VDOT Calculator & Training Paces
Get your VDOT and Daniels easy/threshold/interval paces.
Paces are close approximations of Jack Daniels’ published tables.
What VDOT is
VDOT is Jack Daniels’ single-number measure of running fitness, derived from a recent race result. It folds your VO₂max together with your running economy, so two runners with the same VDOT should train at the same paces even if their lab numbers differ. The bigger the number, the faster you are.
Your five training paces
Each training zone targets a fixed percentage of your VDOT: Easy for aerobic base and recovery, Marathon for race-specific endurance, Threshold for “comfortably hard” tempo work, Interval for VO₂max repeats, and Repetition for speed and economy. Running easy days too fast is the most common training mistake — these paces keep each effort honest.
How it is calculated
The calculator turns your race into a VO₂ demand, scales it by the fraction of maximum you can hold for that duration to get VDOT, then inverts the same equation at each intensity to find a goal velocity and pace. Treat the results as a starting point and adjust for heat, hills and how you feel.
Questions
What is VDOT?
VDOT is Jack Daniels’ single number for current running fitness — an effective VO₂max derived from a race result. A higher VDOT means a faster runner, and it maps directly to recommended training paces.
Which paces does it give me?
Easy (E), Marathon (M), Threshold/tempo (T), Interval (I), and Repetition (R) paces. Each targets a different physiological system, from aerobic base at E to speed and economy at R.
How is it calculated?
It estimates VO₂ from your race velocity and the race’s %VO₂max (using Daniels’ equations), divides to get VDOT, then derives each training pace from the velocity at that percentage of VDOT.