Running Economy: The Most Trainable Driver of Endurance

What is running economy?

Running economy is the amount of oxygen you burn to hold a given pace, usually expressed in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per kilometre (ml/kg/km). The lower that number, the more economical you are. Two runners can have the exact same VO2max and still finish minutes apart, and running economy is a big reason why.

Think of it like fuel efficiency in a car. Same engine size, very different miles per gallon. One runner glides at 4:30 per kilometre while barely breathing, another grinds at the same pace and looks like they're about to fall over. The engine (VO2max) might be identical. The economy isn't.

Here's the thing most people miss: of the three big endurance levers, running economy is the one you can keep improving for years. At TrainingZones.io we treat it as the quiet workhorse of distance performance, the factor that separates good runners from great ones once VO2max plateaus.

How is running economy measured?

Running economy is measured by recording how much oxygen you consume while running at a steady submaximal pace, typically in a lab with a metabolic cart and a mask. The result is your oxygen cost, in ml/kg/km, at that speed.

In a proper test you run on a treadmill at a fixed, comfortable pace (well below max) for a few minutes until your oxygen uptake stabilises. The technician reads the steady-state VO2, divides by your speed, and you get a single number. Lower is better.

Most of us will never see a metabolic cart, and that's fine. You can track economy indirectly:

• Heart rate at a fixed pace. If your heart rate at 5:00/km drops over a training block, your economy is improving.
• Pace at a fixed heart rate. Same idea, flipped. Faster at the same effort means a more efficient engine.
• Perceived effort. Rougher, but real. If a pace that used to feel hard now feels easy, something improved, and economy is usually part of it.

To turn that into structured training, work out your paces first. Our running pace calculator and your aerobic training zones give you the fixed reference points you need to spot economy gains over time.

Running economy vs VO2max vs lactate threshold

The three pillars of endurance performance are VO2max, lactate threshold, and running economy. VO2max is your ceiling, lactate threshold is how much of that ceiling you can hold, and running economy is how little oxygen you waste getting there.

• VO2max sets the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use. It responds to training but tends to plateau after a year or two of consistent work.
• Lactate threshold is the percentage of that ceiling you can sustain before fatigue piles up. Highly trainable.
• Running economy is the oxygen cost at a given pace. The most trainable of the three, and the one elites keep refining into their thirties.

This matters in practice. Once your VO2max stops climbing, economy is where the next chunk of performance hides. According to Saunders and colleagues (2004), a 5% improvement in running economy can boost distance performance by roughly the same amount as a 5% jump in VO2max, and economy is far easier to keep moving.

If you want to know your ceiling first, estimate it with our VMA calculator, then come back here and start chipping away at the economy side.

What is a good running economy?

A good running economy for a trained recreational runner sits roughly around 200 to 220 ml/kg/km, while elite distance runners often drop below 190 ml/kg/km at race pace. Lower values mean less oxygen burned to cover the same ground.

A few caveats, because the number alone lies if you don't read it carefully. Body weight, running speed, the surface, even the shoes all shift the value. Comparing your lab number to an elite's only works if the test conditions match, which they almost never do. So don't obsess over hitting some magic figure. Track your own trend instead. At TrainingZones.io we always tell runners the same thing: your economy three months ago is the only benchmark that actually matters.

How to improve running economy

You improve running economy mainly through strength work, plyometrics, consistent mileage, and smart pacing, all of which make your stride stiffer, springier, and less wasteful. Here are six proven methods, ordered roughly by impact:

