Running and V02 max

Ignore the watch for now. Run at a slow easy pace. As you develop your endurance, you'll be able to run farther. With more miles, your running will become more efficient, your breathing will become easier and your VO2max will improve, but it takes time.

Aside from the good advice already given, I'd also like to say that you need to take these values with a grain of salt.
I consistently get higher VO2max values when hiking on flat terrain versus in the mountains, even just with a few days in between the hikes. Since you mention trail running, it might be something to take into consideration.

VO2max = maximum volume of oxygen you can deliver through your body, divided by your weight. So a very effective way to improve this score is to lose weight. 🙂

Not sure if your device gives you the HRrecovery figure after 1-2 min also.

View the VO2max comment like that - it's a figure - you aren't going to specifically change it outside just doing the exercise.

Aside from your weight, VO2 Max tests require you to work hard. I ran for five or six years. Mechanically, my right knee is garbage, though I loved running trails. I couldn't do a VO2 Max test running, even when I got in shape, that would have showed well. When I started running, I was also 80 lbs overweight.

However, I started doing competitive indoor rowing and, it turns out, I was much more competitive at biking and rowing. My V02 Max looks good when you look at my older rowing times. It's also a factor of how efficient you are at different sports/aerobic activities. I've recently been rehabbing my back, so my current rowing times are down, but I've been working a lot on an Assault Bike and my VO2 max on that looks great (using Watts to VO2 Max conversion estimate formulas, it's roughly 37 (and I'm packing on around 8 extra lbs right now). I'll be 56 in a few weeks).

What I'm saying is your Vo2 max could also be limited with how good of a mechanical runner, biker or rower you are as well. Most new runners aren't great mechanically. I know I never was, except in my youth.

If you're a runner, amputating your arms will improve your VO2max, do the math.

(But cutting your arms off probably won't improve your health or enjoyment of life.)

Dont worry about it, but keep track of it. That is a definite metric of improvement as time goes on! You'll want to look back and see the progress.

Ditto on ignoring the VO2 estimate.

Also to add: Garmin also doesn't know what the ground you are running on is like. Speeds are going to be slower on trail versus road for the same effort, so expect VO2 max estimates by a tracking watch to be much, much lower.

They do use an estimate of power output in their calculations (for instance, if you want a VO2 estimate for cycling, it requires that you have a power meter hooked up. If running, it requires either GPS or a footpod). An activity with only heartrate data points wouldn't yield an estimate.

Within their algorithm, they compare your heart rate versus speed data to extrapolate out a maximum speed at maximum heart rate (they assume a linear relationship according to the white pages)(cycling uses straight power from a power meter rather than speed). (Also, per Garmin, it supposedly throws out sections of 'garbage data' that don't match that relationship (I suspect much of trail running will have wild un-related variation in (even grade-adjusted) speed versus heartrate as one is dodging/jumping/etc obstacles. and the majority will be low versus heartrate.)