I love to use numbers to follow my training, so I've been looking for some measure of my VO2 max, etc. The recent discussion on AP all suggested tough workouts such as running up and down a hill as fast as you can--I'm too lazy for that. Then I found the perfect test for me:
Rockport walking test.
I went to the local HS track, only to find it closed for repairs. Mike came up with a solution, and found a relatively flat route through the neighborhood and HS buildings, using Google pedometer. So off I went.
It's actually hard to walk fast, because you're tempted to run. Also, I wasn't sure how to pace myself. And it was hot. My time was 13:43 with a final HR of 150. This calculates out to a VO2 max of 38.6. Not bad for an average 40 something female, but definitely not in the athlete range yet. It will be fun to try this test every once in a while to asses my training.
Many years ago (18 in fact) when I was poor graduate student, I volunteered for human studies to supplement my income. One time, I served as an "unfit control" for a series of fitness measures. I did a treadmill test then, and my measured VO2 max was 36.7.