Inside Running - Your VO2 Max Is Your Hidden Engine
Here's Why It Matters:
Most runners focus on mileage. Long runs. Easy pace. And those things matter.
But there's one number that quietly determines your ceiling — and most runners either don't know it or aren't training it.
Your VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise.
It's your engine size.
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Research is clear — it's one of the strongest predictors of both race performance and long-term health.
Stronger than most other fitness markers combined.
Every 1-unit improvement in VO2 max reduces mortality risk by 13–15%. Elites have them in the 70s and 80s. Most club runners sit between 45–60. And here's the part most people miss — it's trainable at any age, with as little as one quality session per week.
When I ran my Easter parkrun last weekend, I felt the absence of this work in real time. Into a headwind at km 3, I reached for a gear that wasn't there. That's what happens when you skip the hard stuff for too long.
One interval session a week. 20 minutes of real effort.
That's where the ceiling starts to move.
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Most watches give you an estimate these days. Garmin, Apple, COROS — they all have one. Pull it up right now and drop your number below 👇
No judgement. No comparison. Just a starting point.
Because here's the thing — once you know the number, you can move it. And once it starts moving, everything else gets faster.
What's your VO2 max score right now? Drop it in the comments.
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Inside Running - Your VO2 Max Is Your Hidden Engine
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