[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"public-library:en-GB:hub:running:test":3},{"sport":4,"category":5,"head":6,"modified_at":9,"children":10,"content":26,"workouts":195},"running","test",{"title":7,"description":8},"Running fitness tests: 5 protocols explained","5 running tests to measure your vVO2max, VO2max or threshold: half Cooper, VAMEVAL, Cooper and more, with protocol, calculation and sources.","2026-10-25",[11,14,17,20,23],{"sport":4,"category":12,"workout_count":13},"endurance",1,{"sport":4,"category":15,"workout_count":16},"tempo",2,{"sport":4,"category":18,"workout_count":19},"threshold",5,{"sport":4,"category":21,"workout_count":22},"vo2max",9,{"sport":4,"category":24,"workout_count":25},"sprint",8,{"h1":27,"intro":28,"how_to_choose":85,"faq":158},"Running fitness tests: vVO₂max, VO₂max and threshold",{"type":29,"children":30},"root",[31,80],{"type":32,"tag":33,"props":34,"children":35},"element","p",{},[36,39,46,48,54,56,62,64,70,72,78],{"type":37,"value":38},"text","Every running session here is written as a % of your vVO₂max, the speed at which you reach your maximal oxygen uptake, which you can hold for roughly 4 to 7 minutes. A test is how you measure it. The 5 protocols on this page are run on a track or a flat route, and fall into three families: vVO₂max measured directly, with the ",{"type":32,"tag":40,"props":41,"children":43},"a",{"href":42},"\u002Fen-GB\u002Flibrary\u002Frunning\u002Ftest\u002Frunning-half-cooper-test",[44],{"type":37,"value":45},"half Cooper test",{"type":37,"value":47}," or the ",{"type":32,"tag":40,"props":49,"children":51},{"href":50},"\u002Fen-GB\u002Flibrary\u002Frunning\u002Ftest\u002Frunning-vameval-test",[52],{"type":37,"value":53},"VAMEVAL",{"type":37,"value":55},"; VO₂max estimated, with the ",{"type":32,"tag":40,"props":57,"children":59},{"href":58},"\u002Fen-GB\u002Flibrary\u002Frunning\u002Ftest\u002Frunning-cooper-test",[60],{"type":37,"value":61},"Cooper test",{"type":37,"value":63},"; and threshold, with Friel's ",{"type":32,"tag":40,"props":65,"children":67},{"href":66},"\u002Fen-GB\u002Flibrary\u002Frunning\u002Ftest\u002Frunning-friel-30min-test",[68],{"type":37,"value":69},"30-minute threshold test",{"type":37,"value":71}," or ",{"type":32,"tag":40,"props":73,"children":75},{"href":74},"\u002Fen-GB\u002Flibrary\u002Frunning\u002Ftest\u002Frunning-critical-speed-3-12min",[76],{"type":37,"value":77},"critical speed",{"type":37,"value":79},".",{"type":32,"tag":33,"props":81,"children":82},{},[83],{"type":37,"value":84},"Each page gives the exact protocol, the paces and distances to expect for a vVO₂max of 14, 16 or 18 km\u002Fh, the calculation step by step and what the sources say, with how strong the evidence is.",[86,101,115,129,144],{"situation":87,"body":88},"Your first test",{"type":29,"children":89},[90],{"type":32,"tag":33,"props":91,"children":92},{},[93,95,99],{"type":37,"value":94},"the ",{"type":32,"tag":40,"props":96,"children":97},{"href":42},[98],{"type":37,"value":45},{"type":37,"value":100},"; a track and a stopwatch are all you need, and your vVO₂max comes from a single division.",{"situation":102,"body":103},"You always go off too fast",{"type":29,"children":104},[105],{"type":32,"tag":33,"props":106,"children":107},{},[108,109,113],{"type":37,"value":94},{"type":32,"tag":40,"props":110,"children":111},{"href":50},[112],{"type":37,"value":53},{"type":37,"value":114},", where the pace rises every minute: nothing to manage, you just keep up.",{"situation":116,"body":117},"You want to track your fitness from season to season",{"type":29,"children":118},[119],{"type":32,"tag":33,"props":120,"children":121},{},[122,123,127],{"type":37,"value":94},{"type":32,"tag":40,"props":124,"children":125},{"href":58},[126],{"type":37,"value":61},{"type":37,"value":128},", 12 