BeginnerPaceMaker

User Manual

Overview

BeginnerPaceMaker calculates the pace you need to reach the next gate in time — in real time, throughout your race. Enter your current distance and the app instantly shows (and announces) the minimum pace required to make the cut-off.

Pre-register gate and finish distances with their cut-off times
Enter your distance to instantly see required pace, remaining distance, and time left
Hands-free operation with voice input and text-to-speech readout
Quick Settings tile and home screen widget support
Enter a planned pace to see and hear your margin time at each gate

Setup

Before using the app, register your race's gate information as a profile.

Creating a Profile

Tap the gear icon in the top-right of the main screen to open Settings

Tap + Add to create a new profile

Enter a profile name (e.g. My Marathon 2025)

Enter the race start time (e.g. 9:00)

Enter gate and finish information

Tap Save to save the profile

Gate / Finish Fields

Field	Description
Distance (km)	The distance of the gate or finish line
Cut-off time (clock)	The cut-off expressed as a clock time (e.g. 11:30)
Cut-off time (from start)	The cut-off expressed as elapsed time from the race start (e.g. 2 h 30 m)

The two cut-off fields are linked. Editing one automatically updates the other, based on the race start time.

The Finish Line

The last card in the list is automatically treated as the Finish.

Where Gates Are Inserted

There are two ways to add a gate:

Action	Insertion position
Add gate button at the top	Immediately before the Finish (end of the list)
Add gate after this button on a gate card	Immediately after that card

Validation on Save

When you tap Save, the following checks are performed. If an error is found, a message appears at the bottom of the screen and the profile is not saved.

Gate distances must be in ascending order (no reversals)
Gate cut-off times must be in ascending order (no reversals)

Main Screen

The screen shown when the app launches. Your required pace and tracking status are displayed prominently.

Top Bar

Element	Description
App name / Profile name	The active profile name is shown below the app name
Speaker icon	Toggle voice readout ON / OFF
Gear icon	Open Settings

Main Display Area

Item	Description
Last updated	Time of the most recent distance update (HH:mm)
Next gate	Name and distance of the next gate to reach
Required Pace (large)	Minimum pace needed to make the cut-off (min:sec / km). Color changes by urgency: green, yellow, or red
Speed	Equivalent speed in km/h
Remaining distance	Distance left to the next gate (km)
Time left	Time remaining until the next cut-off (h:mm)

Pace Color Meaning

Color	Pace	Meaning
Green	≤ 7:00 / km	Comfortable
Yellow	7:00 – 9:00 / km	Caution — pick up the pace
Red	> 9:00 / km	Danger — you need to run faster

Buttons (Before Start)

Button	Action
Time mode selector	Choose Clock time or Elapsed time (can only be changed before starting)
Start	Begin tracking — records the current time as the start time
Reset	Reset tracking and return to the initial state

Buttons (While Tracking)

Button	Action
Stop	Manually end tracking. A confirmation dialog is shown

Buttons (After Tracking Ends)

When tracking has finished — whether you reached the goal, exceeded a cut-off, or stopped manually — a Reset button is shown directly. One tap returns the app to its initial state.

Time Mode

Mode	How remaining time is calculated	Best for
Clock time	Difference between the current device time and the gate cut-off time	Tapping Start at the moment the starting gun fires
Elapsed time	Difference between elapsed time since Start was tapped and the gate's elapsed cut-off (based on the race start time)	When there is a start delay or the Start button is tapped at a different time

Distance Input & Update

Manual Input

Type your current distance (km) in the Current distance (km) field and tap Update. You can also submit with the keyboard's Done button.

Voice Input

Tap the microphone icon to launch voice recognition.

Say your distance, e.g. "5 km", "8.5", or "5000 meters"
Meter units are supported (e.g. "5000 meters" → 5 km)
The pace is calculated and updated automatically after recognition

Voice input is also available from the Quick Settings tile — ideal during a race.

Planned Pace & Margin Time

Setting a Planned Pace

Enter your target pace in the Planned pace field using two separate boxes for minutes and seconds (e.g. 7 min 30 sec / km → min = 7, sec = 30). Leaving the seconds field blank is treated as 0 seconds. The entered value is retained even after restarting the app.

Margin Time Display

When a planned pace is set, tapping Update shows and announces your margin time at the next gate.

Message	Meaning
Margin time is X min Y sec.	At your planned pace you will reach the gate with X min Y sec to spare
Cannot make the cut-off at planned pace.	At your planned pace you will not make the cut-off in time

Voice Readout (TTS)

Every time you tap Update, the app announces the current situation. Toggle readout with the speaker icon in the top-right corner.

What Is Announced

Situation	Announcement
Tracking (normal)	Required pace (min and sec) and remaining distance (km). If a planned pace is entered, margin time is also announced
Finished	"You finished! Great job!"
Cut-off exceeded	"You have exceeded the cut-off time."
Tracking stopped	"Tracking stopped."
Not started	"Not started yet."

Language and Readout

Changing the language in Settings also switches the TTS engine to the corresponding language.

Quick Settings Tile / Home Screen Widget

Quick Settings Tile

Add the BeginnerPaceMaker tile to your Quick Settings panel to use voice input without opening the app.

Tapping the tile while tracking launches voice input; the pace updates automatically after recognition
The tile shows the current tracking state (Tracking / Stopped)

Tracking must be started inside the app before the tile can accept voice input.

Home Screen Widget

Add the widget to your home screen to see your required pace, remaining distance, and time left at a glance. Tapping the widget opens the app.

Settings Screen

Managing Profiles

Action	Description
Tap a chip	Select and edit that profile
+ Add	Create a new profile
Delete icon	Delete the profile (unavailable when only one profile exists)

If you switch profiles while tracking is active, a confirmation dialog appears. Choosing Switch resets the tracking state and switches to the new profile. Choosing Cancel keeps the current profile. When tracking is not active, the switch happens immediately without a confirmation.

Profile Fields

Field	Description
Profile name	A descriptive name such as the race name
Race start time	The official race start time (HH:mm). Used for elapsed-time mode and auto-calculating gate cut-offs
Gates / Finish	Distance and cut-off time for each point

Language

Switch the display and readout language.

Option	Description
System	Follow the device language setting
日本語	Japanese display and readout
English	English display and readout
繁體中文	Traditional Chinese display and readout
简体中文	Simplified Chinese display and readout

Export & Import

Save and share your profiles as a JSON file. Also useful for transferring data to a new device.

Export

Tap Export in Settings

Choose a save location — the JSON file is saved there

Import

Tap Import in Settings

Select the saved JSON file

A message confirms how many profiles were imported

Importing replaces all existing profiles. Export a backup first if needed.