Tools
Pace and time planner
Plan the walk in whichever direction you already know. Everything else — pace, splits, haul and energy — follows from it.
Pace and time planner
kg · km — change in the headerSplits
| Distance | Elapsed |
|---|---|
| 1 km | 12:00 |
| 2 km | 24:00 |
| 3 km | 36:00 |
| 4 km | 48:00 |
| 5 km | 1:00:00 |
| 6 km | 1:12:00 |
| 7 km | 1:24:00 |
| 8 km | 1:36:00 |
| 9 km | 1:48:00 |
| 10 km | 2:00:00 |
Reading the result
Pace is an outcome, not a target
The planner will happily tell you that 15 km in two hours needs 7.5 km/h. That is arithmetic, not advice: whether you can hold it depends on the load, the ground, the weather and how much walking you have already done this week.
Use the number as a check on a plan you already have, not as a standard to chase. If the speed it reports sits above the brisk band, the honest reading is usually that the distance or the time needs to move.
Where the bands come from
The bands are the ones published in the pace guide: 4–5 km/h is easy and recovery, 5–6 km/h is general training, and 6–6.4 km/h is brisk event practice. They describe what a speed means; they are not entry standards.
Height, load and route move them substantially. A tall walker on tarmac may stay conversational above 6 km/h while a shorter walker under the same load has to overstride to match it — and the second walker is right to refuse.
What gradient and terrain change here
They change the energy figure, not the clock. The planner holds the speed you asked for and reports what that speed costs on that ground, using the same Pandolf equation as the calorie calculator.
That is deliberate, and it is also the tool's main limitation: in reality a climb slows you down. Read a large energy number on a steep or soft route as a sign the speed is not realistic, rather than as a cost you can simply pay.
Haul, so a plan compares with a log
Pack weight multiplied by distance is the same metric the boards keep score in, so the figure here is directly comparable with a walk you have already recorded. Note that it does not depend on pace at all — going faster does not bank more haul.
Common questions
How long does it take to ruck 10 km?
At general training pace — 5 to 6 km/h — between 1 hour 40 and 2 hours. Load, gradient and surface all push that out; a loaded walk on soft ground can take considerably longer than the same distance on tarmac.
Is a 15-minute mile a good ruck pace?
It is a common military-style benchmark and a brisk walk, around 6.4 km/h. It is not a beginner requirement, and many walkers have to shuffle to hold it, which changes both the risk and the purpose of the session.
How much does a heavier pack slow you down?
Less than people expect on flat ground, and much more on hills and soft surfaces. The planner does not guess at it: it holds your speed and shows the rising energy cost instead, which is the part that actually limits how long you can keep going.
Should I ruck faster or carry more weight?
Change one variable, and pick the one that matches the goal — pace for a timed event, load for a load standard. Adding weight to train speed mostly teaches you to carry more weight.
The pace guide explains the bands and the talk test behind them. To see what a given speed costs on a given surface, use the calorie calculator; to build toward a distance over several weeks, use the load progression planner.