---
date: 2026-08-29
type: run
tags: [run, afternoon, comeback]
---

# Run — 2026-08-29

**6.56 km in 46:50 — 7'08" pace at 157 bpm. First run back after 14 days off (heat week → vacation → sick all week). New distance PB by 40 m (previous 6.52 km, Jul 23), but the real story is the HR: 29 minutes in the anaerobic zone at a recovery pace — the post-illness signature. Walk breaks, nose-blowing, coughing along the way. Still enjoyed it — the loop is back on.**

## Data

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Distance | **6.56 km** (PB by 40 m) |
| Duration | 46:50 |
| Avg pace | **7'08"** /km |
| Fastest pace | 4'10" /km |
| Avg HR | 157 bpm |
| Max HR | 174 bpm |
| Cadence | 152 spm (max 193) |

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| HR recovery (2min) | 18 bpm (dropped 18, 170→134) |
| VO₂Max | 46 ml/kg/min (unchanged, "average") |
| Steps | 7,153 |
| Stride | 92 cm |
| Training load | 116 (Medium) |
| Recovery time | 20 h |

**Splits:** KM 1 — 5'24" · KM 2 — 6'30" · KM 3 — 6'51" · KM 4 — 7'57" · KM 5 — 8'38" · 5 km @ 35:20 · KM 6 — 7'36" · last 0.56 km — 3'54" (≈6'58" pace, strong finish)

**Form:** GCT 310 ms · Balance L 50.0% / R 50.0% · Vertical oscillation 10.3 cm · Avg speed 8.40 km/h

**HR zones:** Extreme 0 min · Anaerobic **29 min** · Aerobic 10 min · Fat-burning 6 min · Warm-up <1 min — nearly two-thirds of the run above the aerobic ceiling at a 7'08" pace. The heart ran hot all afternoon.

## Sleep — Night before

**7h 49min** · 02:14→10:06 · REM: 7% · Deep: 29% · HRV: 106 · Resting HR: 52 · Score: 85/100

> Sick-week sleep: late bedtime (02:14) but a long, late rise (10:06). HRV 106 is just under his sober baseline (110–135) — consistent with the body still clearing the cold. REM 7% flagged low by the watch. See [[Sleep/2026-08-29]].

## How it felt

> "Nagyon sok kihagyás után" — after a lot of missed runs. Hot for a week, then vacation last week, then sick all week. "Még most sem voltam az igazi" — still not the real me: blowing his nose and coughing on the walk breaks, strenuous in many places. "Picit sokkban vagyok de jól esett, élveztem" — a bit in shock afterwards, but it felt good, he enjoyed it.

## Comparison

| Metric | Jul 23 (6.5K PB) | Aug 15 (last run) | **Aug 29 (today)** |
|--------|------------------|-------------------|--------------------|
| Distance | 6.52 km | 2.44 km | **6.56 km** 🚀 |
| Duration | 42:47 | 15:13 | **46:50** |
| Avg pace | 6'34" | 6'14" | **7'08"** |
| Avg HR | 160 bpm | 154 bpm | **157 bpm** |
| Max HR | 176 bpm | 173 bpm | **174 bpm** |
| Cadence | 165 spm | 162 spm | **152 spm** |
| VO₂Max | 43 | 46 | **46** |
| Sleep HRV | 111ms | — | **106ms** |
| Time of day | — | evening | **afternoon (13:38)** |

### VO₂Max progression

| Date | VO₂Max |
|------|--------|
| Jun 29 | 39 |
| Jul 5 | 40 |
| Jul 10 | 41 |
| Jul 18 | 42 |
| Jul 23 | 43 |
| Jul 27 | 43 ✅ |
| Jul 29 | 43 ✅ |
| Aug 11 | 45 ↑ |
| Aug 15 | 46 ↑ |
| **Aug 29** | **46** — |

**Verdict:** The comeback run after the longest gap in the log (14 days: heat → vacation → sick week). The distance is a PB only by technicality — 6.56 km vs 6.52 km on Jul 23 — and that's not the headline. The headline is that he went out at all, mid-illness, and enjoyed it ("jól esett, élveztem") — the run loop is back on after two weeks of nothing, and that matters more than any metric today.

The physiology says what you'd expect: 7'08" pace at 157 bpm avg with **29 of 46 minutes in the anaerobic zone** is not a fitness loss — it's the post-illness + deconditioning + early-afternoon-heat signature. The engine is rusty and still fighting residual inflammation; the same pace will cost ~20 bpm less in a week. The 5'24" first km was the classic after-a-break mistake (excitement > pacing) and it seeded the fade: km 2–5 drifted from 6'30" to 8'38" as the walk breaks and nose-blowing set in. The strong finish (≈6'58" for the last 0.56 km) shows the gear was still there — the tank just needed the cold to clear.

Positive reads: HR recovery still functions (18 bpm), VO₂Max held at 46 through two weeks off, balance 50/50, and the "shock" he felt afterwards is the normal first-hard-effort response, not damage. This week: easy runs only, deliberate slow first km (target ~7'00"–7'30"), and let the HR settle back into the 130s before even thinking about pace. The watch says 20 h recovery — tomorrow is a rest day or a very short shakeout. First week back = 50%, and today already overshot that in distance; the discipline now is in what he does *after* today, not in pushing further.

Clean restart. 🏃

## Connected

- [[Sleep/2026-08-29]]
- [[Runs/2026-08-15]]
- [[Runs/2026-07-23]]