2.4km Polar Conconi Test

I registered for the Conconi test organized by SAAA and Polar HRM. We were supposed to run 2.4km around the tracks at Bukit Gombak Stadium, and thereafter, have an analysis of our anaerobic/lactate threshold measured. A few of us from SAFRA MF have signed up, and we arranged to meet at the stadium at 6.30pm.

As this was the first time for me to Bukit Gombak, I arrived earlier to have a look at the place. As I drove into the carpark at about 6.15pm, I met Jimmy Tan driving in too. We went into the stadium and did a 4 lap warm up while waiting for the rest. Soon we saw Ong and Jaime coming in, and followed later by Melvin. The Bukit Gombak stadium seemed to be a hive of activity, and there were lots of runners and athletes using the track and field. National runners like Elangovan and Vivian Tang were doing their trackwork there too. I later found out from Jaime that this was the homeground of the SAAA….hmmm, no wonder so many good runners around. At about 7pm, we met up with the SAAA official, and we were given a brief by Adrian Mok, GM of Polar, and an avid runner himself. Other than the SAFRA group, we were joined by a few more runners from the public. Adrian explained that we could not do a real CONCONI test, as that will be best done on a threadmill. Instead, we would do a 2.4km time-trial running 6 laps, and having lap timings to check consistency of pace. Adrian then offered each a Polar S610i HRM to put on, and taught its basic functions. As I already was an owner of that model, I just used my own.

After some adjustments, playing around with the gadgets, we started off from the tracks at about 7.30pm. Ong raced ahead, and I paced along. In front were about 2 others who in my opinion were running too fast for their start. On the first lap, I clicked, and did 1:39, and thereafter, I average about 1:41 laps. Very consistent for me. I overtook most of them after the third lap, and of course Ong was already way ahead. Behind me were Melvin, Jimmy and of course, Jaime was close too. This was the first time in a long while since I timed my 2.4km. In addition, I have never run 6laps in that manner. As I ran around, I looked back at my previous 2.4km times, and I remembered my best time ever was achieved once in my OCS days, about 10:15. So anything below 11min was ok for me.

In the last 2 laps, I still felt very strong. I pushed a little harder, but still kept something in reserve as I do not yet have a good feel of how much to reserve for remaining 800m. The track was full of people, and I had to weave in and out a bit too. The lighting was good at certain parts, while not so bright at others. It really felt good to run on bitumen track, as it is soft and easy on the feet. Soon, I was into the last lap, and I sped up to finish in 9:57min. Very soon, Melvin finished too followed by Jimmy and then Jaime, who did a respectable 11:44min. Very good timing for a lady. Our trainer, Ong, of course already finished ahead of me by about 100m.

Overall, a very good experience for us, and also a good way to establish base timing for our 2.4km. For those who were looking to cash in at their upcoming IPPT, this will serve as a nice warm-up trial run. I rushed off after the run, but the rest stayed behind to find out more about the readings and the analysis.

Distance Ran:2.4km ___Time:9min57sec____Pace:4:10min/km
Average HR:163bpm___Max HR:174bpm___KCal:145KCal