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RunSmart Coach & Performance System

Train smarter. Race better. Run for life. The performance-science companion to RunWell4Life — precision training put directly in your hands.

101
Tools
9
Modules
SA
Calibrated
Enrol — R1,795 / year All courses
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Most runners train by feel — the same runs, the same effort, week after week — and wonder why progress stalls. RunSmart is built on the frameworks of the world's most successful running coaches — Greg McMillan, Jack Daniels, Pete Pfitzinger and Brad Hudson — translated into interactive, personalised tools. Enter one recent race result and the McMillan Pace Calculator generates your training zones, which then flow into every session planner, training plan and performance tool below.

All 101 tools, across nine modules

Module 1

Start Your Journey

10 tools
The on-ramp for beginners and returning runners — from walking to your first 10K.
Walking Fitness Builder
A 10-week progressive walking programme — zero to brisk 5K in four phases, with the Rockport test as a benchmark.
My Personalised RunSmart Roadmap Start here
The onboarding flagship — profiles you, classifies your runner archetype, and builds a personalised roadmap with a why-statement for every recommended tool. Printable PDF.
Walk-to-Run Bridge
A 4-week transition from confident walker to Couch-to-5K ready, with short jog intervals that grow week by week.
Couch-to-5K
The classic nine-week walk-run progression — from beginner intervals to 30 minutes of continuous running.
Your First Parkrun
Preparation and tracking for the free weekly 5K — registration, etiquette, milestones, SA venues and a parkrun PB log.
Couch-to-10K
A six-week extension from 5K to a full 10 kilometres of continuous running.
Mindful / Meditation Walking
Walking as a contemplative practice — five protocols including awe walks, gratitude walks and forest bathing.
Psychological Benefits of Running
The evidence-based mental case for running, with a Self-Determination Theory assessment and a "Why I Run" builder.
Shoe Decision Framework
The shoe-buying guide the shop can't give you — road vs trail, daily vs race, super-shoes, sizing and SA retailers.
Running Progression Roadmap
A lifetime view of what each distance (5K to Comrades) really requires — age-adjusted, with honest guidance for late starters.
Module 2

Know Your Numbers

11 tools
The cornerstone — establish your pace zones and profile. Every other tool draws from here.
McMillan Pace Calculator
Enter a recent race result and generate all your McMillan zones — Easy, Endurance, Stamina, Speed and Sprint. The foundation for every planner.
Runner Profile Builder
Your running type, weekly mileage, goal race, training days and injury history — used by every plan to personalise it.
Race Equivalency Calculator
Predict equivalent times from 5K to ultra (Cameron's model) — with Two Oceans and Comrades exponents.
vDOT Estimator
Your Jack Daniels vDOT from any race result, with E, M, T, I and R training paces.
Race Results & PB Tracker
Log every race and automatically track your personal bests; visualise your career progression.
Runner Experience Diagnostic
Novice, Intermediate or Advanced — computed from age-graded performance and training history, feeding straight into your plans.
Running Science Dictionary
An A-to-Z reference for every running-science term used in the system, in plain language.
RunSmart × Strava Guide
How to use Strava and RunSmart together as coach and recorder — the manual bridge workflow.
RunSmart Strava Sync
Connect Strava via OAuth so synced runs feed your logs, training load, injury risk and journal automatically.
Watch / Wearable Decision Framework
An honest GPS-watch buying guide across Garmin, Coros, Apple, Polar, Suunto and Fitbit — by runner type and budget.
Running Knowledge Library
A curated directory of the best running books, blogs, podcasts and researchers, with a personal reading shelf.
Module 3

Train at the Right Pace

15 tools
The heart of the McMillan system — session planners that auto-load your personal paces.
Easy Run Planner
Easy runs at your McMillan E-pace — steady, conversational and aerobic-base options.
Long Run Builder
Structured long runs up to 35km, with pace, fuelling and mental-strategy guidance.
Medium-Long Run Planner
18–27km runs with McMillan pacing — bridging easy runs and the long run.
Steady-State Run Planner
Upper-aerobic Stamina-zone runs that build marathon-specific endurance.
Tempo Run Planner
Lactate-threshold running — the single most effective session for race performance.
Cruise Intervals Builder
Threshold-pace repeats with short recovery — the cornerstone of Stamina training.
Speed Intervals Planner
5K pace and faster — developing VO2max, economy and race-day sharpness.
Strides Planner
Short accelerations to develop leg turnover and form without accumulating fatigue.
Hill Sprint Builder
Maximal 8–12 second uphill efforts for power, form and a speed reserve.
Goal Pace Workout Builder
Race-specific workouts that teach your body and mind exactly what target pace feels like.
Session Type Selector
Identify the right session for today's goal using McMillan's taxonomy, with the rationale.
Session Experimentation Log
Log experiments with session types and paces to find what your body responds to.
Running Technique Drills Library
Twelve classic drills and six routines with video demos — the coordination layer.
Weather-Aware Workout Adjuster
One-click pace adjustment for live temperature, humidity, wind and altitude.
Running While Travelling
A travel-specific plan — jetlag shift, hotel-treadmill strategy, safety and a gear checklist.
Module 4

