Hadd
Good. I am glad my concerns got thru and that you were able to pick up and relate to what I was trying to say.
Really, there is little difference between an HRM and taking your own pulse (15 x 4). It's just that some people (you included?) don't "believe" the HRM sometimes (usually when it is telling them something they don't want to know?like their HR is too high). It's hard to doubt your HR when you are taking it directly yourself. Of course, it is going to slow down real quick, so you need to get good and accurate at taking it. You seem to be doing well.
Your treadmill run was the right thing to do. And the "effort" level of 130± was spot on. Continue to do all easy runs at that HR for six weeks and then get back to me.
As you noted, you cannot go on perceptions (yet). You were classifying your runs as "easy" when they were anything but that to your heart. That's why you have to get the real objective data (the HR numbers) and not go on your subjective perceptions of what is happening.
Well done. Keep up the good work and let me know how it's going in six weeks.