Compare Two Finish-Time Targets without Losing the Seconds
Compare 50-minute and 55-minute 10K targets at the same checkpoints. See how the gap grows, then export both plans as CSV.
Enter two targets for the same distance
Comparing finish targets is easier when both plans retain their original distance and duration. A pace label alone can conceal how a small difference accumulates. Use the pace-comparison tool to put the plans beside each other, then choose a few cumulative markers that make the difference easy to inspect.
Start with a 10 km distance for both plans. Enter 0 hours, 50 minutes and 0 seconds for Plan 1, and 0 hours, 55 minutes and 0 seconds for Plan 2. This is a comparison of two chosen values; the tool does not decide which target a person should use.
Read the gap at selected checkpoints
| Marker | Plan 1 · 50:00 | Plan 2 · 55:00 | 2 minus 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 km | 0:10:00 | 0:11:00 | 0:01:00 |
| 5 km · Halfway | 0:25:00 | 0:27:30 | 0:02:30 |
| 8 km | 0:40:00 | 0:44:00 | 0:04:00 |
| 10 km · Finish | 0:50:00 | 0:55:00 | 0:05:00 |
The five-minute difference at the finish is distributed across the distance in this even-pace example. At 2 km, one fifth of the distance is complete and the gap is one minute. At halfway, the gap is two minutes and thirty seconds. The relationship is exact here because both per-kilometre paces are whole half-minute values.
Do not compare a row labelled 5 km in one plan with a row labelled 5 mi in another and call the difference a gap at the same location. The comparison needs matching physical distances. If you want a mixed-unit reference, keep both distance sequences explicitly labelled.
Keep full targets behind rounded pace labels
Plan 1 has a pace of exactly 5:00/km; Plan 2 has exactly 5:30/km. Their mile-pace labels require rounding. The mile labels remain useful for reading, but reconstructing the total by multiplying a rounded label can introduce a difference. The original 3,000,000 ms and 3,300,000 ms durations stay the source of the two calculations.
This distinction becomes more noticeable on distances whose average pace contains a fractional second. A 4:00:00 marathon displays 5:41/km, while its precise pace is approximately 341.272663 seconds per kilometre. Repeating 341 seconds across the distance would create a different total. Use the original finish time when adding another plan or moving to the split tool.
Export a reference you can check again
- Keep a short plan label, distance and exact target in each column heading.
- Export the comparison CSV if you want to continue in a spreadsheet.
- Retain raw numeric columns for arithmetic and formatted time labels for reading.
- Check the finish row after copying or rearranging a table.
Spreadsheet applications may treat a duration-looking value as a time of day. The raw duration fields avoid that ambiguity when you need calculations. The export identifies numbered plans, so keep a separate note of the target associated with each number when you rearrange columns.
You can add a third or fourth selected plan when that answers a specific comparison. Save Plan 1 and Share Plan 1 apply only to the first column; use the CSV export for a record of all selected plans. There is no need to publish a new page for each combination. The tool keeps those choices as current state, while the public reference pages cover the deliberately selected distance and target inventory.