
Intoxicated by the senses
After a year of training with a difficult start and many uncertainties, my sporting life now looks much clearer. I remember how I was disappointed with the results of the first performance test in August 2023 and couldn’t imagine reaching a level to tackle an Ironman again.
Of particular importance in performance tests is the VO2max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen that can be absorbed per minute during dynamic work, i.e. during athletic performance of as many large muscle groups as possible. The VO2max is therefore one of the most important indicators for assessing aerobic performance.
And this VO2max has developed dramatically for me within a year. With a value of 35, I was still between “good” and “excellent” in my age group 70-79, but of course still quite low overall. “You have to get to over 40, otherwise it will be difficult,” Coach Dan told me at the time. “But if you stay healthy and train with discipline, a lot is still possible.”
Last week, Garmin, which continuously analyzes all my training data, reported a value of 49 and rated it as “outstanding”. This puts me in the top segment of the 50-59 age group scale, i.e. “superior”. Wow! That makes me jump for joy. Garmin also regularly calculates my current fitness age based on my training performance (watts, heart rate, age, exercise duration), which currently stands at 59.5 years. Not bad either, right?
Thanks to this physical basis, I now find myself in a light, sustainable, even intoxication-like state again, as I often did in my younger years during marathon training, even during harder sessions, which then has an effect on the rest of the day. Everything feels lighter and smoother. For example, during strength training, when you feel the blood shooting warmly through your muscles during the hardest last repetitions and then, in the resting phase, giving you that inimitable, great body feeling.
Or, now in winter, indoor training on the bike with cool, intensely rhythmic music. I close the door, open the window, a small jungle of plants surrounds me and my training equipment, and then I say goodbye to my loved one for an intense journey into my body and soul for an hour. Alone with myself, nothing but my breath, strained muscles and sweat – the rhythm of the music also takes over. And afterwards it rains happiness hormones, which I finally let out gently and relaxed in a bath. You can’t beat that!