My new Garmin comes with amazing functions that records (in layman’s terms for my benefit);
1. How much I bounce up and down when I run (about 9cm)
2. My steps per minute (about 170)
3. How long each foot touches the pavement (about 226ms)
4. Stride Length (about 1.2m)
I literally have no idea what to do with this information! I am sure I will and it’s useful information to track progress, but right now, I don’t know what to do. What I find most interesting at the moment is the VO2 max and Rave Predictor functions. According to my Garmin, my VO2 max is 52. I have checked and this puts me in the Superior category for my age (smug mode) and in fact I am Excellent for someone in there twenties. Here’s an interesting table.
Male
Age
|
Very
Poor |
Poor
|
Fair
|
Good
|
Excellent
|
Superior
|
13-19
|
<35.0
|
35.0 – 38.3
|
38.4 – 45.1
|
45.2 – 50.9
|
51.0 – 55.9
|
>55.9
|
20-29
|
<33.0
|
33.0 – 36.4
|
36.5 – 42.4
|
42.5 – 46.4
|
46.5 – 52.4
|
>52.4
|
30-39
|
<31.5
|
31.5 – 35.4
|
35.5 – 40.9
|
41.0 – 44.9
|
45.0 – 49.4
|
>49.4
|
40-49
|
<30.2
|
30.2 – 33.5
|
33.6 – 38.9
|
39.0 – 43.7
|
43.8 – 48.0
|
>48.0
|
50-59
|
<26.1
|
26.1 – 30.9
|
31.0 – 35.7
|
35.8 – 40.9
|
41.0 – 45.3
|
>45.3
|
60+
|
<20.5
|
20.5 – 26.0
|
26.1 – 32.2
|
32.3 – 36.4
|
36.5 – 44.2
|
>44.2
|
Female
Age
|
Very
Poor |
Poor
|
Fair
|
Good
|
Excellent
|
Superior
|
13-19
|
<25.0
|
25.0 – 30.9
|
31.0 – 34.9
|
35.0 – 38.9
|
39.0 – 41.9
|
>41.9
|
20-29
|
<23.6
|
23.6 – 28.9
|
29.0 – 32.9
|
33.0 – 36.9
|
37.0 – 41.0
|
>41.0
|
30-39
|
<22.8
|
22.8 – 26.9
|
27.0 – 31.4
|
31.5 – 35.6
|
35.7 – 40.0
|
>40.0
|
40-49
|
<21.0
|
21.0 – 24.4
|
24.5 – 28.9
|
29.0 – 32.8
|
32.9 – 36.9
|
>36.9
|
50-59
|
<20.2
|
20.2 – 22.7
|
22.8 – 26.9
|
27.0 – 31.4
|
31.5 – 35.7
|
>35.7
|
60+
|
<17.5
|
17.5 – 20.1
|
20.2 – 24.4
|
24.5 – 30.2
|
30.3 – 31.4
|
>31.4
|
I read that an elite male runner will have a VO2 max of about 85 and a female about 77. The record VO2 max recorded in a human was cyclist Oskar Svendsen who recorded 97.5. I have no reason to believe that cyclist Oskar’s results were anything other than genuine.
How accurate is the VO2 max on the Garmin? Hard to say. Based on it’s predicted race times for me;
5km – 19:59 (Reality 20:07)
10km – 41:27 (Reality 42:30)
Half Marathon - 1:31:46 (Reality 1:41:31)
Marathon – 3:11:12 (N/A)
I’d say reasonably accurate. Only my half-marathon time is out significantly and I every half-marathon I’ve ran has been a really difficult course. Still, I’d be delighted to run a 1:31 half-marathon. That’s a target for this year then.
So I’m loving the Garmin 620 (thanks Kata). Lots of numbers to look at and lots of talking points if you can find someone who’ll listen. I can see me in future saying things like, “No I didn’t get a PB today, but my average vertical cadence dropped by 5mm”.
