Hi Alex,
That worked, thanks.
We can look at this a couple of ways.
1. The drift between 141 and 148 is 5%, in which case you could take 141 as your AeT.
However, that’s fudging the test and could be overestimating your AeT.
2. Your HR never stablised so we don’t really know what your starting HR is. To get the most accurate result, you want your HR to stabilize for 2 or 3 minutes at the end of the warmup, then maintain that speed and grade for the remainder of the test (as you did).
I would recommend doing the test again, this time maybe targeting 137 or even 140 as your starting HR. But remember, the effort should feel easy. Also don’t hesitate to take a longer warmup. I usually do 20 mins because my body needs that extra time to really get going. Notice how much your HR rose after minute 15.
If you start at a higher HR and get a drift that’s a bit over 5%, then you could estimate your AeT as being a few bpm lower than the starting HR.
Keep us posted.
Jane
TREADMILL HR DRIFT TEST
Set the treadmill to 10 percent and begin hiking slowly. If you are training for flatter runs, set the treadmill to 3 percent and run. (NOTE: If hiking, you may need to use a steeper grade—10+ percent—in order to get your heart rate up sufficiently.)
Gradually build speed over the first 15 minutes until your heart rate stabilizes at what you feel is an easy aerobic effort for 2–3 minutes. (See above for more detail on the desired effort.) If you have a good idea of what your AeT is, then target that heart rate for the beginning of the test. Once you’ve dialed in the speed and grade, do not adjust them again during the test.
Now you are ready to begin the test: Run or hike continuously for 60 minutes at that speed/grade while recording your heart rate.
Upload the data to TrainingPeaks. Since GPS does not work indoors, the pace part of Pa:Hr will not be accurate. That is why it is so important that you hold the pace and grade constant once you start this test on a treadmill.
Open the workout in TrainingPeaks and click the “Analyze” button. You will see a graph of your heart rate, pace, and elevation. To calculate heart rate drift, select the first half of the test in the graph and note your average heart rate in the window to the right of the graph. Then do the same for the second half. Compare the two numbers to determine the percentage rise of your average heart rate.
