Free running calculators
VDOT Calculator
Enter a recent race to get your VDOT, the fitness score from Jack Daniels' Running Formula, and the five training paces that go with it: easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition.
What is VDOT?
VDOT is a measure of running fitness devised by coach Jack Daniels and physiologist Jimmy Gilbert. It works like a VO2max score, but it comes from a race result rather than a lab test, so it also reflects your running economy. Two runners with the same VO2max can race quite differently; they'll have different VDOTs.
The calculation has two parts. The first is the oxygen cost of running at your race speed v in meters per minute:
VO2 = −4.60 + 0.182258·v + 0.000104·v2
The second is the share of your maximum you can hold for a race lasting t minutes, which falls from about 100% for a 10-minute race to just over 80% for a marathon:
%max = 0.8 + 0.1894393·e−0.012778·t + 0.2989558·e−0.1932605·t
Your VDOT is the first divided by the second. Higher is fitter: a 25:00 5K scores about 38, a 20:00 5K about 50, and elite marathoners are in the 80s.
The five training paces
Daniels built his training system on running each session at a set share of VDOT, so every workout does a specific job and nothing is run harder than it needs to be.
| Pace | Intensity | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 59 to 74% of VDOT | Most weekly mileage, long runs and recovery. Conversational. |
| Marathon | Your predicted marathon pace | Steady long runs and marathon-specific work. |
| Threshold | About 88% | Tempo runs of about 20 minutes or cruise intervals. Comfortably hard. |
| Interval | 95 to 100% (97.5% here) | 3 to 5 minute repeats with jog recovery. Hard. |
| Repetition | About 6 s per 400 m faster than interval | 200 and 400 m repeats with full recovery, for speed and form. |
VDOT table
Race times and key training paces for VDOT scores from 30 to 70. Threshold pace is per mile; interval pace is per 400 m lap.
| VDOT | 5K | 10K | Half marathon | Marathon | Threshold /mi | Interval /400 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 30:41 | 1:03:49 | 2:21:17 | 4:49:49 | 10:18 | 2:22 |
| 35 | 26:59 | 56:02 | 2:04:13 | 4:16:06 | 9:07 | 2:05 |
| 40 | 24:06 | 50:01 | 1:50:54 | 3:49:37 | 8:12 | 1:53 |
| 45 | 21:49 | 45:13 | 1:40:14 | 3:28:16 | 7:27 | 1:42 |
| 50 | 19:56 | 41:20 | 1:31:31 | 3:10:40 | 6:51 | 1:34 |
| 55 | 18:22 | 38:06 | 1:24:16 | 2:55:55 | 6:20 | 1:27 |
| 60 | 17:03 | 35:22 | 1:18:09 | 2:43:22 | 5:54 | 1:21 |
| 65 | 15:55 | 33:02 | 1:12:54 | 2:32:35 | 5:32 | 1:16 |
| 70 | 14:56 | 31:01 | 1:08:23 | 2:23:13 | 5:13 | 1:12 |
These come from the Daniels–Gilbert equations, so they can differ by a few seconds from the printed tables in Daniels' Running Formula, which are rounded.
Updating your VDOT
- Use a real race. An all-out effort on a measured course gives the truest number. A 5K to half marathon from the last six weeks works best.
- Move up slowly. Daniels suggests raising your training VDOT by about one point every four to six weeks, or when a new race says you've improved, not after one good workout.
- Adjust for conditions. Heat, hills and wind slow a race. A hot or hilly result understates your VDOT, so don't train off it at face value.
Want to see how VDOT compares with other prediction models? The race time predictor shows VDOT beside Riegel's and Cameron's formulas.
Frequently asked questions
Is VDOT the same as VO2max?
No. VO2max is measured in a lab. VDOT is worked out from race performance, so it combines aerobic capacity with how economically you run. It's usually a little lower than a lab VO2max, and it's more useful for setting paces.
What is a good VDOT?
For recreational runners, the 30s and 40s are typical; a VDOT of 50 means roughly a 20-minute 5K or a 3:10 marathon. Club runners are often in the 50s and 60s.