This morning I decided I'd do a recovery run. It was warm and sunny and we set off slowly once we reached the fields five minutes away from the house.
About 10 minutes into the run I realised that when husband and I were chatting there was no effort attached, lightbulb moment, this is the conversational pace we aspire to. Had a look at my heart rate, way lower than usual too.
We usually run 5 km but took a shorter route today. As we passed 3.5 km we were nearly home so rather than continue I stopped at 3.62 km. Not far but enough.
When I checked the stats the splits were negative (OK I know there weren't very many of them) and my VO2 is in the the blue, the top 15% for my age and gender so that nice Mr Garmin has now knocked 20 years off my age.
No wonder I'm smiling
Written by
Yesletsgo
Administrator
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
You'll get back to where you want to be SueAppleRun , this is the first time I've been there for more than a day!! It seems to be a matter of gaming the system and doing the runs the VO2 calculator likes
Yes,I seem to remember running daily for 20 minutes each day and V02max going up and up, haven’t the energy at the moment, but it’s ok as long as i can get out, a while ago there was too much pain to even contemplate running so I’m really happy with what i can do
I really hope your pain eases soon, you have worked so hard it seems so sad you're suffering like this. At least you now seem to be able to get out and about a bit, here's hoping you're on the road to a full recovery
A very enjoyable run by the sound of it, uplifting 👏Sorry to be thick but how would I measure my VO2? I've not come across this before being relatively new to running.
Personally I'm cynical about V02Max scores as reported by Garmin, since the algorithm essentially rewards short fast runs and penalises longer, slower ones. So a couple of flat, boring 5k runs boosted my score, whereas a hilly half-marathon reduced it.
You're welcome. The other thing to be aware of is that the raw number doesn't tell you much, as age and sex need to be taken into account too. Garmin's coloured-coded results indicate the range you're in.
Woo hoo! Better than it telling you you're 108 Personally I take these stats with a pinch of salt. My VO2 varies from run to run and is normally green. I take it as an indication I'm on the right track rather than it being the key to eternal youth.
I'm 61, and Garmin thinks I'm also in the top 5% , fitness age 20. That's delusional, and in any case will almost certainly be increased next time I do one of my preferredlonger, slower, properly hilly trails. But I'm not going to stop doing those just to please an algorithm!
For me it's the same idea as horoscopes (though maybe slightly more scientific). If my horoscope says 'Aries, today you will take on the world and win' I'll go with it. If it's 'the moon is in retrograde and Pluto is exerting a malign influence' it's mumbo jumbo.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Find Your Pace – Hmm… I think (for any U2 fans) I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For 🤔
60 minutes
speed training: I went faster than I thought I could!! 
