At COROS, we are continuously looking to improve your experience as a user as well as facilitate your training journey through easy-to-understand metrics and graphs. This is why we would like to introduce our Running Fitness Test and Resting HR as part of our Fitness Tests.
Running Fitness Test
EvoLab uses the relationship between your pace and HR to evaluate your running fitness throughout various intensities. If you are going through an off season or recovering from an injury, you may not hit all intensity zones for a while which could potentially limit certain metrics’ accuracy. This is why we are introducing the Running Fitness Test, a quick and easy way to assess and update your major EvoLab metrics.
| Time | Steps | Description |
| 5min | Warm Up | Open. |
| 25min | Marathon Pace | This intensity reaches the sweet spot to determine the best relationship between pace and HR. EvoLab will use your steady state throughout this stage to determine your threshold. |
| 3min | 10km Pace | This stage marks the beginning of a shortened incremental test to increase your HR in a linear fashion. |
| 3min | 5km Pace | This stage follows the previous one with a slightly faster pace. We are aiming for your HR to reach >90% of your HR Reserve. |
| 3min | Slightly faster (optional) | If your HR is still <90% of your HR Reserve, you will have to complete this 3rd incremental stage. |
| 3min | Slightly faster (optional) | If your HR is still <90% of your HR Reserve, you will have to complete this 4th and last incremental stage. |
| 5min | Cool Down | Open. |
Once the Running Fitness Test is complete, Evolab then determines a few metrics right away:
- Threshold Pace
- Threshold HR
- HR max
When And Why Should You Do The Running Fitness Test?
When. We recommend completing this test every 3 months and far away from any race you may have. Do not complete this test right before a race!
Why. This test is useful for assessing your running improvements and making sure EvoLab captures the most accurate data from your training.
Coaching Insights!
- Make sure to complete a few resting HR measurements prior to the test. This will ensure more accurate calculations. See below for more information on this test.
- Take a step back from high-intensity training a few days prior to the test to ensure you are well rested. This test leads up to >90% of your HR Reserve, so expect it to be hard.
- Be mindful of the terrain you will be running at to limit some of the possible variables that may alter the results (elevation, temperature, altitude, trail, etc.)
- If you believe the new metrics from the test are not accurate, you can turn off the Running Fitness Ability directly on the app.
Resting Heart Rate
As we mentioned earlier, we use HR Reserve during the Running Fitness Test in order to get accurate results. Because HR Reserve is the difference between your HRmax and your resting HR, it means that your resting HR needs to be accurate for the Running Fitness test to be as well.
From now on, resting HR is required to be taken manually as part of the Fitness Tests to ensure consistency and accuracy. We recommend completing the test every morning right after you wake up.
Coaching Insights. Below you will find a user’s resting HR over the past few weeks separated between automatic and manual measurements. We can quickly find that manual resting HR is lower and more consistent compared to automatic measurements.
If you wish to get individualized insights from your own personal data, please feel free to send us a message through coach@coros.com and we will be happy to help you in your training journey!