The Week I Stopped Guessing: My VO₂ Baseline, My Zones, and a Very Nervous Fitbit

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A busy week… and a smarter kind of progress

This week felt overwhelming—because it was.

A lot of in-house work during the day, then evenings (Wednesday through Saturday) spent pushing my website forward so it can become a credible home base for everything I’m building with Wellness by Michael Tomasini.

But despite the workload, this turned into one of the most valuable weeks I’ve captured so far—because I finally locked in a measured baseline.

I completed a Spoorth performance diagnostic (VO₂ testing), made the results public, and then backed it up immediately with a Saturday run where the goal wasn’t speed.

It was obedience.

Stay in the low-heart-rate range the test prescribed.

As a bonus, my Fitbit tried to turn the run into a suspense movie.

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The baseline: VO₂max, thresholds, and the end of vibes-based training

I’m making these numbers public because they’re useful—and because they create accountability.

No hype.

No miracle narrative.

Just a starting point.

From the Spoorth report:

• VO₂max (relative): 50 ml/min/kg (rated excellent in the report)
• VO₂peak (absolute): 3.76 L/min
• VT1 (aerobic threshold): 147 bpm
  • Pace: 5:19 /km
  • Speed: 11.3 km/h
• VT2 (anaerobic threshold): 168 bpm
  • Pace: 3:54 /km
  • Speed: 15.4 km/h
• Max HR recorded: 171 bpm

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My training zones (public version)

Spoorth lays out zones using a simple A/B/C model based on VT1 and VT2:

• Zone A (easy / aerobic): <147 bpm
• Zone B (moderate): 147–168 bpm
• Zone C (high intensity): >168 bpm

They also note that targets can shift slightly by activity (for example, walking may sit ~5 bpm lower).

This is the part that’s both comforting and annoying: a large portion of what I need right now lives in Zone A.

That’s the boring aerobic work zone.

It doesn’t feel heroic.

It does build the engine.

The easy-run rule (this block’s anchor)

This block isn’t about hero workouts.

It’s about staying under VT1 long enough for the aerobic system to do what it does best: adapt.

Insert Image 3 (Easy Run Rule)

File: WbMT_W04_Easy_Run_Rule.png

Caption: This block isn’t about speed. It’s about staying under VT1—consistently.

Alt text: Easy run rule card showing Zone A target under 147 bpm based on VT1.

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Saturday’s run: the first obedience rep (with real numbers)

Saturday was my first run after lab testing where the goal wasn’t speed—it was compliance.

Spoorth says my Zone A work lives below 147 bpm, so that was the anchor.

Because my Fitbit battery started at 32%, the run ended up split into two recordings:

Part 1

• 4.86 km • 32:52
• Pace: 6:45 /km
• Elevation: +84 m
• Avg HR: 129 bpm (max 149)

Part 2

• 6.14 km • 40:18
• Pace: 6:33 /km
• Elevation: +58 m
• Avg HR: 141 bpm (peak 172)

Overall, I spent most of the run where I wanted it: 59% in Zone A (115–147 bpm), with some spillover into higher zones.

That’s not failure.

That’s a realistic first rep inside a new training discipline.

The bigger story: I’m changing how I train

Looking at my last 365 days of data, the pattern is obvious: I’ve historically spent a lot of time training hard.

This block is a deliberate shift toward aerobic base work—because that’s the engine I’ll need for the April half and the fall marathon build.

Fitbit battery anxiety (a surprisingly perfect metaphor)

The run had an unexpected subplot.

When I started, my Fitbit was at 32%. Cue the modern panic: what if I lose the data?

Halfway through, I stopped the recording to bank at least part of it. Battery: 22%. I restarted, checked it like a nervous air-traffic controller, and it dropped to 16%… then stayed there for the rest of the run like it achieved enlightenment.

Funny—but also on theme.

Because this phase isn’t just training my aerobic system. It’s training my nervous system: can I stay calm, stay in Zone A, and keep doing the simple thing long enough for it to work?

Next step in this block: a wearable setup that can handle long, boring aerobic work without turning battery life into the main character.

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Recovery is part of the program (not a reward)

Sunday was recovery done right.

Sauna time at Greifensteine Therme with my wife, family friends, and the boys. The kids went full water-slide mode. The adults went full reset mode.

Back home: a cake experiment (apple-juice pudding-based), homework support, then back to website work.

This week wasn’t perfectly balanced—but it had rhythm: build, recover, build again.

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The nut drawer: a healthier upgrade that still needs a system

Saturday also included two purchases that are quietly training-related:

• New cross-country skis (mine were basically museum pieces from high school). This supports the family challenge: doing hard things together.
• A spontaneous—but effective—upgrade to food storage using glass containers. That led to reorganizing what used to be a classic snack drawer into… a nut drawer.

Now it’s neatly organized: peanuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, hazelnuts, and more. One bag of 75% dark chocolate remains, but most sweets have been gone since around Q3 2025.

Here’s the honest part.

Good: higher-quality snack options and better organization.

Bad: nuts are energy-dense, and organized + easy access can quietly turn into mindless extra calories inside an eating window.

The environment improved.

Now the system has to get smarter.

What changes next week

This was a baseline + infrastructure week. Next week is execution.

• Training ramps using measured zones (less guessing, more consistency)
• Website moves closer to launch-ready so partners see something real
• Family challenge activates with cross-country skiing (movement that doubles as time together)
• And yes—I’ll solve the nut-drawer problem the same way I solve travel nutrition: portioning, friction, and defaults

The nut drawer doesn’t need motivation.

It needs physics.

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