[killfatmike]

Yes, you are correct I did not change the speed during the test.

My easy hikes are typically 2-3 hours with lots of rests/stops/slow pace as my girlfriend isn’t as fit and likes to birdwatch and stop for lunch. So my HR is mostly sub z1 on these days.

My perceived exertion was on the high side(8/10), especially in the last 15 minutes of the test. I don’t think I could nose breathe, and if I were carrying on a conversation it would have been with some broken phrases. I was breathing with a steady rhythm and suspect that with a short break for food/h20 I could have forced myself to keep going. But I may not be judging any of this well since as I am many years removed from serious cardio training.

I like your rule of thumb that I need to get 12 hours/per week of steady movement to be ready to do 12-hour days. Even though I “trained” an average of 15 hours/week last year most of that time was spent standing around the crag/climbing/weightlifting. I am only getting 4-5 hours per week of steady movement and a lot of that is at z1 and below.

I will re-test as you suggest.

Thank you for your reply. I am looking forward to the book discussion book.