The recent update is now available on iOS and Android and includes:
Run SMART client Anthony DiAngelus of Odessa, FL was kind enough to let us share his feedback as he gears up for his big debut at Boston:
I wanted to drop you and the Run SMART Project a line to let you know that my quality training workouts are now complete and I am ready to take on my first Boston Marathon in a few short weeks.
As you may recall, I qualified for Boston during my first marathon using your custom plan (Chicago 2015 – 3:21:23 VDOT 47.7). Since then, I have used the plan with adjusted paces and Dr. Daniels’ training philosophy to continuously improve while staying injury free.
We received a testimonial from a great local runner in France. We were excited to learn how the VDOT Calculator helped him achieve a time in the marathon he never imagined he could run. Simon has granted us permission to share his kind note. We’re excited to see this young runner continue to progress as gains more and more experience.
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My name is Simon and I’m a 26-year old french runner who lives near Paris. I began to run 3-years ago. My first race was a 10km in 48-minutes and I told my girlfriend that I never will run a marathon.
Legendary Dr. Jack Daniels got his PhD in Exercise Physiology in the 1960’s and then started testing world-class runners in preparation for the Mexico City Olympics. He began his life’s work learning about how the body reacts to stress in search of how to properly train for running competition. His studies and research led to his invention of the VDOT training tables in the 1970s, popularized in Daniels’ Running Formula.
Today, science meets technology with over 40-years of running science and research wrapped into a mobile app in the palm of your hands. Get the VDOT Calculator on your mobile device and become a faster runner.
iOS: http://apple.co/19FXszO
Android: http://bit.ly/24z2k2m
Chicago Marathon organizers are expecting a high of 75 degrees this Sunday. Ideal marathon temps are generally in the mid-to-high 40’s fahrenheit, so it’s important to adjust your pace early to avoid a major meltdown (vicious pun intended) 😉 in the second half.
In the example pictured above, someone shooting for a 3:49 marathon would typically average 8:44 per mile. To avoid running a harder effort than you’re trained for in warmer conditions, if you click advanced features on the VDOT Calculator and add in an anticipated temp of 68 degrees (assuming mid-race conditions), the equivalent effort in those temps is about 7 seconds slower or 8:51 per mile. Over a 26.2 mile race that type of discrepancy in your pacing can make the difference between hitting the wall and losing lots of time in the last 8-10 miles and staying relatively steady throughout.
Use our running calculator (embedded below) to determine your heat-adjusted marathon pace and follow Dr. Daniels’ advice:
I’d go for the heat-adjusted pace for 15-20 miles, then if feeling OK, try picking it up a little. Much better to run a little slower than you would like to have done, and finish being able to say, “I think I could have gone a little faster,” than to end up saying, “I wish I hadn’t gone out so fast.”
It’s hot out! As runners we dread the heat and humidity, especially when it hinders our performance. Fortunately, Dr. Jack Daniels’ formulas for temperature adjustment can now be utilized in our VDOT O2 Running Calculator app. No longer should runners be overtraining in the heat or be frustrated by not hitting their goal splits!
Here’s how it works and we’ve embedded the calculator below so you can try it out. [If you’d like to embed the calculator on your site grab the code here]
“I’m not against it, but I have a hard time justifying the physiological benefits of running at 5k or 10k race pace. Now for an excellent runner 5k race pace is right around Interval pace.” – Coach Daniels
For instance, if you’re a 23-minute 5k runner your race pace is 7:24 and your Interval or VO2max training pace is 7:13 per mile. To learn more about how each training pace compares to your 5k and 10k race paces and the physiological purpose of Intervals use the VDOT Calculator.
For more training advice join Dr. Daniels at the next VDOT O2 Coaching Clinic at GU Energy Labs in Berkeley, CA on August 8th.
The iPhone version of the Official VDOT Running Calculator is now available for download (FREE) in the app store. This follows our first mobile release on Android earlier this year.
We worked hard to keep the design simple and crisp but at the same time we wanted the functionality to serve many needs for runners and coaches. For instance, our calculator’s main use case is to calculate your VDOT to help determine training paces and equivalent performances. But you can also use it simply to calculate race paces, determine how much distance you covered by entering pace and time or determine how long a run is by entering time and pace.
Let’s dig in to our main use case – calculating your VDOT!
Our VDOT Calculator has gone mobile! If you have an Android phone you can now download our FREE app in the Google Play store.
Expect the iPhone version in the App Store sometime in early March.
In 2013, Runner’s World published a piece by Amby Burfoot that concluded most runners are better off listening to their bodies versus following a formulaic pacing approach, according to a study he cites.
Amby reviews the marathon data and writes…
The runners held their pace for 13.1 miles, but then slowed dramatically. But wait. We all know The Wall doesn’t hit you until 20 miles. There’s no physiological reasons for marathoners to suddenly fatigue at the halfway point. What gives? Why did the runners crash at 13.1 miles?
My guess: The runners were relying too heavily on high goal-setting, heart-rate monitors, GPS systems, equivalent-performance tables, and the like. In other words, they used one or several of these tools to pick a goal pace faster than their actual race-day fitness. That’s what we high-success, high-determination, Type A runners often do.
