VDOT, training paces & equivalent times

VDOT Calculator

Enter one race time to get your VDOT, equivalent times from 5K to marathon, and easy, marathon, threshold, interval, and repetition paces per kilometer and mile.

Example values are filled in. Enter a race or hard time trial from the last six weeks.

Race distance

Finish time

hoursminutesseconds

Your VDOT

38.3

From 5 km in 0:25:00. Daniels’ tables give the training paces below.

5K equivalent: 25:00
10K equivalent: 51:53
Half marathon equivalent: 1:55:02
Marathon equivalent: 3:57:57

Race pace 5:00 /km · 8:03 /mi

Start a plan built on VDOT 38.3.

Vitadel Run sets your paces from this race, builds the weeks toward your goal, and eases off on the days your sleep and HRV are down.

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Your training paces

Training paces from Daniels’ tables for VDOT 38.3, per kilometer.
Zone	Pace /km	What it is for
Easy	6:11 to 6:46	Most of your running, long runs included.
Marathon	5:38	Race pace for 42.2 km.
Threshold	5:17	Tempo runs and cruise intervals, about an hour of race effort.
Interval	4:41	Repeats of 3 to 5 minutes near VO2max.
Repetition	4:21	Short reps of 200 to 400 m with full recovery.

Easy pace is a range: the faster end on fresh days, the slower end on tired ones. Paces are for flat ground in mild weather.

VDOT comes from the race you enter and assumes an all-out effort on a flat course. Equivalent times assume you are as prepared for that distance as for the one you raced. Calculations run in your browser.

One race, every pace

Enter the distance and finish time of a race or hard time trial from the last six weeks. The calculator works out your VDOT, the times that fitness predicts at other distances, and the training paces Jack Daniels’ tables assign to it. The formula and the tables are the ones inside Vitadel Run.

Estimate the oxygen cost of your race speed

Daniels and Gilbert fitted a curve to the oxygen runners use at each speed. Faster running costs more oxygen per minute, and the curve bends upward as speed rises.

cost = −4.60 + 0.182258 × speed + 0.000104 × speed² (speed in meters per minute)

Divide by the share of VO2max you can hold that long

Nobody races at 100 percent of VO2max for an hour. A second curve gives the share a runner sustains for a race of your duration: high for a 5K, lower for a marathon. Your VDOT is the oxygen cost divided by that share.

VDOT = cost ÷ sustainable share of VO2max for the race duration

Read equivalent times and paces from the same number

Equivalent times solve the same two curves for other distances. Training paces come from Daniels’ tables, which run from VDOT 30 to 85. Outside that range the calculator still shows equivalent times and says the tables do not reach that far.

Example: a 25-minute 5K

A 25:00 5K gives a VDOT of about 38.3. That predicts about 51:53 for 10K, 1:55 for a half marathon, and 3:58 for a marathon. Easy runs fall around 6:11 to 6:46 per kilometer (9:57 to 10:53 per mile), threshold work near 5:17 per kilometer, and intervals near 4:41. Enter your own race to see your numbers.

Sources

Common questions

What is a good VDOT?

Daniels’ tables run from VDOT 30, about a 30:40 5K, to 85, a 12:37 5K. A 25-minute 5K is about 38 and a 20-minute 5K about 50. The number matters most against your own earlier races: a rise of one point is a real gain in fitness.

How recent should the race be?

Within six weeks, from a race or a hard time trial at a distance close to the one you are training for. An older result is a starting guess. Expect a solo time trial to come out 2 to 4 percent slower than a race with competitors and a taper.

Why is my marathon equivalent faster than I can run?

The curves assume you are as prepared for the marathon as for the race you entered. A 5K needs far less endurance than 42 km. If your long runs are short, your marathon will be slower than the equivalent time, and a half marathon result will predict it better.

Which pace do I use for easy runs?

The easy range. Run the faster end on fresh days and the slower end on tired ones or in heat. Long runs sit in the same range. Threshold, interval, and repetition paces are for the workouts that ask for them, not for every run.

Does this work for a 1-mile or 3K time trial?

Yes. Enter the distance in kilometers or miles and the time. Short races weight speed more than endurance, so use a distance close to your goal race when you can.

Does the pace per mile use the same tables?

Yes. Paces are computed per kilometer from Daniels’ tables and converted with 1.609344 km per mile, so the two columns describe the same effort.

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Turn your VDOT into a plan.

Vitadel Run builds a 5K to marathon plan on your VDOT, adjusts the paces as your fitness changes, and eases off on the days your sleep and HRV are down. Start on iPhone and take the workouts to Apple Watch.