MAF Test #3 (Hint: It wasn't good)

Quick note:  After I posted about my treadmill run on Wednesday, I went back and reviewed my running schedule...doh!  I was supposed to have run 6 miles on Wednesday after all!  So I didn't really add any extra miles to the week, which is OK.  I just decided to forgo the extra 3 miles and leave my total mileage at 33 for the week.

The past couple of days have not been great from a running perspective.  I had a busy afternoon on Friday, so despite the nice(r) conditions outside, I wasn't able to get out before dark.  So I had to suck it up and go to the gym for a treadmill run.

Not the actual treadmill I ran on, but you get the idea (1)

For some reason, I was just "off" that evening.  My run from Wednesday at the gym was so good, I was feeling confident in my running abilities and started out my first mile at 6 mph.  Within a quarter mile, my heart rate had soared and I had to bump the speed down to 5.5 mph.  Another quarter of a mile later, I had to bump the speed down again to 5.3.  Then 5.0.  Then 4.9.  This pattern continued until I was "running" at 4.7 and it felt like a struggle.  What was going on?!?

I finished the 4 miles, but I was frustrated.  I had done so well on Wednesday, I was confident my MAF test this weekend would reflect all the miles (and patience) I've put in over the past several weeks.  But after my slow performance, I wasn't sure what the test would show.

Fast forward a day to Saturday.  I had planned to run 10 miles and I wanted to do it outside.  Even though things melted quite a bit on Friday, I was hoping for clearer roads, so I decided to switch Saturday and Sunday workouts.  That meant that Saturday would be my next MAF test instead of Sunday.

More of this, please! (2)

As you can tell from the title of this post, the test didn't go as I had hoped.  To control variables, I performed the test at my gym, wearing the same outfit (tank top, shorts, compression sleeves on my legs) and ran around the same time of the day.  After fighting lots of cars out and about, I arrived at the gym and hopped on an end treadmill (I like being next to only one other person).  I was surprised that this treadmill was available as the gym was way more crowded than I had expected on a Saturday morning!

Right from the start, I had a feeling this was going to be another bad run.  In a previous post, I mentioned how I'm performing my MAF tests: one mile warm-up @ 125 bpm (MAF HR- 20), three miles @ 145 bpm (MAF HR), and one mile cool-down @ 125 bpm (MAF HR-20).  I started my warm up around 4.5 mph and my heart rate seemed to climb to 125 right away.  This wasn't a good sign.  So I bumped the speed down a little more and tried to keep my heart rate under control for the first mile.

When it came time to get the actual test miles, I bumped my speed up to 5.5 mph, but again, noticed my heart rate was climbing very fast.  As I was running, I did notice a few things that I thought were affecting my heart rate.  Despite being on an end treadmill and only wearing a tank top and shorts, I was sweating.  This isn't normal for me - usually it takes me a good mile or two before I even start breaking a sweat.  I know from experience that when I get warm, my heart rate elevates pretty quickly.  I was getting frustrated from being so warm and going so slow.

My running partner at the gym (3)

So I did something that I almost never do - after my first test mile, I hopped off my end treadmill and headed to a different machine in another row, closer to the window.  I thought perhaps being closer to the cold air, the temperature would be more tolerable.  I was right; after I moved, my new spot was noticeably cooler.  From my new location, I noticed that the end treadmill was right under a heating vent!  This definitely explained why I was feeling so warm.

I slogged through (no better word to describe how I was feeling) my remaining test miles and cool down.  By the end of the run I was feeling defeated.  I thought I had made so much progress and this test seemed to prove that I hadn't.  I started to wonder whether or not it was even worth continuing this training plan and whether or not I was actually losing fitness rather than gaining it.

During my post-run stretching, I reflected on some of the factors that I think contributed to my poor performance.  I knew I hadn't slept well the night before, I felt a little dehydrated, and the gym was very crowded and warm.  I don't want to make excuses for myself, but I do feel like these contributed to how I performed.  So instead of dwelling on my run, I decided to just let it go, record the data as it stands, and try again next week.

When I got home, I crunched the numbers from my mile splits.  Without further ado, here are my test results:

Test	Date	Mile 1	Mile 2	Mile 3
1	12/20/15	11:50	12:40	13:13
2	01/03/16	10:28	11:15	11:42
3	01/31/16	11:39	12:03	12:16

You'll notice that while my test #3 miles were slower than my test #2 miles, they were still faster than  my test #1 miles.  So I guess I'm making progress.  I just need to remember that I need to be patient.  Everything I've read on this topic indicates that progress is really made over months - not weeks.  So rather than throwing in the towel, I'm going to keep going to see if I improve.  I'm still going to re-test next weekend because I want to see if I can control the variables better.  But ultimately, I know that only time will tell whether or not this method of training works for me.
1. Treadmill, by Jennifer C, CC BY 2. Melting by Michael Pereckas, CC BY 3. Magnificent CME Erupts on the Sun - August 31, by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, CC BY