There will be days like this ...

[ForbiddenPlanet]

So Saturday my Garmin watch suggested I run 6.25 km in 36 minutes. I really enjoyed that, but on Monday it wanted me to do the same again. I disagreed and did a nice slow 6 km - except it was really dull by comparison.

I was out in new kicks for the first time - as a reward for losing a stone, and to give my knees a rest from the bashing I must be giving them as I can still lose 10 kilos - I bought some "max cushioned" shoes - Nike Vomero 16. As regards them - nothing to report - afterwards I couldn't tell I'd been out for a run - which I suppose is the point of shoes like that.

Today Coach Garmin wanted me to do a Threshold Workout, with 2 by 10 mins @ 6:30, and in between repeat 4 times 6 minutes @ 5:20 and 2 minutes @ 7:40.

Just wasn't up for it. As an October quest I'm trying to sleep 8 hours a night, which I did last night, but it didn't feel like I'd slept well - I think my system is just in the process of adjusting to this new sleep routine.

I was running 5:30s instead of 5:20 and my heart rate was in Zone 2, whereas I was supposed to be pushing into Zone 4. My Garmin was not impressed, and docked me a V02 point and graded my workout as unproductive.

I don't mind - it can't be Christmas every day, and it gives me something to aim for next time - to push my heart rate up into those upper zones!

[Hidden]

I have no idea how these VO2 points work to be honest. It calculates mine as 46 and then tells me my fitness is as a 20 year old !!!!

As I'm 54 and got off the couch in April this year I can only presume there must be lots of 20 year old still on fags, booze and currys 😀

[swissfish Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

My Garmin tells me that my VO2 Max is 35, and I have a fitness age of 60 (my real age is 61)Like you I have no clue how it calculates it, but recently it increased from 34 - I think any increase is good news!

[Hidden in reply to swissfish]

Yes, I guess any improvement should be celebrated although i think mine is definitely masked by blood pressure tablets. But hey, I'm out and about running here and there so yes, if we feel good, we are good 👍

[Ian5K Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Same here and I’d say it needs taking with a big pinch of salt but I don’t think that’s the best thing for our heart. 😆

I found this guy on youtube, Dr. Yo, who has done a few videos explaining Max VO2. I looked into getting it done in a lab test but a) it’s £££££££!!! and b) it needs to be repeated again and again as it never stays the same. So I’ll stick with the guesswork. Here’s Dr. Yo,

youtu.be/Rv6gDdHtuQ0(Not working as expected?)

[Hidden]

...... and if I go in Zone 4 I think I might explode 🤣🤣🤣

[Hidden]

I'm guessing because I take a wheelbarrow load of tablets a day after my heart attack it thinks I'm fitter than I am as my heart rate is so low ??

[ForbiddenPlanet Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Sounds to me like that might be it. Last month I made a point of staying in Zone 2 and my V02 Max was ticking up during the month - started September on 45, and it moved up to 47 during the month.

I might be better sticking with the low heart rate running - I'd planned to do so until Christmas at least - I didn't expect to see such a rapid improvement in my easy pace as happened in September - and I thought trying out the Garmin run suggestions would be fun.

Happy running - in awe of you responding to a serious illness with such fortitude. 👏

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

Sounds like a lot of hard work to me so i’m very impressed

[ForbiddenPlanet Graduate10]

Thanks Sola. I am enjoying it - well mostly! - which I guess is the important thing! 😁

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate in reply to ForbiddenPlanet]

We did a garmin coach plan for 10k, it was 4 times a week, hill repeats which was fun, negative splits which we never managed a long run and a short run, we got to 8k and realised 4 times a wwwk meant twice a week after work and our legs aches so we stopped, took a bit of a break, went back to doing our own thing and one day i just kept going for 10kI wish i could be more like you though and stick to a plan

[ForbiddenPlanet Graduate10 in reply to SueAppleRun]

Well - congrats on getting to the 10K! That's what counts I think. 👏Haven't tried a Garmin race plan yet, though I was thinking that if I get on well with the daily suggested workouts that my watch gives me I might give the HM plan a try. 🤞

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate in reply to ForbiddenPlanet]

HM would be good

[Ian5K Graduate10]

The best sleeps I’ve had have been the night of a late evening yoga class. But, sadly, since lockdown I don’t do those anymore. Now my sleeping pattern is all over the shop. I regularly wake up at 3.30 on the dot and it takes an hour to get back to the land of nod.

But I read a book about sleeping and apparently in ye olden dayes, it was considered normal to have two sleep periods every night and people would wake up and readily get out of bed and do something else for an hour in the middle of the night, and after, go back to bed and sleep again till morning.

Anyway, here’s to having an enjoyable and “productive” run next time out! 😁

[ForbiddenPlanet Graduate10 in reply to Ian5K]

I have been wondering about trying Yoga, as I lack flexibility. Even some of the simple static stretches after a run I found challenging to begin with. The MapMyRun app keeps telling me that if I work on my knee flexibility it will improve my cadence - which is low.

Yeah I remember reading an article about those pre-industrial sleep patterns. In the past I have got up and done some work and then gone back to bed - but found it can be difficult to get to sleep afterwards, as I find an active mind prevents me falling asleep.

Still "unproductive" after today's run - but I will get there! 👍