VDOT Running Calculator
One race result, every training pace.
Work out VDOT Running. One race result, every training pace. States the assumption instead of hiding it.
VDOT
43.4
Regular recreational runner · ran at 94.6% of VO₂ max
VDOT is not laboratory VO₂ max. It is the effective oxygen cost implied by a race result, which folds running economy and lactate threshold in alongside aerobic capacity — which is why two runners with identical measured VO₂ max can have quite different VDOT values and quite different race times. The training paces come from Jack Daniels' tables as fractions of VDOT. Easy pace is the one most runners get wrong: it should feel conversational and genuinely slow, and running it faster is the most common reason a training block stops producing improvement. The figures assume the race was a genuine maximal effort in reasonable conditions. A time set into a headwind or on a hilly course understates fitness, and the paces derived from it will be too soft.
How the VDOT Running Calculator works
VDOT from a race result by the Daniels–Gilbert equations, with the easy, marathon, threshold and interval paces that follow from it. VDOT folds running economy and lactate threshold in alongside aerobic capacity, which is why it predicts races better than laboratory VO₂ max does.
Also known as: what pace should i run easy · training paces from my 5k time · daniels running formula calculator · how fast should my long run be
Not medical advice. This calculator gives a general estimate, not medical advice. It cannot account for your individual health, medical history, or medication. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional before acting on any result.
Frequently asked questions
What is VDOT?
The effective oxygen cost implied by a race performance. It is not laboratory VO₂ max — it combines aerobic capacity with running economy and lactate threshold, which is why two runners with identical measured VO₂ max can post quite different race times.
How do I use VDOT to set training paces?
Each pace is a fraction of VDOT: easy around 70%, marathon 84%, threshold 88%, intervals 98%. The calculator converts those back into minutes per kilometre so you can take them straight to a session.
Why is my easy pace so slow?
Because easy running is meant to be. It should feel conversational, and running it faster is the most common reason a training block stops producing improvement — the hard sessions suffer for the sake of a slightly quicker recovery run.
How accurate is VDOT?
Good, provided the race was a genuine maximal effort on a fair course. A time set into a headwind or on a hilly route understates fitness, and the paces derived from it will be too soft to drive adaptation.
Which race distance should I use?
The one closest to what you are training for, and recent. A 5 km result predicts 10 km training paces well; using a 5 km to set marathon paces assumes an endurance base the result cannot demonstrate.
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