Making sense of VT1/VT2 data from CPET run test

Hi all,

hopefully someone can shed some light on the results of my VT1/VT2 results from my CPET run test on a tredmill. Issue is, the found heart rates are relatively high, and tempos were low compared to the heartrates when I am normally runnning outside. What do I now use to train with?

Some background
I’m 40, I used to cycle, but due to lack of time I started running. I’m now running for two years, with some breaks due to tendinopathy caused by some overenthusiastic stupidity. Ultimate goal is long trail runs in the mountains. I live in the flatest part of the world. I have no experience on a treadmill prior to the CPET lab test.

Results from the lab test
VT1 175 bpm, 5:18 min/km
VT2 195, 4:15 min/km
max HR 198 bpm

Zone HR tempo
Active recorvey <148 >6:22
Z1 149-175 6:22-5:18
Z2 176-181 5:18-4:41
Z3 182-195 4:41-4:15
Z4 196-202 4:15-3:50
Z5 203-max <3:50

In terms of feel during the test, the VTs correlate to what I would estimate, I think I would have estimated VT1 sligthly sooner (i.e. lower HR), but this is insignificant. Furthermore it was warm during the indoor test, from wich I know from experience that this will raise my HR at a certain tempo.

Comparison with outdoor activities
If I compare the test HRs and tempos to my outdoor activities, I get the following, with the outdoor activities in blue acompanied with a blue trend line, and the lab test in orange with an orange trendline. The data was manually extracted for londer blocks (>>5 min.) at contastant heart rate and always at the end of a trainingrun (propper warm-up and with some fatigue):

Questions
Now my question(s) is/are;

  • Do I set my zone to pace or to HR?
  • For me it is impossible to reach zone 6 in terms of HR because it is above my max HR. Should I crop Z4/Z5 to a width of 2 bpms, i.e. Z5 196-189, Z5 198-200? But then, what is the point, since this is practically impossible bandwith to stay in.
  • What should I do with the fact that VT1 and VT2 are relatively high; should I try to correct it in training (and how?) or can I use it to my advantage in some way?

I hope someone can help me out.

Regards, Tim