VDOT calculator: training paces from a race result
VDOT
49.8
Training paces
| Intensity | Pace per kilometre | Pace per mile |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 4:54–5:53 | 7:54–9:28 |
| Marathon | 4:26–4:51 | 7:08–7:49 |
| Threshold | 4:16–4:28 | 6:52–7:12 |
| Interval | 3:51–3:57 | 6:11–6:21 |
| Repetition | 3:34–3:42 | 5:44–5:57 |
Training paces are derived from Daniels' Running Formula (4th edition (2021)) with the Daniels–Gilbert oxygen-cost equations. VDOT is back-calculated from a race result, not measured.
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Enter a recent race result and the calculator above back-calculates a VDOT value, then derives five training pace ranges from it — easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition. All five are shown in both kilometres and miles.
What VDOT is, and what it is not
VDOT is a single number describing the fitness implied by a race performance. It comes from two equations published by Jack Daniels and Jimmy Gilbert (see /sources): one gives the oxygen cost of running at a given speed, the other gives the fraction of your VO2max that is sustainable for a given duration. Dividing the first by the second yields the VO2max consistent with your result.
Two things follow, and both matter:
- VDOT is derived from a race result, not measured. It is not a laboratory VO2max test and will not agree with one. A result from a hot, hilly or badly paced race describes that race.
- It is a fitness estimate, not a plan. The value says what your result implies; what you do with it is training, and training advice is not what this site does.
The five training ranges
| Range | Share of VO2max | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 59–74% | The bulk of weekly volume. Slow enough to repeat tomorrow. |
| Marathon | 75–84% | The pace of a marathon run at your current fitness. |
| Threshold | 83–88% | "Comfortably hard" — the pace most half marathon training is built on. |
| Interval | 97–100% | VO2max intervals, typically 3–5 minutes per repetition. |
| Repetition | 105–110% | Short, fast repetitions for speed and running economy. |
The ranges overlap at the edges (marathon and threshold share the 83–84% band) because they are defined by two different things: the marathon range describes a distance at your fitness, the threshold range describes an intensity you can sustain for about an hour. Your own marathon pace and threshold pace will usually sit within a few seconds per kilometre of each other — if they do not, the input result is probably not representative.
How to read a range rather than a single pace
A range is more honest than a single number, because a single training pace would imply a precision that neither the equations nor your race day have. Practical use:
- Start a session at the slow end of the range and let the effort settle.
- If the last repetition is much harder than the first, you started at the fast end on a day that did not support it.
- Use the range to check a plan, not to replace one: if a plan prescribes a "threshold" pace outside the band this page gives, one of the two is using a different definition.
Known deviations from the printed tables
The printed VDOT tables in Daniels' Running Formula (4th edition, 2021) round training paces to five-second increments. This calculator solves the underlying equations directly and does not round to five seconds, so a row can differ from the book by a few seconds per kilometre. If you are following the book page by page, read the book's table; the derivation here is for checking and for cross-distance work.
Related
- Pace calculator — time to pace, any distance.
- Race time predictor — the same result at other distances.
- Distance charts with the pace behind every finish time: 5K, half marathon, marathon.
- Methodology — the equations written out.
- Sources — the citation and a worked example you can reproduce.
Which result should I enter if I have several?
The most recent one from a race you actually raced, on a course you trust. A training time trial works too if it was an all-out effort; a tempo run does not, because it is by definition not maximal.
Does VDOT handle trail or ultra results?
Not well, and the calculator will refuse results far outside its supported range instead of inventing a number. Terrain, altitude and duration-dependent fatigue are outside what the two equations describe; the same limitation applies to the predictor, which is why it says so on the page.