion. A GPS running watch is required for the intended experience — it records the evidence Runallo uses to make a decision. Manual logging remains available as a lower-confidence fallback. See our running-watch guide for options from entry-level to premium.

The seven principles

What does it mean to earn a pace?

A pace is earned when the whole session — not one fast rep — supports it.

• Completing the intended session
• Using the work-interval average pace
• Maintaining consistency across reps
• Finishing in control
• Appropriate effort for the session type
• Good running form throughout
• Normal recovery afterwards

The four decisions

Every EPP session produces one of four decisions — plus a recovery-first override.

Calendar progression vs. earned progression

EPP does not claim other apps cannot adapt — it makes the progression criteria visible and requires evidence of mastery.

Pace ownership states

Every target moves through the same simple journey.

1. Step 1
   Introduced
   Assigned as a target but not yet successfully demonstrated.
2. Step 2
   Achieved
   Successfully demonstrated once and adopted as the current target. Adoption does not require any further confirmation.
3. Step 3
   Confirmed
   Successfully demonstrated again under controlled conditions.
4. Step 4
   Owned
   Repeatedly demonstrated with strong control and confidence. Ownership is a description of accumulated evidence, not a prerequisite for target adoption.
5. Step 5
   Superseded
   Replaced by a newly earned target; retained as part of your history.

The authoritative progression rule

A successfully completed and controlled quality-session work average becomes the next target.

When every eligibility condition below is met, the achieved work average of the completed session becomes the next target — exactly, not incremented, and not held at the previous target merely because this was a first success.

• Every planned work repetition or interval was completed
• The work average was equal to or faster than the current target
• Good running form was maintained
• The runner finished in control
• No safety override applies

The work average is calculated from the completed work only. Warm-up, recoveries between repetitions and cool-down are excluded.

Worked example — intervals

A runner is progressing a 8 × 400 m session. Every repetition is completed, form is maintained, the runner finishes in control and no safety override applies.

The next target is exactly the representative average. It is not 4:19/km or 4:17/km, and it is not held at 4:22/km merely because this was the runner's first successful session at that level.

Worked example — threshold

Warm-up, recovery jogs and cool-down are excluded from the work average.

The five golden rules

What the runner actually does before, during and after a session.

1. Rule 1

   Do not deliberately start faster

   Begin the session at the existing target rather than racing the first repetition.

2. Rule 2

   Let improvement emerge naturally

   If the runner is adapting well, pace may improve while the full session remains controlled.

3. Rule 3

   Use the work average

   The average of all completed work determines progression. The fastest repetition does not.

4. Rule 4

   Complete the full session

   Only completed sessions are eligible for positive pace progression.

5. Rule 5

   Let the body determine progression

   Progression comes from demonstrated performance, not the week number.

Workout categories & review thresholds

Different sessions progress differently. The values below are review thresholds, not caps: a change larger than the threshold flags the result for data-validation review (GPS error, incorrect lap detection, altered recoveries, shortened repetitions, treadmill calibration, manual-data errors, an effort that was too hard, or a result inconsistent with recent sessions). If the result remains valid after review, the achieved work average remains the next target.

Easy runs are never automatically made faster by a quality-session decision. A naturally faster easy pace may be recorded as evidence of improved fitness.

Safety overrides

These conditions block a positive progression — recovery and consistent training come before a faster target.

• Moderate or severe pain

  Blocks any positive pace progression until resolved.
• New localised pain

  New pain in a specific area triggers a recovery-first decision.
• Illness

  Illness pauses progression and prompts a controlled return.
• Abnormal fatigue

  Unusual tiredness for the workload prevents progression.
• Very poor recovery

  A recovery rating well outside normal blocks progression.
• Significant form deterioration

  Form breaking down during work efforts blocks progression.
• Incomplete session

  A session that was not completed is not qualifying evidence.
• Repeated incomplete quality sessions

  A pattern of incomplete quality work triggers a controlled reset.
• Maximal effort on a controlled session

  Hitting the pace only at maximum effort is not evidence of ownership.
• Return after a training break

  After a significant break, targets are held or reset first.

Designed for real life

EPP records context so a hard day is not automatically read as a failure.

EPP is designed to encourage sustainable progression, discourage forced pace increases and make training decisions easier to understand.

Want the deeper reading? Read the EPP method series →