VDOT & Running Pace Calculator
Enter a recent race time - or the pace you ran it at - and get your VDOT, equivalent race times from 1500m to the marathon, and Jack Daniels' five training paces (Easy, Marathon, Threshold, Interval, Repetition) per km, per mile and per 400m lap. A plain pace converter (min/km, min/mile, km/h, per-400m split) is underneath.
Your race or target pace
Your VDOT and training paces
47.9 VDOT from 1:35:00 for the Half marathon
Training paces
| Pace | per km | per mile | per 400m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy (E)62-72%: recovery and long runs | 5:11-5:50 | 8:20-9:23 | 2:04-2:20 |
| Marathon (M)84%: steady, controlled | 4:34 | 7:22 | 1:50 |
| Threshold (T)88%: tempo, cruise intervals | 4:24 | 7:05 | 1:46 |
| Interval (I)98%: 3-5 min reps | 4:02 | 6:30 | 1:37 |
| Repetition (R)106%: 200-400m reps | 3:47 | 6:06 | 1:31 |
Easy is fast end first. Repetition is run as 200-400m reps with full recovery, never as a sustained pace.
Equivalent race times
| Distance | Time | Pace /km | Pace /mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500m | 5:36 | 3:44 | 6:01 |
| Mile | 6:04 | 3:46 | 6:04 |
| 3K | 12:00 | 4:00 | 6:26 |
| 5K | 20:41 | 4:08 | 6:39 |
| 10K | 42:53 | 4:17 | 6:54 |
| 15K | 1:05:58 | 4:24 | 7:05 |
| 10 mile | 1:11:07 | 4:25 | 7:07 |
| Half marathon | 1:35:00 | 4:30 | 7:15 |
| Marathon | 3:17:42 | 4:41 | 7:32 |
Pace converter
- min/km
- 5:00
- min/mile
- 8:03
- km/h
- 12.00
- mph
- 7.46
- per 400m
- 2:00
Worked examples
A 1:35:00 half marathon = VDOT ~47.9: threshold pace 4:24/km (7:05/mi), interval pace 1:37 per 400m, easy runs 5:11-5:50/km, marathon pace 4:34/km. The same fitness is worth a 42:53 10K and, with marathon-specific training, a 3:17:42 marathon.
A 25:00 5K = VDOT ~38.3: threshold pace 5:16/km (8:29/mi), interval pace 1:56 per 400m, easy runs 6:11-6:57/km, marathon pace 5:28/km. The same fitness is worth a 51:53 10K and, with marathon-specific training, a 3:57:55 marathon.
How the calculator works
VDOT is a single number for your current running fitness, from Jack Daniels and Jimmy Gilbert. Your race time gives an average speed; the oxygen cost of that speed, divided by the share of VO2max a runner can hold for that long, is your VDOT. The same equations run backwards give the time that VDOT is worth at any other distance, and each training pace is the speed whose oxygen cost is a set share of VDOT: Easy 62-72%, Marathon 84%, Threshold 88%, Interval 98%, Repetition 106%.
These are the same equations, to the second, as the VDOT pace tables - use the tables to look up a whole row at once, or read Jack Daniels' Running Formula explained for how to build a week from these paces. Use an honest recent result, not an old PR, and adjust for heat, hills and altitude: run the effort, not the number.
Frequently asked questions
What pace should my 400m intervals be for a half marathon?
Base them on a recent race, not on the half-marathon goal pace itself. Interval (I) pace is about 98% of your VDOT - roughly the pace you could hold for 10-15 minutes all-out. For a 1:35:00 half marathon (VDOT 47.9), I pace is 1:37 per 400m (4:02/km), and faster Repetition 400s are 1:31. Half-marathon training leans more on Threshold work: 4:24/km for the same runner.
What 400m interval target pace goes with a 7:09 per km half marathon?
7:09/km for 21.1 km is a 2:30:51 half marathon, which is VDOT 27.7. That gives Interval pace of 2:30 per 400m (6:16/km), Repetition 2:21 per 400m, Threshold 6:49/km and Easy 7:57-8:54/km. This is below VDOT 30, so treat it as an estimate - the equations were fitted to trained runners.
How do I calculate my VDOT from a race time?
Enter the distance and finish time of a recent, all-out race or time trial. VDOT is the oxygen cost of your average race speed divided by the fraction of VO2max a runner can hold for that duration (the Daniels-Gilbert equations). For example, a 25:00 5K is VDOT 38.3.
What is threshold pace and how is it calculated?
Threshold (T) pace is 88% of VDOT - comfortably hard, about the pace you could race for an hour. It is used for tempo runs and cruise intervals. For a 1:35:00 half marathon it is 4:24/km (7:05/mi).
How accurate are VDOT race equivalents?
They predict potential, not a result. Predicting a longer race from a shorter one is usually optimistic: a fast 5K says what your marathon could be with the long runs, mileage and fueling practice to back it. Predict from a race as close to your target distance as you can, and re-test every 4-6 weeks.
How do I convert min/km to min/mile?
Multiply a per-km pace by 1.609344 to get the per-mile pace (and divide to go back). 5:00/km is 8:03/mi and 12.0 km/h; one 400m lap at that pace takes 2:00. The converter on this page shows every unit at once.