Vital capacity -- VO2max 8 mi w/ 5 x 600m @ 5K pace

Today's training: VO2max 8 mi w/ 4 x 0.4 miles @ 5K pace, 3-mile neighborhood loop + elem school track, 1:15:19 (9:24 min/mi), avg 152 bpm

I did the neighborhood loop and on to the elementary school track, which is 0.1 miles. .4 miles is about 640m so I did that instead of the 600m called for on the schedule. I lost count and did 4 instead of five intervals. Argh. Here's the graph The splits (each lap = 0.1 miles) and average heart rates are:

• 43.2 (167), 1:27.9 (2 laps, 175), 43.7 (177)
• 42.1 (171), 43.0 (178), 42.5 (181), 43.0 (181)
• 41.0 (173), 42.5 (180), 43.2 (180), 42.7 (180)
• 42.8 (165), 43.1 (174), 42.9 (179), 42.5 (181)

The paces for these intervals were 7:17 min/mi, 7:07, 7:02, and 7:07. It seems to match the watch pretty well. From the graph it looks like the suunto recorded the paces as between 8.2 mph (7:19 min/mi) and 8.4 (7:08 min/mi). Pretty close!

When I did the 41 second lap, I noticed that I instinctively did something I did during the last mile of the 10K when I was going all out. I naturally held my arms a little lower, swung them farther away from my body, and held my hands more open. Has my brain/body somehow decided this is more economical?

Vital capacity. One of the personal parameters that can be set in STram is "vital capacity" which is basically the volume of air your lungs can hold. I'm not sure what the benefit of setting this parameter is, but I had a breathing test recently, so I had a chance to find my vital capacity. I had the breathing test because of bronchitis. In the follow-up visit, after the bronchitis had cleared, my "forced vital capacity" was 4.68 liters. I've used that for "vital capacity" in STram, but honestly can't tell you how the program uses vital capacity (except that it probably scales ventilation) or how it defines vital capacity ("slow" or "forced" or something else) or what I will do differently now that I know this piece of information. Anyway, there it is: 4.68 liters.