Knowing when to quit

So, back to that first time I wore a heart rate monitor... I took a health class in college that featured an optional treadmill stress test, just for fun (now-days you would have to offer extra credit). The idea was to run as long as possible. The pace was slow at first, then gradually picked up. After the pace steadied, the grade started increasing. I hung on; my heart felt like someone was squeezing it, hard. The assistant monitoring me kept asking if I was ok. She tried to put a mask on my face at one point (to get a VO2 reading I seem to recall), but I just pushed it away. I finally stumbled off the machine and sat there for an hour before I could move. I learned that my heart rate had jumped to over 130 the second I stepped onto the treadmill and kept increasing steadily till I hit 210. I think it might be an understatement to say I overdid it that day.

Gotta run…