As a general proposition “VO2 Max” ought not to play a particular role in anyone’s happiness. \u00a0But it does for me.<\/p>\n
Establishing a VO2 Max<\/a> has been on my list of things to do for a couple of weeks. \u00a0It’s not complicated: row 2000m as fast as you can and plug in the numbers<\/a>. \u00a0There are other ways to establish a VO2 Max<\/a>; for professionals a lab test<\/a> would be the best bet. \u00a0But for my purposes a simple approximation would do just fine.<\/p>\n The idea behind getting a VO2 Max established is to measure progress. \u00a0It’s a straightforward way to measure\u00a0cardiovascular fitness. \u00a0So keep it simple, right? Just get on a rower and go for it. \u00a0Which I did. \u00a0But leading up to it — for a couple of days — I was worried. \u00a0As in suffering angst. \u00a0As in having an attachment to an outcome and being unhappy about something that had not even\u00a0occurred.<\/p>\n Anyway I set aside some time today and did the row. \u00a0I assumed I would come in above eight minutes, but I wanted to come in as close to eight as possible. \u00a0Why? Because I had plugged numbers into the calculator and had a pre-conceived\u00a0notion of where I wanted to be. \u00a0Not very indicative of Dharma-mind. \u00a0Nope.<\/p>\n But I did the row and I came in at 8:47, which I was happy with. \u00a0That\u00a0calculates\u00a0out to be 43.67 for someone my size and level of training. \u00a0For my age, it’s considered\u00a0excellent. The VO2 max for the average male on a college track team is 48-53<\/a>. \u00a0I happen to think I’ve got a lot of upside in me, so I’m expecting to get a little closer to high forties.<\/p>\n I am however concerned about the emotional\u00a0attachment\u00a0to the outcome. \u00a0Lots of inner work yet to be done.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n