What VMA is
VMA (vitesse maximale aérobie) is the running speed at which you reach your maximal oxygen uptake, often called vVO2max in English. Most runners can hold it for about six minutes. That is why the simplest field test, the half-Cooper, lasts six minutes: run as far as you can in six minutes on a track, divide the distance in metres by 100, and you have your VMA in km/h. 1,500 m means a VMA of 15 km/h.
The VMA each marathon goal needs
The table gives a range for each goal. For 3h30, it is 14.7 to 16.1 km/h.
- The lower figure assumes well-trained endurance. It carries your six-minute speed to the marathon with Riegel’s formula, the equivalence model Run 42 uses for every pace. That puts marathon pace at about 80% of VMA.
- The higher figure assumes average endurance. Coaching tables usually put an amateur’s marathon pace between 70 and 80% of VMA; this column uses 75%, the middle of that range.
Where you land depends on your endurance: the more long runs and steady kilometres behind you, the closer you get to the lower figure. The half-Cooper column is the distance that VMA means in the six-minute test.
| Goal | Pace /km | VMA needed | Half-Cooper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2h30 | 3:33 | 20.3–22.5 km/h | 2030–2250 m |
| 2h35 | 3:40 | 19.6–21.8 km/h | 1960–2180 m |
| 2h40 | 3:47 | 19.1–21.1 km/h | 1910–2110 m |
| 2h45 | 3:55 | 18.5–20.5 km/h | 1850–2050 m |
| 2h50 | 4:02 | 18.0–19.9 km/h | 1800–1990 m |
| 2h55 | 4:09 | 17.5–19.3 km/h | 1750–1930 m |
| 3h00 | 4:16 | 17.1–18.8 km/h | 1710–1880 m |
| 3h05 | 4:23 | 16.6–18.2 km/h | 1660–1820 m |
| 3h10 | 4:30 | 16.2–17.8 km/h | 1620–1780 m |
| 3h15 | 4:37 | 15.8–17.3 km/h | 1580–1730 m |
| 3h20 | 4:44 | 15.4–16.9 km/h | 1540–1690 m |
| 3h25 | 4:52 | 15.1–16.5 km/h | 1510–1650 m |
| 3h30 | 4:59 | 14.7–16.1 km/h | 1470–1610 m |
| 3h35 | 5:06 | 14.4–15.7 km/h | 1440–1570 m |
| 3h40 | 5:13 | 14.1–15.3 km/h | 1410–1530 m |
| 3h45 | 5:20 | 13.8–15.0 km/h | 1380–1500 m |
| 3h50 | 5:27 | 13.5–14.7 km/h | 1350–1470 m |
| 3h55 | 5:34 | 13.3–14.4 km/h | 1330–1440 m |
| 4h00 | 5:41 | 13.0–14.1 km/h | 1300–1410 m |
| 4h05 | 5:49 | 12.7–13.8 km/h | 1270–1380 m |
| 4h10 | 5:55 | 12.5–13.5 km/h | 1250–1350 m |
| 4h15 | 6:02 | 12.3–13.2 km/h | 1230–1320 m |
| 4h20 | 6:10 | 12.1–13.0 km/h | 1210–1300 m |
| 4h25 | 6:17 | 11.8–12.7 km/h | 1180–1270 m |
| 4h30 | 6:24 | 11.6–12.5 km/h | 1160–1250 m |
| 4h35 | 6:31 | 11.4–12.3 km/h | 1140–1230 m |
| 4h40 | 6:38 | 11.2–12.1 km/h | 1120–1210 m |
| 4h45 | 6:45 | 11.1–11.8 km/h | 1110–1180 m |
| 4h50 | 6:52 | 10.9–11.6 km/h | 1090–1160 m |
| 4h55 | 6:59 | 10.7–11.4 km/h | 1070–1140 m |
| 5h00 | 7:07 | 10.5–11.3 km/h | 1050–1130 m |
| 5h05 | 7:14 | 10.4–11.1 km/h | 1040–1110 m |
| 5h10 | 7:21 | 10.2–10.9 km/h | 1020–1090 m |
| 5h15 | 7:28 | 10.1–10.7 km/h | 1010–1070 m |
| 5h20 | 7:35 | 9.9–10.5 km/h | 990–1050 m |
| 5h25 | 7:42 | 9.8–10.4 km/h | 980–1040 m |
| 5h30 | 7:49 | 9.6–10.2 km/h | 960–1020 m |
| 5h35 | 7:56 | 9.5–10.1 km/h | 950–1010 m |
| 5h40 | 8:04 | 9.4–9.9 km/h | 940–990 m |
| 5h45 | 8:11 | 9.2–9.8 km/h | 920–980 m |
| 5h50 | 8:17 | 9.1–9.6 km/h | 910–960 m |
| 5h55 | 8:25 | 9.0–9.5 km/h | 900–950 m |
| 6h00 | 8:32 | 8.9–9.4 km/h | 890–940 m |
The marathon time your VMA points to
The same two models, read the other way. With a VMA of 16 km/h, a runner with well-trained endurance can aim for about 3h13, and a runner with average endurance for about 3h31.
| Your VMA | Half-Cooper | Well-trained endurance | Average endurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 km/h | 1100 m | 4h46 | 5h07 |
| 11.5 km/h | 1150 m | 4h33 | 4h54 |
| 12 km/h | 1200 m | 4h21 | 4h41 |
| 12.5 km/h | 1250 m | 4h10 | 4h30 |
| 13 km/h | 1300 m | 4h00 | 4h20 |
| 13.5 km/h | 1350 m | 3h51 | 4h10 |
| 14 km/h | 1400 m | 3h42 | 4h01 |
| 14.5 km/h | 1450 m | 3h34 | 3h53 |
| 15 km/h | 1500 m | 3h26 | 3h45 |
| 15.5 km/h | 1550 m | 3h19 | 3h38 |
| 16 km/h | 1600 m | 3h13 | 3h31 |
| 16.5 km/h | 1650 m | 3h06 | 3h25 |
| 17 km/h | 1700 m | 3h01 | 3h19 |
| 17.5 km/h | 1750 m | 2h55 | 3h13 |
| 18 km/h | 1800 m | 2h50 | 3h08 |
| 18.5 km/h | 1850 m | 2h45 | 3h02 |
| 19 km/h | 1900 m | 2h40 | 2h58 |
| 19.5 km/h | 1950 m | 2h36 | 2h53 |
| 20 km/h | 2000 m | 2h32 | 2h49 |
| 20.5 km/h | 2050 m | 2h28 | 2h45 |
| 21 km/h | 2100 m | 2h24 | 2h41 |
VMA sets the ceiling; endurance decides how much of it you keep over 42.195 km. A recent 10K or half marathon is a better guide than either, because it already includes your endurance: put it in the race time predictor.
VMA in your training
Run 42’s VMA sessions, 400 m and 800 m repeats, are run at about your 3 km race pace, a little slower than VMA itself: fast enough to work it, controlled enough to leave the rest of the week intact. You will find that pace for every goal in the marathon pace chart, and what each zone does in training pace zones.
For a marathon, VMA work is the smaller part of the plan. The long run, the marathon-pace runs and the easy kilometres are what move you from the higher figure in the table towards the lower one.
