I just bought a Polar S610 heart monitor. One of its features is a fitness test which produces a number which is supposed to relate to your fitness level, your OwnIndex. According to the documentation, elite male athletes will have indexes around 70+. I just took the test for the first time and got a 68, and I'm not anywhere near elite. In fact, I've been hurt most of the last year (plantar fascitis) and only recently started training consistently.
Last spring I was in good shape for me, PRing in the 1500 at 3:59, and the 5K at 15:26. Giving 70 as the approximate elite score, I don't think I should have even scored 68 a year ago, let alone today.
Anybody else use the OwnIndex? My guess is that an athlete's index will improve with their fitness level, but that comparison between runners based on the index won't be accurate. What are your thoughts and opinions on the fitness test? Is the OwnIndex useful? Is the Max Heart Rate accurate at all?
Thanks in advance