minutes, the classic field test, which estimates your VO₂max.",{"situation":130,"body":131},"You train at threshold or you're building for a half marathon",{"type":29,"children":132},[133],{"type":32,"tag":33,"props":134,"children":135},{},[136,138,142],{"type":37,"value":137},"Friel's ",{"type":32,"tag":40,"props":139,"children":140},{"href":66},[141],{"type":37,"value":69},{"type":37,"value":143},", for your threshold heart rate and pace.",{"situation":145,"body":146},"You want a fuller model",{"type":29,"children":147},[148],{"type":32,"tag":33,"props":149,"children":150},{},[151,156],{"type":32,"tag":40,"props":152,"children":153},{"href":74},[154],{"type":37,"value":155},"critical speed 12 + 3 min",{"type":37,"value":157},", which gives your critical speed and your D′ distance reserve.",[159,168,177,186],{"question":160,"answer":161},"Which vVO₂max test should I do?",{"type":29,"children":162},[163],{"type":32,"tag":33,"props":164,"children":165},{},[166],{"type":37,"value":167},"The half Cooper if you're starting out: a track, a stopwatch, and your vVO₂max is the distance divided by 100. The VAMEVAL if you struggle with pacing: the speed is set stage by stage. The Cooper test estimates your VO₂max instead; the vVO₂max it gives needs one more calculation. Then stick with the same test each time.",{"question":169,"answer":170},"How often should I retest?",{"type":29,"children":171},[172],{"type":32,"tag":33,"props":173,"children":174},{},[175],{"type":37,"value":176},"Every 4 to 8 weeks, or at the end of a training cycle: a common guideline, not a rule drawn from studies. Do it fresh, in the same place and in the same shoes, so your results compare. Once your vVO₂max is updated, every session set as a % of it recalculates.",{"question":178,"answer":179},"Can I do a running test without a track?",{"type":29,"children":180},[181],{"type":32,"tag":33,"props":182,"children":183},{},[184],{"type":37,"value":185},"Yes, on a flat route with no stops or tight turns, but GPS is less accurate than a track: a few tens of metres out is enough to shift your vVO₂max. Always repeat the test on the same route. For the VAMEVAL, a track is far better, because a watch's live pace jumps around a lot over a minute.",{"question":187,"answer":188},"vVO₂max, VO₂max, threshold: what does each test measure?",{"type":29,"children":189},[190],{"type":32,"tag":33,"props":191,"children":192},{},[193],{"type":37,"value":194},"vVO₂max is a speed, the one at which you reach VO₂max: the half Cooper and the VAMEVAL measure it. VO₂max is a rate of oxygen use, which the Cooper test estimates. Threshold is the intensity you can hold for much longer, somewhere between half an hour and an hour: Friel's 30-minute test and critical speed get close to it.",[196,218,233,283,299],{"slug":197,"sport":4,"category":5,"level":198,"intensity_unit":199,"name":200,"card_summary":201,"duration_seconds":202,"profile":203,"work":215},"running-half-cooper-test","beginner","pace","6-minute MAS test (half Cooper)","Six minutes to run as far as you can: your vVO₂max in km\u002Fh is the distance in metres divided by 100. The simplest vVO₂max test, on a track.",1860,[204,207,210,213],{"zone":13,"duration_seconds":205,"intensity":206},600,"62.5",{"zone":16,"duration_seconds":208,"intensity":209},300,"69",{"zone":19,"duration_seconds":211,"intensity":212},360,"100",{"zone":13,"duration_seconds":205,"intensity":214},"60",{"intensity_min":216,"intensity_max":217},"95","105",{"slug":219,"sport":4,"category":5,"level":198,"intensity_unit":199,"name":220,"card_summary":221,"duration_seconds":222,"profile":223,"work":230},"running-cooper-test","Cooper test (12 minutes)","Twelve minutes to run as far as you can: the distance gives an estimate of your VO₂max, then of your vVO₂max. The classic running field test, on a