Plan Your Training

8 tools
Build structured multi-week plans, track paces, and manage long runs and training load.
10K Training Plan Builder
A personalised 10K plan on McMillan's four-zone periodisation — 8, 10 or 12 weeks, with a branded PDF.
Half Marathon Training Plan Builder
A half plan with heavy stamina emphasis and HM goal-pace work — 12, 14 or 16 weeks, with PDF.
Marathon Training Plan Builder
An endurance-dominant marathon plan with a three-week taper — 14, 16, 18 or 20 weeks, with PDF.
My Training Week (Scheduler)
Turn any saved plan into a weekly calendar with drag-and-drop, completion check-off and logging.
Weekly Paces Training Log
Log each week's sessions — target vs actual pace, effort and notes — and track adherence.
Long Run Progression Calculator
A 12–20 week long-run schedule with cutback weeks, on the 10% weekly-increase guideline.
Training Load & Performance Manager
Track fitness, fatigue and form (CTL, ATL, TSB) on the performance-management chart.
Runner's Journal
Track your running progress, routes and development over time.
Module 5

Race Smart

15 tools
Plan race-day strategy and quantify the impact of course, weather and altitude on your goal.
Performance Analyser
Analyse results against predictions — efficiency index and pacing patterns vs even and negative splits.
Pacing Strategy Calculator
Even, negative or positive splits — with a km-by-km pace target sheet for any distance and goal.
Race Goal Time Predictor
Goal times across distances (Riegel) — including Two Oceans and Comrades Up/Down adjustments.
Age & Gender Grading Calculator
Your performance against world-class standards for your age and sex (WMA age-grading).
Course Difficulty Calculator
Adjust your goal time for elevation, surface and technical terrain (Minetti grade-adjusted pace).
Weather Impact Calculator
The performance cost of heat, humidity, cold and wind — a recalibrated goal pace (Ely heat model).
Altitude Impact Calculator
Sea-level-equivalent performance at altitude and acclimatisation timelines (Chapman & Levine).
Race Calendar & Strategy
Plan your racing year — 50+ SA races, A/B/C tiers, conflict flags and PB tracking.
Comrades & Two Oceans Race-Specifics
An SA-ultra deep-dive — qualifying, seeding, medals, leg-by-leg pacing, the named hills and fuelling rhythm.
Running Weather Forecast
Two forecasts in one — race day up to 16 days out, and your next 7 training days with best-window detection.
Pacing Wristband Generator
A printable, laminator-ready km-by-km pace band for SA races or any custom distance.
Race Week Countdown Checklist
A day-by-day checklist for the final 3–10 days — taper, carb timing, sleep, gear and logistics.
Trail / Ultra Specifics
Off-road skills, power hiking, trail nutrition and a curated SA trail-race library.
First Marathon Decision Tool
An honest red/amber/green readiness check — most first-marathon DNFs trace to the decision to enter.
Support Crew / Second Handbook
A printable handbook for your "second" — roles, meeting points, cue lines and SA race rules.
Module 6

Understand Your Body

8 tools
Establish your physiological benchmarks and decode the data your watch produces.
Lactate Threshold Pace Estimator
Estimate your LT1 and LT2 thresholds from race data — without lab testing.
Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Personalised 5-zone heart-rate training ranges using the Karvonen reserve method.
Running Power Calculator
Running power in watts from pace, gradient and body weight (Minetti), aligned to Garmin power.
Cadence & Stride Length Optimiser
Your optimal cadence for height and pace, with the efficiency gains modelled.
Garmin Running Metrics Explainer
Every Garmin metric — ground contact, vertical oscillation, power, HRV — in plain language.
Running Economy Analyser
Your Economy Index, the seven drivers of economy, and a prioritised 12-week improvement plan.
Running with Music Coach
Match BPM to cadence, with curated playlists and the science on why music cuts perceived effort.
Cadence Metronome
An audio-and-visual metronome at your target cadence, with drills and a session log.
Module 7

Fuel & Hydrate

8 tools
Nutrition, hydration and fuelling — for training and for race day.
Nutrition Planner
Carbohydrate, protein and fluid requirements by session, plus a race-day fuelling strategy.
Caffeine Performance Calculator
Optimise caffeine dose (3–6 mg/kg) and timing, with a race-day protocol builder.
Pre-Race Integrated Fuelling Protocol
One sequence across carb-load week, race breakfast, in-race fuelling and recovery.
Pre-Run GI Strategy
Research-backed guidance on clearing — and keeping clear — the runner's gut before and during a run.
Fuel Strategy Decision Framework
The full carb-vs-fat debate weighed for you — five strategies with carb targets in g/kg.
Sweat Rate Calculator
Measure your personal sweat rate and turn it into a hydration and electrolyte strategy.
Gut Training Protocol
A 10-week programme to train in-race carb tolerance from ~30 g/hr to 90+ g/hr.
Supplements Decision Framework
Evidence-tiered supplement guidance on the AIS ABCD classification, personalised to you.
Module 8

