OK...this is a big one. We are going to be establishing a baseline in aerobic power output. As you know, we're in the Power Block, and power has both an anaerobic (explosive) and aerobic (stamina) component.
Research supports a 5-10 minute effort in locomotion as a standard in aerobic power or VO2max. We're going to be using the 1-mile time trial on the track as our pre-test this week. I want to give you a few pointers for that experience.
You'll go through the standard warmup procedure at your track facility. Then you'll be ready to approach the mile. The tracks are 400 meters (one lap) and so 4 laps is 1600 meters. A mile is 1609 meters. The official method for running the mile in competition is to move the start back 9 meters, and some tracks even have a curved start line there. However, in our world, I like to have you take 9 long paces forward from the start/finish line and place a marker such as a cone, hat, or water bottle there. In that way, you can use the 400m marks for accurate pacing, and then charge the final few strides at the end.
Since this is a pretest, you don't have to be perfect in your pacing. I fact, that would be very difficult. Just start out a little conservatively in the first lap, build in the second, maintain in the third, and press in the fourth. Record your time for the full mile and we'll be using this for not only comparison in a post test but also for pacing calculations in some workouts.
If you have some questions, hit me up in Member Submissions...or just ping in to share your result. Running a strong mile is quite a challenge.
And, if running is not appropriate for you, we can also talk about using the bike, pool, or rower. Just contact me.