i was told there would be no math

Can you just convert your paces to heart rate ranges?

I prefer pace to HR. How would you prescribe a 3 min Vo2Max interval with heart rate? It takes the heart nearly 3 minutes to reach that effort/pace.

Unless I'm overlooking something, it seems Training Peaks goofed this up part of their workout builder. The fact that it's not consistent with the author.

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Geoff from Indy
http://www.tlcendurance.com

Point taken, but how do you determine your pace for a VO2 workout if you are running up or down grade? I guess you can run on a track, but the easy answer for VO2 intervals is typically go as hard as you can but just hold back a tad (Like 90% effort). I'd almost bet that if you can "feel" with good precision, looking back on your data doing a VO2 interval that way will show the HR and/or pace right where you'd want them.

Have you considered looking at Stryd? There is another way you can dial in efforts but I'm not sure if your problem with the TP workout builder is solved for run power, but there are other ways to create workouts to get in the right zones.

I understand your dilemma with the workout builder though.

Yep I have Stryd (pretty cool) but I'm trying to write workouts I can use to guide various athletes I have now and in the future. I LOVE the workout builder for cycling power but the pace thing has me scratching my head and like you said, I'm not looking for a work-around. I'm trying to figure out why TrainingPeaks is set up this way and how we're supposed to use it.

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Geoff from Indy
http://www.tlcendurance.com

I gave up trying to use workout builder for running. IMO, it's not worth using. Too much of a hassle and way more work. I just write the workout into the notes.

For cycling though, the workout builder is awesome.

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blog

If I were doing this I would take my zone paces (min/mile) and convert them to speeds (mph) and then figure out the percentages of threshold speed each zone is and work off of that.

I find these values work in TP within Friel run pace zones
Z1 - up to 77%
Z2 - 78%-87%
Z3 - 88%-94%
Z4 - 95%-100%
Z5a - 101%-103%
Z5b - 104%-111%
Z5c - 112% and up

I also find using pace zones in workout builder works best when doing speed work and to keep over-zealous athletes in the slower zones they should be staying in....especially newbies!