Originally Posted by
Zachanonymous
I think VO2 is more important, especially since I used to be a chronic smoker. But mostly because endurance will be limited to the amount of O2 you can utilize.
You may want to check that assumption. It's true ultimately, VO2max will put an upper bound on aerobic performance, but your sustained aerobic power will be the product of VO2max and what fraction of that you can sustain for a long period. Depending on your current fitness and level of training, it's possible, if not likely, that training the latter will produce greater benefits.