track.",2220,[224,225,226,229],{"zone":13,"duration_seconds":205,"intensity":206},{"zone":16,"duration_seconds":208,"intensity":209},{"zone":19,"duration_seconds":227,"intensity":228},720,"94",{"zone":13,"duration_seconds":205,"intensity":214},{"intensity_min":231,"intensity_max":232},"90","98",{"slug":234,"sport":4,"category":5,"level":235,"intensity_unit":199,"name":236,"card_summary":237,"duration_seconds":238,"profile":239,"work":282},"running-vameval-test","intermediate","VAMEVAL test (MAS in 1-minute stages)","The pace rises a little every minute until you can't keep up: your last full stage gives your vVO₂max. France's reference running test, with no pacing to manage.",2580,[240,241,242,245,247,250,252,255,257,259,261,262,264,265,268,270,272,274,276,279,281],{"zone":13,"duration_seconds":205,"intensity":206},{"zone":16,"duration_seconds":208,"intensity":209},{"zone":16,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":244},60,"70",{"zone":16,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":246},"73",{"zone":248,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":249},3,"76",{"zone":248,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":251},"79",{"zone":253,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":254},4,"82",{"zone":253,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":256},"85",{"zone":253,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":258},"88",{"zone":253,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":260},"91",{"zone":19,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":228},{"zone":19,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":263},"97",{"zone":19,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":212},{"zone":266,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":267},6,"103",{"zone":266,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":269},"106",{"zone":266,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":271},"109",{"zone":266,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":273},"112",{"zone":266,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":275},"115",{"zone":277,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":278},7,"118",{"zone":277,"duration_seconds":243,"intensity":280},"121",{"zone":13,"duration_seconds":205,"intensity":214},{"intensity_min":249,"intensity_max":280},{"slug":284,"sport":4,"category":5,"level":235,"intensity_unit":199,"name":285,"card_summary":286,"duration_seconds":287,"profile":288,"work":296},"running-friel-30min-test","30-minute threshold test (Friel)","Thirty minutes solo, as fast as you can: your average heart rate over the last 20 minutes gives your threshold heart rate, and your pace, a threshold guide.",3300,[289,290,291,293,295],{"zone":13,"duration_seconds":205,"intensity":206},{"zone":16,"duration_seconds":208,"intensity":209},{"zone":253,"duration_seconds":205,"intensity":292},"89",{"zone":253,"duration_seconds":294,"intensity":292},1200,{"zone":13,"duration_seconds":205,"intensity":214},{"intensity_min":297,"intensity_max":298},"86","92",{"slug":300,"sport":4,"category":5,"level":301,"intensity_unit":199,"name":302,"card_summary":303,"duration_seconds":304,"profile":305,"work":316},"running-critical-speed-3-12min","advanced","Critical speed: 12 min + 3 min","Two all-out efforts on the track, 12 then 3 minutes, with 30 easy minutes between: two distances give your critical speed and your D′ distance reserve.",4200,[306,307,308,309,312,315],{"zone":13,"duration_seconds":205,"intensity":206},{"zone":16,"duration_seconds":208,"intensity":209},{"zone":19,"duration_seconds":227,"intensity":228},{"zone":13,"duration_seconds":310,"intensity":311},1800,"55",{"zone":266,"duration_seconds":313,"intensity":314},180,"107.5",{"zone":13,"duration_seconds":205,"intensity":214},{"intensity_min":231,"intensity_max":273}]