Since I started tracking my life with my Garmin 235, my VO2 max has been 33 and not shifted. All of my running seems to have been flat out, always showing my heart rate in zone 5, with heart rate regularly between 180 and 190 whilst running. Last week I was reading about heart rate zones and I can’t say I really understand it but I adjusted the heart rate zones on my watch to reflect that my heart rate seems to be significantly higher than the 220 minus my age estimate.
Since then my runs have also been a little slower and easier than before, and because of the adjustment my heart rate is sitting nicely in zone 4 for a change. Now, suddenly my VO2 max is rising...... Not sure whether it is the heart rate zone adjustment, the taking it a little easier, or a combination of the two, but it is pleasing to see some sort of progress.
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E27M14
Graduate10
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I've recently started using heartrate training via polar and it has just used the age thing to estimate my highest heartrate. I've left it for the moment but boy oh boy is it hard to run in zone 2 at first! Apparently the fitter I become the easier it is to run at a slower pace! I'm doing endurance training so slightly different to what you are aiming for I guess but overall similar ideas. It is addictive looking at data!
Well done, yours is heading in the right direction. Mine’s going into reverse. I reached the dizzy height of 51 last November but since then I’ve been sliding backwards. I think I was overtraining and it is my body telling me to back off. So for the past 18 runs I’ve been following the MAF plan and focusing on improving my aerobic base and reducing stress. The jury is still out on whether it’s helping, but my VO2 max has remained stationary now since I started, so I guess it’s helping. Tbh. I don’t really care, I’m running more for pleasure and less for breaking my body up these days. And I’m not even sure how accurate these numbers are anyway. I’ll report back.
I don't really understand it either.... I have the garmin235 too. how did you adjust the heart rate? mines been rising a little and at 41, but I've not set anything, so maybe wrong!
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week3run1 ✅. 3 x 17 mins with 1 min walks. 
How did your parkrun or (not)parkrun go?
