Just got back from a stress test and while I don’t have final results the tech said my V02 max was definitely a bit over 60 with a 169 max HR. Now I took one of these 11 years ago when I was 39 and in pretty comparable shape to what I’m in now and at the time, from what this feeble old brain can remember, I was right at 60 V02M or a bit above with a max HR around 180. Weight wise I’m probably 2-4 lbs heavier now and slower at short distances. Back then I was a pretty consistant mid 11’s 2 miler, mid to high 18’s 5k, 38/39ish 10k, with a mid 1:28 half pr.
Although I’ve recently done a 1:29:47 half and with the extra weight I was carrying I figure if I were back down 5 lbs to 158 that old PR could still be in danger, I suck at short distances these days. My last flat out 5K a couple weeks ago was something like 19:38 and a 5 miler a week or two prior was a bit over 33 flat.
I can understand that maybe stroke volume has increased to allow me to maintain V02M at a lower HR, (yea I realize that V02 is a measure of oxygen exchange per lb of body weight but it seems blood volume has to carry that to the muscles), but shouldn’t I still be able to crank out comparable short distance races if the V02M is essentially the same?
JJ
Training specificity
if you’ve been endurance training you can’t expect to run your best 5ks endurance training as in marathon training or so)
kind of like, if you are 5k training and use that vo2 max or time (mcmillaning or vdoting) to predict your marathon pace, then you go run a marathon, doubtful you’ll come close to the predicted time because you won’t have the miles under your legs, and the long runs
.
Training specificity
if you’ve been endurance training you can’t expect to run your best 5ks endurance training as in marathon training or so)
kind of like, if you are 5k training and use that vo2 max or time (mcmillaning or vdoting) to predict your marathon pace, then you go run a marathon, doubtful you’ll come close to the predicted time because you won’t have the miles under your legs, and the long runs
I used to train faster 10 years ago but it was because I could. I would say PE is about the same and average mileage is about the same. But, in the few short races I’ve done lately, in the end it’s not leg speed that’s holding me back from going faster, it’s breathing, and with my V02M being about the same it wouldn’t seem I should be showing a minute loss at 5K. If the V02 had dropped in the last 10 years I could just suck it up and tell myself, hey you got old, and go on about my business being slower.
JJ
you used to TRAIN faster so you raced faster
simple
how do you know it’s “breathing” holding you back?
you used to TRAIN faster so you raced faster
simple
how do you know it’s “breathing” holding you back?
As pace & effort increase I go through a very specific pattern of breathing changes. When I go from the very fast 2 in/1 out to the 1 in/1 out where I am literally gasping for breath, pace starts to fall off. I can hold pace with the 1/1 for about 1/4 to 1/2 mile at the end of a race and just keep falling deeper in oxygen debt but at some point the body just says no. I race a lot, probably 15-20 or more races a year over the last 20 years and I’m a very good run pacer typically running negative splits so I know how hard I can push my body before blowing up. In any running race 10K or shorter, if the finish line crew doesn’t know me, they are typically trying to haul me off to the medical tent. But I can’t remember the last time I finished a race shorter than 10 miles or so thinking I could have gone faster if my legs would have carried me. Happens a lot 1/2M & further though.
JJ