minutes per kilometer to seconds per kilometer

Running pace — why less means faster

Your watch reads "5:30" and you instinctively look for kilometers per hour. In running the distance is fixed in advance, so what matters is the time per kilometer — which is why a smaller number means a faster run. Here is the math of pace: the rule of 60, the decimal trap, the nonlinear hyperbola, and why your GPS pace goes haywire.