Mile 1- 7:52 Max HR 148/ avg HR 143
Mile 2- 8:19 Max HR 150/ avg HR 146
I called it after the second mile- a 27" drop off in pace told me what I needed... that I'm very aerobically weak. As expected. This is all part of the process and what I experience every year, but I also experience a quick return to strong aerobic fitness because I won't be running any high intensity sessions for the next couple months. The next test will show if what I'm doing is right.
5 comments:
When is your next one? Is there a general rule or just whenever you feel like testing again?
A 2-3 week hiatus is all it takes to diminish aerobic fitness? (it's a serious question)
Skatona- I'll test every week because I think they are fun, plsu I can handle a test that doesn't improve. I usually have athletes test more infrequently though. Since I am going to be training at HR 140-150 and the test is at 140-150, it could be done as often as you want. I like to test on the track at first then switch to a longer road test when I get fitter.
Andy- I have run 4 times in the last 35 days. I did cross train quite a bit which means my aerobic system probably isn't as bad as the test shows. What the test shows though is a lack of economy in running (the muscles aren't coordinating to move me as efficiently). Neuromuscular and muscular loss of economy is maybe a big factor here. I have quite good biomechanics but since I haven't run in so long my muscles aren't firing in their usual economical way. Part of my I come back so quickly could also be because it only takes a week or two to refresh the economical movement. In swimming, which is very dependent on muscle memory, even a few days out of the water causes a loss in economy. Not fitness though. You can take 5 days off before seeing any drop off in fitness (Vo2 max I think is first affected) but you probably see more of a drop off in 'feel' for running. Your muscles just don't coordinate as well. Does that make sense?
And yes- I think 2-3 weeks off would diminish quite a bit. Particularly for this type of test which is metabolic.
So the next 90 minutes were sub 150, right?
Still, two years later, blown away by how quickly you will get this into sub seven at sub 150. But it works for you. Glad to see you back at it.
G- Long warm-up. Max of 152. As slow as I ran I think it was about 4 miles total for the 1:52 :)
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