Frost ... and a few thoughts on stats

[Granspeed]

Out sharpish this morning, to find the fields well frosted but not much wind. Ideal conditions once the sun came through those clouds, and I was tempted to ditch the plan and trundle on. But I Have Been Warned by the incomparable Wendy the Chiropractor not to overdo things until her rigorous glute strengthening exercises have had some effect on my niggling arch (🤔😳), so 5K loop. I did enjoy it, too, except for the bit about wet feet from the long grass half way round. If there’s frost, surely my feet should stay dry? Oh wait, the sun came out....

And then there were stats. Mr Garmin liked me this morning. I was gasping a bit - too fast too early (🐢 fast, that is...) and a week off on Dartmoor, so I was not surprised and trundled slowly on. But the watch says a PB for 5K. Hmmm. Guess I am really not a good judge of pace as I go. And at least this time the watch recognised a bit of effort - it declared I had “improved my aerobic fitness”. That’s a first. All other runs the best I got was “maintained” and sometimes I’m pretty sure I can hear sneering in the background. 🤣

And then, oh excitement, I discovered the elusive VO2 Max, which I’ve seen mentioned on here, usually in a context of “Don’t take this too seriously as it’s not very accurate.” But how could I not believe when it said I was in the top 15% for my age group? Of course it MUST be true. 🤣🤣 I suppose there is a little matter of the age weighting being rather on my side here... Those folks who blast past me with their pony tails flying are probably at least 40 years my junior. But still, I admire an algorithm that has something for everyone as long as you search diligently enough. And it must prove that adage about slow running builds fitness. I am slow, for sure, and here I am being congratulated on my fitness, at least in context of my age group. 😄

Happy running everybody. And don’t let those stats get you down!

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

Lovely pic.... and it’s quite fun chewing over the stats, a good feeling to get that feedback from Garmin too....

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

Well done GS, that sounds like a winning run to me! How gorgeous, and a bonus PB to boot. Nothing wrong with that. 👏👏👏

You were on Dartmoor? My favourite place on the planet, really. ❤️❤️❤️

[Granspeed Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Oh yes, we love Dartmoor. Had every weather - sun, rain, snow, sun... 😄 We stayed at Haytor Vale - brisk walk almost straight up gets you on to the moor. Good for the calf muscles!

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10 in reply to Granspeed]

My dad was brought up in Postbridge and his tales of life on the Moor used to fascinate me. We love going back to visit whenever we can. ❤️

[Grannyhugs Graduate10]

Fantastic effort and well done on new PB those you don't try for but get anyway are the best.

[Granspeed Graduate10 in reply to Grannyhugs]

This wasn’t by much, but I was surprised. Still deeply a tortoise though! 🐢👍

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10]

Ah, sounds like you enjoyed that one Granspeed... and those stats are an absolute bonus! You did well! 💪👌😊xxx

[Granspeed Graduate10 in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

Thanks. I’m pleased the foot held up, at least so far. Still trying to get a grip on what the watch does! 🤔🙃

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

What a lovely place to run i love the photo and great your stats

[SaskAlliecat Graduate10]

Such a pretty picture! Congrats on a great run and some exciting stats!

[Granspeed Graduate10 in reply to SaskAlliecat]

I reckon the sun helps any run. 🌞 The stats are a curiosity for me but a bit of fun to explore. Mostly I just run. 😊

[Olivia78]

Woohoo, well done! I’ve just checked and my garmin says I’m in the top 20% for my age on VO2 max, and that of an excellent 20-year-old, which isn’t bad as I’m 41. I agree with you, it’s definitely highly accurate 😂

[Granspeed Graduate10 in reply to Olivia78]

👍🤣🎉