I did my first 3,000 meter test with CSU at the Emerson Track tonight. The test is comprised of 7 1/2 laps around the 400m track. You run it as fast as you can, as steady as you can. As such, you end up running on the razor’s edge of your aerobic and anaerobic capacity. It’s short enough that you need the lactic acid tolerance and long enough that you need solid aerobic conditioning.
I made a poor job of it. I lost track of the lap count. I screwed up my split times. I wasn’t committed to going all out. I was able to pace myself off two of the faster guys. I ran the first mile in about 5:17, as fast as I’ve ever run one. Then I started to feel weak hanging out in the red zone. It wasn’t physical. I was keeping a good pace. I had something left in the tank. The thought of running 3 1/2 more laps in that zone crushed me. But I pushed through it and finished strong, on the edge of heaving, my legs and lungs burning.
I ran most of the distance at 178 bpm. My max is around 181. Maybe there’s some headroom there. I couldn’t convince myself to find it this time.
Stats:
Elapsed Time: 10:09
Average HR: 175
Max HR: 180
