It is hot again. Garmin says it was 20*C during my run, with very little breeze to be had.
I’m a bit annoyed with Garmin. For one, apparently I need 3.5 days to recover; 3.5 days?!!! And for two, my VO2 max score has dropped 2 points to 41 seemingly as a result of just this run!
In the absence of proper race bling that one can hang around one’s neck, stats are my humble equivalent of race swag. To see these stats was like finishing a 5k and receiving a slap instead of a handshake.
I exaggerate, of course... (grrrrr).... and can see clearly that the important thing is I just ran 5k without stopping... (yay!)... then after a minute’s breather, ran another 1k (grrrrr), AND managed to run at a slower pace. Not quite at the recommended 8’, but almost at 7’ per km.
Does running shorter spurts at a faster pace improve VO2 max capacity more than longer slower runs? My aerobic effort seems to remain the same (zone 4) regardless of whether I run at 5’45 or 7’ pace, although of course I can sustain the latter pace for longer. Is the fact that my heart is working just as hard at a slower pace interpreted as lower VO2 max?
I know one option is to forget about stats - but I do like them. Even when I’m annoyed with them, they keep me company and keep me interested. It isn’t very zen, and I wish I could be this Buddha-like creature effortlessly floating along thinking nothing, or thinking something profound, but I’m just not that evolved. Yet!
Thank goodness we have this forum in which we can examine our running navels with like-minded VRBs! Can you imagine if our poor non-running families had to listen to this?!
But let’s get back to the headline news: I can still run 5k nonstop, peeps. In hot weather.
It was an inauspicious start to the run. With firm resolve, I set the alarm last night for 6.30am but unset it at about 3am when sleep was proving sporadic. At 8am I came to, pretty bleary, and it took an hour - an hour! - to go to the loo, make a coffee and get dressed. I think half of that time was swallowed up deciding what to listen to and being shocked at the price of Audible downloads.
Dressed in compression calf sleeves, compression socks, knee brace and shorts, I hit the road with NRC Run with Eliud (Kipchoge). The compression stuff is so darn tight you can barely feel your lower limbs - perfect. And I found myself really enjoying Kipchoge’s talk and the African World music that accompanied it. There were drums and chants, it was upbeat and relaxed at the same time. I didn’t have a clear plan on where I was going other than to try and avoid stiles, gates and cattle grids, in order to better get into a steady rhythm. I ended up looping down the same trails and fields and roads and the distance oozed by semi-comfortably. I kept checking my pace on the Garmin - if left to my own internal devices, I speed up to a pace that I can’t sustain - and a dozen times, reeled myself back in to a nose-breathing pace.
This was pleasing. Recovering whilst running is like being an eco-friendly hybrid car, recharging on the move. As opposed to an old diesel, stalling every now and then. Or a flash Harry sports car, needing a frequent pit stop. Sorry - seriously rambling off-tangent now.
And seriously overheating. My calves are cooking in these sleeves!
Have a good day everyone 🙂
High heart rate whilst running
Parkrun #7 . My first parkrun sub30🤩🤩🤩🤩
Adapting the zones and feeling much better for it 😊
V02 Max seems stuck (Garmin)
Cadence at last! Mixed results. 
