Help and Support » Calculations

The Effective VO2max is an important performance characteristic for runners and is closely related to the scientific VO2max, which can be measured in the laboratory by gas analysis. It is defined from the 10 km time (or by conversion from the race time over any distance) and can be read in tables. It thus corresponds to a combination of the scientific VO2max and the running efficiency. A 10 km time of 40 minutes corresponds to an Effective VO2max of 52 (and likewise 5 km in 19:17, half marathon in 1:28:28, marathon in 3:04:27, see our calculator). Two athletes with the same Effective VO2max will therefore have the same 10 km time. Runalyze estimates for you the "Effective VO2max" also from non-maximal training performances based on the ratio of heart rate and speed.

Please make sure that the following is fulfilled:

1. You know the difference between VO2max and Effective VO2max.
2. Verify that you have entered your maximum heart rate correctly here.
3. Make sure that you exclude activities for your shape calculation when recommended.
4. Your recorded heart rate data (and pace) is correct. Wrist-based heart rate recordings may cause issues.

Once you have checked all this, you can access your Running Performance Status. There you can see your shape history, the estimated values of the individual activities and the actually achieved Effective VO2max values of your races. If there are no outliers in the activities that would distort your shape, you can expand the "Correction Factor" section and adjust the factor so that your shape matches your expectation or your last race results.

See also

• Tool: Effective VO2max - Calculator