So I had my VO2 max endurance test just now.
They get you on an arm powered ‘bike’ with full gas mask and tubes on, yet more electrodes stuck to my chest.
You ‘arm pedal’ and every 2 mins they increase the resistance until you can’t take any more.
Knowing my lungs post injury are rubbish, I prepared myself for failure.
The test has a maximum time of 16 minutes ie with 7 increases in resistance.
No one had finished it. I did ask, that being my first question.
One guy had got to 14 minutes.
I had a scale of effort to nod to, being unable to speak thro the mask.
It went from 6 to 20, six being easy and 20 near death.
It got progressively harder , obviously.
At ten, guaging the increases, I thought that 16 minutes would be possible so I dug in , thinking of the very many times pre injury that I was tired beyond belief but kept going.
I am now the new record holder, having finished the test.
Did it make me feel good about myself?
No, that’s a much bigger challenge.
That is fantastic! I’ve started to let go of thoughts about what I used to be able to do, e.g. swim a mile in 25 mins, and focus on what I can do now and in the future. It is very liberating. It may seem like you have a mountain to climb, but think back to how you were and what you were doing 12 months ago and look at how far you have come since then. Then think about where you might be and what you might be doing in another 12 months. A mountain can only be climbed one step at a time. Keep at it Russ 🙂
That’s awesome Russ, keep it going!