Running Training Guides
Long-form articles explaining the science and math behind running performance. Each guide traces its formulas to primary sources, shows the equations, and is honest about the limitations.
This is not a training advice site. These guides explain how performance formulas work and where they come from — not how you should structure your week.
VDOT Explained: Jack Daniels' Running Performance Formula
The derivation of VDOT, how it differs from VO2 max, and how to use it for race prediction and training pace zones.
Heart Rate Zones Explained: Karvonen vs %HRmax vs LTHR
The three main HR zone methods compared — where they agree, where they diverge, and why your watch's zones may be wrong.
How Accurate Is the Riegel Formula? Testing Against Real Race Data
An analysis of Riegel's T₂ = T₁ × (D₂/D₁)^1.06 — where it works, where it fails, and what the alternatives offer.
Pace Conversion: min/km vs min/mile vs km/h — and Why GPS Lies
The math of pace units, the exact conversion factor, and why your GPS watch's pace reading always differs from your calculator.
Splits Strategy: Even, Negative, and Positive — What the Data Shows
What elite marathon splits actually look like, what happens physiologically when you go out too fast, and how to plan your race.
Calorie Burn in Running: METs, the ACSM Compendium, and Why Calculators Disagree
The MET-based calorie estimation method explained — what METs are, where the values come from, and the real accuracy limits.
Boston Qualifier Strategy: Standards, Cutoffs, and the Buffer Math
The 2026/2027 BQ standards, the historical cutoff data, and how to calculate how much buffer you actually need.
Race Prediction Formulas Compared: Riegel vs Cameron vs Vickers
Implementing four race prediction formulas and comparing their outputs — when each is most accurate and why they disagree.
Lactate Threshold and Pace: The Science Behind Your Tempo Runs
What lactate threshold actually is, where it sits in the VDOT framework, and how to estimate it from race times.
Estimating VO2 Max from a Race Result: The Daniels-Gilbert Derivation
The mathematics of deriving VO2 max from race performance — the equations, the assumptions, and the accuracy limits.
More guides are being added. The target is 25 guides covering the full set of running performance formulas. Suggestions welcome at udbstudios@gmail.com.