Jogging vs running: what's the difference?
There's no official pace boundary between jogging and running. Dictionary.com defines jog only as running "at a leisurely, slow pace," with no number attached. Running writer Amber Sayer, at Marathon Handbook, puts average jogging speed at 4 to 6 mph and running at 6 mph or faster, while stating plainly that "there isn't an actual technical difference or guidelines" separating the two. Even the Compendium of Physical Activities, a 2011 reference for exercise energy cost, lists "jogging, general" as a single code with no assigned speed, while its speed-based running entries are labeled by mph starting at 4.
Pace and effort figures from three sources
| Entry | Source | Speed stated | MET value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jog (dictionary definition) | Dictionary.com | None given | n/a | Defined as "a leisurely, slow pace," no number attached. |
| Jogging (coaching estimate) | Amber Sayer, Marathon Handbook | 4–6 mph (about 10–15 min/mile) | n/a | Called an average; the same article also says no technical difference exists. |
| Running (coaching estimate) | Amber Sayer, Marathon Handbook | 6 mph or faster | n/a | The pace at which this source says activity is "considered running." |
| Jogging, general | Compendium of Physical Activities, 2011 codes | Not assigned | 7.0 | One code, no mph attached, unlike the running entries below. |
| Running, 4 mph (13 min/mile) | Compendium of Physical Activities, 2011 codes | 4 mph | 6.0 | The Compendium's slowest labeled running speed, a lower MET than "jogging, general" above. |
| Running, 6 mph (10 min/mile) | Compendium of Physical Activities, 2011 codes | 6 mph | 9.8 | Closest labeled entry to Sayer's 6-mph running threshold. |
This table is Runked's own, pairing the Marathon Handbook pace estimate with the Compendium of Physical Activities' 2011 codes; neither source published the two side by side.
Where these numbers come from
Dictionary.com's entry for jog defines it as "to run at a leisurely, slow pace, especially as an outdoor exercise," a description with no mph or minutes-per-mile attached at all.
Running writer Amber Sayer, in Marathon Handbook's piece on jogging vs running, gives specific numbers for the question: "average jogging speed refers to traveling anywhere from 4 to 6 mph, whereas once you hit a speed of 6 mph, your physical activity is considered running." In the same piece she's explicit that this isn't a standard: "there isn't an actual technical difference or guidelines that indicate when you are running vs jogging or vice versa." She also flags a social side to the split, noting the categories "...might offend slower runners who identify as runners" given the connotation attached to being called a jogger.
The 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: A second update of codes and MET values, by Barbara Ainsworth and colleagues in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (DOI 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31821ece12), is a reference researchers use to assign an energy cost, in METs, to hundreds of activities. Its own 2011 code list treats jogging and running as separate categories in a telling way: "jogging, general" is one code, 7.0 METs, with no speed attached, while its speed-based running codes are labeled by mph, starting at "running, 4 mph (13 min/mile)," 6.0 METs, and rising through "running, 6 mph (10 min/mile)," 9.8 METs. Read plainly, that means the Compendium's own jogging entry, at 7.0 METs, costs more energy than its slowest labeled running entry, at 6.0 METs, despite the different names. A system built to standardize exercise energy cost still doesn't draw jogging and running at one clean pace line.
How to use the words without worrying about the line
This page treats effort as the number worth tracking for training purposes. See what RPE means in running for how coaches turn that feeling into a 1 to 10 scale that works at any pace, jog or run.
Compare to yourself, not to others: in Runked the rank starts everyone at Bronze and only moves on your own runs. See how the running rank works.
If pace itself feels like the obstacle to calling something a run, running apps that don't require being fast covers the same idea from the other direction: tools built around effort.
Common mistakes with the jogging vs running line
- Applying one mph number to every runner. The Compendium's speed-labeled codes assign a fixed MET value to a fixed speed regardless of who's running it; a 10 minute mile is an easy effort for one runner and a hard tempo effort for another.
- Treating "jogger" as a lesser label. Sayer's own piece flags this directly: the split "...might offend slower runners who identify as runners."
- Choosing a training pace off a speed chart instead of how it feels. A mph figure from a table doesn't account for terrain, heat or a short night's sleep the way an effort scale does.
What to do next
If pace and effort are what you're actually trying to sort out, what is RPE in running? explains the effort scale coaches use when a speed cutoff doesn't apply. What pace should a beginner run? sets a starting easy-effort range without leaning on the jog/run label at all. And how many miles is a 5K, 10K, half and marathon? is a plain reference for the distances those paces get applied to.
Find out where you stand
Runked is free on the App Store. Connect your watch or track 3 runs, and meet your Runk.
Download on App StoreFrequently asked questions
Is there an official pace that separates jogging from running?
No governing body or standard sets one. Dictionary.com defines jog only as running "at a leisurely, slow pace," with no speed attached. Running writer Amber Sayer, at Marathon Handbook, states it directly: "there isn't an actual technical difference or guidelines that indicate when you are running vs jogging or vice versa." Even the Compendium of Physical Activities, a reference researchers use to assign energy cost to activities, lists "jogging, general" as one code with no mph attached, while its speed-based running entries are labeled by mph starting at 4. Three different kinds of sources, and none draws a fixed line.
What pace counts as jogging?
There's no fixed number, but one estimate comes from Amber Sayer at Marathon Handbook: "average jogging speed refers to traveling anywhere from 4 to 6 mph," roughly a 10 to 15 minute mile. That's a coaching-site estimate. Sayer says as much in the same piece: no technical standard sets the number.
What pace counts as running?
The same Marathon Handbook estimate puts the crossover at 6 mph: "once you hit a speed of 6 mph, your physical activity is considered running," meaning a 10 minute mile or faster. The Compendium of Physical Activities' own code for 6 mph, running, 10 min/mile, carries a MET value of 9.8, its closest labeled entry to that same number.
Does it matter whether Runked logs a session as a jog or a run?
No. Runked's free weekly leagues score every run on effort adjusted for personal fitness. Pace thresholds and what the session is called don't factor into that score. PRO's training plans, built across phases from Foundation to Recovery, are set around your own effort and pace zones the same way, so a slow jog and a fast run both count on their own terms.