Recover & Regenerate

16 tools
Active recovery, readiness monitoring, taper, and injury-risk management.
Recovery Time Calculator
Recommended recovery after any race (Jack Daniels formula), scaled for intensity and age.
Post-Workout Recovery Estimator
Recovery hours required after a single session, calibrated against Garmin FirstBeat ranges.
Taper Calculator
A 2–3 week pre-race taper with progressive volume reduction and maintained intensity.
Injury Risk Calculator (ACWR)
Your Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio, flagging the red zone and the safe sweet spot.
Heat Acclimatisation Protocol
A personalised 10–14 day heat-adaptation protocol before hot-weather racing.
HRV Analyser & Readiness
Daily HRV with a personal rolling baseline and a training-readiness verdict.
Post-Race Recovery Tracker
A 2–4 week recovery log after a marathon or ultra that flags when you're ready to return.
Training Load Forecaster
Project your ACWR forward and catch overtraining weeks before they happen.
HRV Boost Protocol
Twelve evidence-ranked interventions to raise your HRV, with a daily adherence log.
Fitness Detraining & Maintenance Calculator
An honest estimate of what happens to fitness when you stop — and how strength protects it.
DNF / Bad Race Recovery Protocol
A structured debrief for a race that went badly, separating aftermath from lessons.
Sleep Optimisation for Runners
Training-load-adjusted sleep targets, a sleep audit and the two-night pre-race rule.
RED-S Risk Screener
A Relative Energy Deficiency screener (IOC CAT) with escalation guidance.
Menstrual Cycle Training Adjuster
Phase-based training and fuelling for female runners (Stacy Sims), with modes for contraception and menopause.
Illness-to-Training Decision Tool
"Should I train today?" — the above-neck vs below-neck rule with a graded return ramp.
Pregnancy & Postpartum Running
Trimester-by-trimester and postpartum return guidance, with strong medical escalation rails.
Module 9

Stay Strong & Injury-Free

10 tools
Mobility, strength and injury management — the suite that keeps you running.
Running Shoe Coach
A Strava-integrated shoe-fleet manager — lifespan estimates, rotation analysis and retirement warnings.
Strength & Plyometrics Planner
14 strength exercises and 8 plyometric drills with form cues, video demos and progression.
Yoga for Runners
Five routines and a 25-pose library with video demos for mobility, breath and recovery.
Dynamic & Recovery Stretching
Six routines and a 25-stretch library — the right stretch at the right time.
Plyometric Quick-Routines
Five short routines you can bolt onto any easy run — the smartest five minutes in your week.
Masters Running Modifications
Age-adjusted guidance for runners 40, 50, 60, 70 and beyond, with quarterly check-ins.
Injury Self-Triage Flowchart
Select the area that hurts and see likely causes, self-management and the red flags to escalate.
Cross-Training Guide for Runners
Eight cross-training modes with running-equivalent heart-rate zones and dosing.
Home Strength Equipment Selector
A specific home-strength kit recommendation calibrated to your profile, space and budget.
Return-to-Running After Injury Protocol
A graded walk/run progression back to full training, covering 12 common running injuries.

🌍 Built for South African runners

RunSmart is calibrated for our racing — the Race Equivalency Calculator includes Two Oceans (56km) and Comrades Up and Down exponents; the Weather and Course Difficulty tools account for the SA summer and the undulating terrain of our iconic ultras; and there's a dedicated Comrades & Two Oceans pathway. Optional Strava sync logs your runs with zero effort.

Nine learning pathways guide you in:

The Full SystemNew to Structured TrainingRace PreparationTraining Plan BuilderSpeed & QualityPhysiology Deep DiveInjury PreventionFuel & Race-DayComrades & Two Oceans
🌿 Included free

GrowWell4Life — The Science of Lasting Change

Enrol in this course and you're automatically enrolled in GrowWell4Life too, at no extra cost — 11 tools on the science of habits and lasting change (BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits method). It's the foundation that makes every other course actually stick. A R495 course, yours free.

Explore GrowWell4Life →
R1,795
per year · full access
  • All 101 tools across 9 modules
  • McMillan & Jack Daniels training plans
  • Comrades & Two Oceans race tools
  • Optional Strava sync · audio guides
  • Your data and plans saved for life
  • Plus GrowWell4Life — the foundation course — free
Enrol in RunSmart →

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