VDOT TEST ON TREADMILL?
what do people think about doing the vdot test on a treadmill? is it generally considered accurate? faster? slower?
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what do people think about doing the vdot test on a treadmill? is it generally considered accurate? faster? slower?
Comments
I do mine on TM; consistency...... test under consistent conditions. If you test on a TM then do subsequent tests on the TM and vice versus if one tests outdoors. On the TM though, my incline is always set at 1.5% to more accurately simulate outdoor running.
Accuracy: try to use the same machine if at all possible. There will still be some drift from day to day in its speed, but probably less than hopping from machine to machine over time. I did the OS last year on a TM; this year I'm doing it outside. I am "slower" outside, but as David and Bill said, consistency, not the actual speed, is what's critical in the OS - test your VDOT on the course or machine you intend to use in training, and then train to those numbers per the workouts.
again thanks!
excellent Al! thanks for the words of wisdom. I think I will do one on a TM this week to set the bar...
again thanks!
excellent David! thanks for the words of wisdom. I think I will do one on a TM this week to set the bar...
again thanks!
excellent William ! thanks for the words of wisdom. I think I will do one on a TM this week to set the bar...
again thanks!
Did my very first run test on the mill this past week due to weather. But now, I think I will keep doing it on the mill just for consistency of testing conditions.
So when testing on the TM, what's the strategy? Do you start with a goal speed and just stick it out, adjust regularly, only adjust up or down, etc? I'll be doing this tomorrow as well and looking for tips.
I set mine in "go high or go home" mode. I have a goal pace in mind and that is what I put in the mill...run hard and hang on for dear life...if you make it, you earned it, if you burn out, try and salvage the best time you can. I am a newbie myself, so this may not be the best way, it is just the only way I know how
I can see benefit of regularly adjusting speed up down a tick based on how things are going during a test. I've never tried it that way, but may give it a shot sometime. For myself, I start with a goal speed and stick it out. This takes a good swag on one's part since you don't want the speed to be too low with the feeling you left much on the table nor too fast in that you cannot finish the test at that speed. I've never guess too fast of a speed. At times, if I felt I could have gone a little harder, I will compenate for that on subsequent run interval workouts by setting speed .10 faster than otherwise would have been. I have not had problem so far, but certainly my way does have some risks of over under speed work. However, all my workouts are at 1.5% incline to better simulate outdoor running. I know some peeps do 2%.
I just did my run test on the treadmill - for the first time. With the incline @ 1.5, I started at Zone 4 pace (8.8 mph) and moved to 9 mph by the end of the first mile. I finished at 9.3 mph and could have gone harder. Time 20:08 - so close to breaking 20 min! Next time - I use the "go hard or go home" method.
My problem is that I tested outdoors for the first two, but the weather is looking awful for Wednesday so I don't know what I should do. If there isn't snow covering the course I will do it outside. I really want the definitive data point of the same course each time.
This is EXACTLY (including the time) the way I do it. The trick is finding the right speed to use as your main speed. I strongly recommend starting a tick or two below that speed for the first 2-4 minutes, and then picking a distance to reassess and consider raising one notch at a time. With a half mile to go, then you can start spending all your cash. Negative splitting (or at least even splitting) is proven to be faster than going all out from the git go in time trial or race efforts of this length time or longer.
I cover the TIME display with a Post-It®, and also cover the speed display after I get going, to fool myself into just watching the distance and not be led astray by pre-conceived notions of how fast or slow I should go. By the time I get into mile 2, I'm O2 deprived enough to not be able to figure out what speed I'm at anymore.
Also, I use an HR capable machine to help me both push myself and stay within my limits (between 154 and 157 until the last minute).
Thx Al. Good to know that I can deduce a protocol that matches a WSM's experience! I just might be getting the hang of this work-test-work some more stuff.