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VDOT Test

danjohnstondanjohnston
in General Training Discussions

 I am in week 17 of my IM plan in prep for Louisville. This morning I did the prescribed 3.1 mile VDOT test. My legs felt heavy and SLuggish from the very beginning. By mile two I knew I would not be able to hold desired pace. Mile 3 was ugly as I faded big time. I come from a running background and can almost always dig down and hit my paces but not today. Is this reason for concern?  How have others fared on your week 17 VDOT tests?  Thanks!

Comments

  • Keith WickKeith Wick
    If you are in week 17 you are probably carrying a lot of fatigue in your legs. It's not unusual for tests to go south at this point in the plan. If you've felt good in your training runs and feel the paces are good, then go with what you've been doing. You can always pick a better day and retest as well. The other thing that maybe impacting your testing is how much work you've been putting in since the heat has started. I think you have 1 race rehearsal left, so see how that feels with your run pacing.
  • Peter GreaggPeter Greagg
    x2 what Keith said.
    By week 17 in an IM build, I couldn't even hit my Z4 bike intervals through fatigue.
  • ezellrhezellrh
    Dan, this close to the Ville (and CDA two months ago), I ignore any testing assignments. By this stage in the game, I figure I know what feels right/good/hard/easy for both run and bike pacing. Two outcomes of a test this close to race day would either 1. Cause a loss of confidence because I under-performed (bad test), probably due to fatigue. 2. Make me over-estimate my ability due to a "great" test and could influence me to change my plan (pace faster than I've trained for). Neither one would serve me well on game day. I wouldn't read too much into the test, you most likely have a good deal of fatigue if you have been doing the workouts and will recover/peak during the taper. See you in the Ville!
  • cgres123cgres123
    Week 17 your tired.
  • kimmydctkimmydct
    I typically don't test if I don't think I'll see an increase for the exact reason Roy mentioned... A shot to your confidence. You can turn the run test into 3 x 1mi @ Z4 and jsut do the bike as 2 x 20'. If you happen to feel strong from the beginning, go for the test, but otherwise, just another WKO. Don't need doubts a few weeks til race day and adjusting paces in Week 17 probably wouldn't have a positive impact.
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