Running Calculator

The idea of VDOT is at the heart of Jack Daniels Running Formula. To find out your VDOT and associated paces, you will need the results of a recent race. Go to http://www.runbayou.com/jackd.htm and enter your race time and distance, then hit "Calculate VDOT". This will give you a series of equivalent times for other distances. It will also give you a list of paces for various workout types and distances. So, if you did a 5K in 21:00, you would get aerobic intervals (I Pace) of 400m in 1:38, 800m in 3:35, 1200m in 4:54. Remember that this gives you the paces to use in a training program, but it is not itself a plan, just the paces.

There is an explaination of the paces at VDOT Based Intensities. The quantities mentioned in the calculator, such as 'Qty: lesser of 90 min or 16 miles' is taken from the Jack Daniels book and reflect JD's overall maximums. This does not mean that you should necessarily be using all of the paces; it will depend on what training you are doing.

You may have several race results that indicate different VDOT values. If the races are all reasonably recent and reflect your current fitness level, use the best VDOT number. If you've been injured or had a break from training since your last race, you should not use an old race result.

Note: you must enter the time of a race you have completed, not your target time for a race. Please repeat out loud "I will enter the time of a race I've completed". More seriously, this is a very common mistake that you need to avoid. Train based on your current fitness, not the fitness you hope to achieve. If you put in a target pace rather than an actual pace you are missing the point of the system. Jack Daniels paces are intended to provide a pace that produces a specific training stress. If you don't use a previous race pace, you will be using the wrong pace.