V.O2 Running Calculator (2024)

What's your VDOT?

VDOT is a measure of your current running ability. Enter a recent or estimated race result to get your VDOT score and current training paces.

Each training pace is designed to help you improve your fitness. Learn more about the purpose and how to train at each pace. You can also learn the Equivalent Race Performances of the entered race result to help set goals or compare the scores of results at different distances.

Leverage the science of VDOT

The science of VDOT is built into the V.O2 app. Take advantage of the services For Athletes or For Coaches to take your training to the next level.

Improve your VDOT

Designed to help runners train correctly and more intelligently, VDOT elicits maximum benefit while reducing the required effort. These high-quality workouts promote healthy, responsible, and beneficial sessions while simultaneously preventing overtraining.

Variety: Easy pace running refers to warm-ups, cool-downs, recovery runs, recovery running within a workout and generally long runs.

Intensity: Generally, in the range of 59-74% of VO2max or 65-79% of your HRmax. In general, Easy running is a comfortable, conversational pace, which certainly may vary daily, depending on how you are feeling, and the weather and terrain with which you are faced. You may be up to 20 seconds per mile slower or faster than the specified pace on a given day.

Purpose: Running at your Easy pace promotes physiological benefits that build a solid base from which higher-intensity training can be performed. The heart muscle is strengthened, and the muscles being exercised receive increased blood supplies and increase their ability to process the oxygen delivered through the cardiovascular system.

Sample Workout: 30-45 minutes E

Variety: Steady run or long repeats.

Intensity: Generally in the range 75-84% of VO2max or 80-90% of your HRmax.

Purpose: Used to experience race pace conditions for those training for a marathon or simply as an alternative to Easy pace running for beginners on long run days.

Sample Workout: 10 minutes E, 60-90 minutes M

Variety: VO2max Intervals.

Intensity: Generally, in the range of 97-100% of VO2max or 98-100% of HRmax. Intervals are "hard", but not all-out running by any means. Intervals are similar to a pace that you could maintain for about 10-12 minutes in a serious race. Intervals are best if they involve runs of 3 to 5 minutes each (800m and 1000m workbouts are common), with jog recoveries of similar duration (not necessarily, equal distance); relative to the runs they follow. If a workout calls for "hard" runs, then go by feel and, conservatively imagine 5k race pace, as the intensity of each run.

Purpose: Stress your aerobic power (VO2max). At proper Interval intensity, it takes about two minutes to gear up to functioning at VO2max, so the ideal duration of an "Interval" is 3-5 minutes each to ensure proper time at the desired intensity. The reason not to go past 5-minutes is to prevent too much anaerobic involvement, which can result in too much increase in blood-lactate concentration and defeat the purpose of the workout.

Sample Workout: 6 x 2 minutes I (1 min jog), 5 x 3 minutes I (2 min jog), 4 x 4 minutes I (3 min jog)

Variety: Steady, prolonged or tempo runs or intermittent runs, also called cruise intervals.

Intensity: Generally in the range of 83-88% of VO2max or 88-92% of HRmax. Threshold pace is comfortably hard running for either a steady 3-4 miles (or 5 to 6km) or repeated runs of 5 to 15 minutes each, with 1 to 3 minutes of rest between the runs.

Purpose: To improve endurance.

Sample Workout: 3 x 1 mile T (1 min) or 20 minutes T.

Variety: Pace reps and strides.

Intensity: Reps are fast, but not necessarily "hard", because workbouts are relatively short and are followed by relatively long recoveries. Recoveries should be long enough that each run feels no more difficult than the previous run, because the purpose of Reps is to improve speed and economy and you cannot get faster (nor more economical) if you are not running with relaxed form. If it takes 3 minutes recovery between 400m Reps, then that is what is needed. Reducing rest time between individual workbouts does not make for a better workout, in fact it probably makes for a worse workout because the short rests could increase the stress and lead to poor economy. Think of Reps as similar to current 1500m or mile race pace.

Purpose: To improve your speed and economy.

Sample Workout: 8 x 200m R (200m jog) or 4 x 400m R (400m jog)

Variety: 800 meter race-pace reps.

Intensity: Best to imagine the effort you put into an 800-meter race, but not faster than the pace associated with your most recent 800m time. It is best to do Fast Reps on a track where speed can be carefully monitored. Most Fast Reps will be 200s, 300s or 400s, and maybe as long as 600s for elite runners. Don't let individual workbouts last longer than 90 seconds, and recovery time between Fast Reps should be easy jogging until you feel fully recovered.

Purpose: To improve speed, stress anaerobic power, and learn the feeling of 800-meter race pace.

Sample Workout: 600m R (5 min jog), 2 x 400m F (4 min jog), 600m F (5 min jog), 2 x 300m F (3 min jog), 4 x 200m R (200m jog)

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