1. Heavy strength training. Two to three sessions a week of heavy lower-body lifts (squats, deadlifts, calf raises) increase tendon stiffness and neuromuscular efficiency. Barnes and Kilding (2015) found this is one of the most reliable ways to improve economy without adding bulk.
2. Plyometrics. Box jumps, bounding, hops. Six to eight weeks of plyo, two or three times a week, has been shown to improve economy by 2 to 8% in trained runners by teaching your legs to store and return elastic energy.
3. Build consistent mileage. There's no shortcut here. Years of steady aerobic running quietly rewires your muscles to use oxygen better. Most economy gains come from just running a lot, for a long time.
4. High-intensity intervals. Short, hard reps (think uphill 30s repeats or VO2max intervals) sharpen neuromuscular recruitment. One study found six weeks of uphill intervals made runners about 2% faster over 5k.
5. Work on cadence and form. A slightly quicker turnover often reduces overstriding and braking forces. Don't force a dramatic change overnight, your legs need time to adapt, but nudging cadence up by a few steps per minute can pay off.
6. Run relaxed. Tension wastes oxygen. Loose shoulders, relaxed hands, smooth breathing. It sounds soft, but staying relaxed at pace genuinely lowers your oxygen cost.

Key takeaway: economy gains are slow and cumulative. There's no six-week miracle (except shoes, more on that next). Stack these methods over months and the difference is real.

Do carbon-plate shoes really improve running economy?

Yes, carbon-plate racing shoes improve running economy by about 4% on average, according to Hoogkamer and colleagues (2018), though the effect varies a lot from runner to runner. The stiff plate and resilient foam reduce the energy you lose with each footstrike.

That 4% is the single fastest way to improve economy, and it's why these shoes took over racing. But "on average" is doing heavy lifting in that sentence. Some runners get 6%, some get almost nothing, and a few actually run worse in them. The only way to know is to test them at your race pace.

Our pick: the Nike Vaporfly is the shoe that started the super-shoe era and remains the benchmark for marathon and half-marathon racing. Test it well before race day, not on the start line.

A fair warning though: shoes give you a one-time bump, not a training adaptation. Lean on them for races, but build your real economy with the work in the section above.

How long does it take to improve running economy?

Meaningful running economy gains usually take months to years of consistent training, not weeks. Shoes aside, there's no fast track. Your tendons, muscles, and nervous system adapt slowly.

In practice, you might see small changes from a strength and plyometric block in 6 to 8 weeks. The big improvements, the kind that drop your oxygen cost by 5% or more, come from years of steady work. That's frustrating if you want instant results, but it's also good news: economy keeps improving long after your VO2max has flattened out. It's the gift that keeps giving for patient runners.

Frequently Asked Questions About Running Economy

What is running economy in simple terms?

Running economy is how much oxygen you use to run at a given pace. A runner with good economy burns less oxygen at the same speed, so they can run faster or longer before tiring. It's basically fuel efficiency for runners.

How do I calculate my running economy?

In a lab, running economy is your steady-state oxygen uptake divided by your running speed, expressed in ml/kg/km. Without a lab, track it indirectly by watching your heart rate at a fixed pace over time, or your pace at a fixed heart rate.

What is a good running economy value?

Trained recreational runners typically sit around 200 to 220 ml/kg/km, while elite distance runners often drop below 190 ml/kg/km. Lower is better, but conditions vary so much that your own trend matters more than any single number.

Is running economy more important than VO2max?

Both matter, but running economy is the most trainable of the three endurance pillars. Once your VO2max plateaus, economy is usually where the next performance gains come from, which is why elite runners keep improving for years.

Can you improve running economy without speed work?

Yes. Heavy strength training, plyometrics, and consistent aerobic mileage all improve economy without much fast running. Speed work helps too, but the biggest reliable gains often come from the gym and steady volume.

Do carbon-plate shoes actually work?

On average, carbon-plate racing shoes improve running economy by about 4% (Hoogkamer et al., 2018), but the effect is highly individual. Some runners gain more, some gain nothing. Test them at race pace before relying on them.

References

• Saunders, P. U., Pyne, D. B., Telford, R. D., & Hawley, J. A. (2004). Factors affecting running economy in trained distance runners. Sports Medicine, 34(7):465-485.
• Barnes, K. R., & Kilding, A. E. (2015). Strategies to improve running economy. Sports Medicine, 45(1):37-56.
• Hoogkamer, W., et al. (2018). A comparison of the energetic cost of running in marathon racing shoes. Sports Medicine, 48(4):1009-1019.