Originally Posted by
sean.hwy
my garmin 1080+ says 49 for vo2 max but I know in my case that has to be off. I bike about 6k a year but none of it's training hard miles. I know my cardio is not great. I can bike for about an hour or two at 150 to 160 heart rate but I would fall over if ran two blocks.
I can climb/hike stairs for an hour plus without being out of breath but when I hike a 25%+ hill I am sucking wind after about 20 minutes. I can keep going but I am going way slower.
You denigrate yourself unnecessarily. Just look around at other people. Your numbers are probably about right. Sure you could do better, but compared to what? When I was 18, I could run a 3000' plus climb with a brief walk midway where it was a little flatter. I assure you, that was not normal. Ultramarathoners walk the hills. Being one in 20 of your peers is not that great. Keep at it, become one in 10,000. As you get older and keep it up, you'll become ever more deviant. A good gym program has really helped me, especially when I was your age and just starting to get fit again. 6k a year is a LOT. Good for you. If you want to get better at running, you have to run. Work up to 2 miles/day and then do that almost every day. Fix you right up especially if you have some short hills. Short hills are everything if you want to get fit as a runner, 15' hills are great for cycling..