Week 6 XT#1

So I am enjoying a staycation this week, but unfortunately I can't use it to exercise like crazy because I have a race on Sunday. Fun!

Today I went to the gym and took the Rockport Walking Test to estimate my VO2 max. (Inspired by the NOVA Marathon Challenge show. Yes, Matt and I have recently become addicted to PBS online.) I walked a mile in 12'43" and finished with a heart rate somewhere between 76 and 136. Funny, yes? Well I checked the treadmill in the early stages of my walk to make sure the heart rate monitors worked, and it measured 121 and 126. When I finished my walk however, I first registered 76, then 114, then 136 that immediately soared to 150-something. I gave up and headed over to a bike for the rest of my workout and measured a heart rate of around 120. So anyway, I estimated my VO2 max with the highest heart rate, and I am still well above the Superior level for my age and gender. That's good to know. Also I had no idea I could walk a mile that fast! I'm pretty sure it could only be done a treadmill where I mindlessly keep up with the machine. I could never concentrate hard enough on a real walk to keep up that pace...

Anyway, I completed my XT for the day by doing 30 minutes on the bike at 95-100rpm.

Sadly, I also discovered my training log for 2010 - I kept it up until Kaiser, so I have on record the last 4-5 weeks of my training. And now have reinforced my opinion that I can't PR this weekend. I was running 6-10 mile runs last year at paces slightly under 9'45". I rarely hit that fast now. Oh well...