VDOT calculator
Same formula as the Overload app
This VDOT calculator turns a recent race distance and time into your VDOT score, your VMA (maximal aerobic speed) and an estimated VO2max, using Jack Daniels and Jimmy Gilbert's 1979 method. Below the headline number you get all five training zones with the pace range each one covers, ready to plan easy, tempo and interval sessions around, the same way a coach would build a structured training week.
VDOT
49.8
Training zones
| Zone | % VMA | Pace range (min/km) |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 60–70 % | 6:25 – 5:30 |
| Aerobic | 70–80 % | 5:30 – 4:49 |
| Tempo | 80–87 % | 4:49 – 4:25 |
| Threshold | 87–95 % | 4:25 – 4:03 |
| VO2max | 95 %+ | < 4:03 |
How it works
VDOT approximates the VO2 you sustain during a race, adjusted for how the percentage of VO2max you can hold varies with race duration. Daniels and Gilbert fit two equations from lab and field data: one converts pace to a raw oxygen cost, the other estimates what fraction of your maximum that pace represents for how long you held it.
VMA, maximal aerobic speed, is the running speed at which oxygen consumption reaches VO2max, and it's derived here by inverting the VDOT equation. VO2max itself is then approximated as roughly 3.5 times VMA in km/h, the standard conversion between the two figures.
The five training zones split percentages of VMA into easy, aerobic, tempo, threshold and VO2max efforts, the same zone structure used across Daniels-style training plans, so a single race result gives you every pace you need for a full week's training.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good VDOT score?
VDOT scales with fitness rather than having one universal good number: recreational runners often sit in the 35 to 45 range, competitive club runners in the 50s and 60s, and elite runners above 70. Comparing your own VDOT over time matters more than comparing it to someone else's.
How is VDOT different from VO2max?
VO2max is the physiological ceiling of oxygen use your body can sustain, while VDOT is a performance-based estimate calibrated from an actual race result rather than a lab test. The two numbers are close but not identical, since VDOT also folds in how well you can hold a percentage of that ceiling.
Which race result should I use to calculate VDOT?
A recent all-out effort between 5K and half marathon gives the most reliable VDOT, since Daniels and Gilbert's tables are built from races in that range. A very short sprint or an easy long run will distort the number in either direction.
Related tools
- Pace calculatorSolve for running pace, time or distance from the other two, free, with instant km/h and mph conversions and a full race-distance time table.
- Pace converterConvert running speed between km/h, mph, min/km and min/mi instantly, free, with a reference table spanning 6 to 22 km/h for quick lookup.
- Race time predictorPredict your 5K, 10K, half and marathon time from a recent race using the Riegel formula, free, the same model the Overload app uses.
- Heart rate zones calculatorWork out your five running heart rate zones from age or a known HRmax, free, with the Karvonen method for a more personal result.
Overload computes VMA and zones from your runs
Overload estimates your VDOT and VMA automatically from your logged runs and keeps your training zones up to date as your fitness changes. Free on iOS and Android.