Heart rate monitor training

Yeah I'm finding the really does take a effect on you. My last run in the heat was about 30secs a mile slower thank normal. Mind you can't really complain about the lovely weather can we.

Run was very different tonight. Only left at 10pm in the cool temperature.

Maintained 155-159 for most of the 1hr session at 11min/mile, which is getting slightly faster which is nice. Can notice the extra effort needed in the legs, which I imagine as the HR goes down they'll need more adjustment to the effort.

Its been really good though this HRM training, and I'm really enjoying it and seeing almost scientifically slow progress. Can't wait to get another couple of weeks behind me and see where I'm at.

See y'all tomorrow :0D

hi
i've just got the idiots guide and my ceiling etc are exactly the same as snaps.
i'm finding that i can happily keep even pace (9min/m) for 6-7 miles then i lose a minute a mile. furthest i'm running at present is 9 miles.

is this usual and should it even out for the remainder of the long run as i progress?

i can get down to 6.30 pace in the hard effort but only for a mile then the second one about 6.50, hoping this will hold for longer if i stick with it too.

clink - you can go farther and faster than me because you are young and beautiful :(

Could this drift be due to the increased heat? Maybe if you ran on a cold day your HR wouldn't rise during the last mile or so?

I seem to remember Pantman saying that you should run at a particular pace till you can do 3 circuits of a 5k course with no cardiac drift??? And then increase your pace for future runs.

gee thanks snaps but really i'm old and crinkly!

the heat has been a bit of a factor but i try to go before it's too hot.
the later miles going slower has been happening pretty much since i started monitoring it, a month or so ago, though the overall run is one to two minutes quicker in total.
i guess on the pantman rule i'm still half way round the third lap.. patience etc

The heat has slowed me down by about 30 seconds a mile as well. No surprise there. Just got back from 8.3 miles off-road - 148HR average. I was <150HR for all the run apart from 3 minutes near the end.

However, I'm not sure when you should look to increase the heart rate?

Had a reasonable run yesterday but then that may have been because I wasn't taking too much notice of HR and ran as I felt. HR will be way above the 70-75% it was supposed to be though but hey ho. Had a day off today as not feeling great can't decide if I have a cold or hayfever.

I don't know any good reason for going even slower in the heat - the legs are not working any harder (even if the heart is) and it is the legs you want to train.
I regard HR as a guide to pace and so allow an extra 5bpm if I have to run in the heat of the day.

I'm no scientist but heres my understanding of two ways in which heat has an effect on you HR, firstly your body requires more blood to the surface of the skin for cooling purposes in hot weather. Secondly, blood volume reduces as a result of dehydration, so less blood to circulate the oxygen in your system (So hydration is very important, to minimise this).

Both of these issues drive your HR up for the same pace you might do on a cooler day, simply because your heart is having to pump more blood around your body to feed your running muscles, cool you down and keep you hydrated as you lose fluid due to the fact your running and sweating.

In terms of HR training, I consider my HR to be like the rev counter in my car, I'm not looking for an improvement on each run, but I am looking for an overall trend towards faster times over a period of months. And, thats what I've seen so far, I ran 17 miles on Saturday at 9.11min/mile pace in 28 degrees, whereas two months ago, I ran 8 miles at 10.19min/mile pace and it was a lot cooler. I think thats a good measure of improvement, and an indication to me that my training is working.

I think you just got to accept that you will be running slower if you stick to your HR training for the same pace in the heat. But as you make more medium term comparisons you should see an improvement. Those of you who have only recently started training as its gotten hotter, will probably see big reductions as you run in cooler weather. Your body will still, presumably, make the physiological adaptations you are seeking even though you are running slow. Just do lots more miles if you have the time.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm incorrect with my understanding above.

Dex.

Seen an improvement at last albeit only a small one. Despite the heat I can now run at 3.5mph rather than 3.2mph. What it would have been had we not had the heat, maybe creeping up to 4mph. Given me the incentive to continue with it for now.

i thought along the same lines as you dex so for the perceived effort in HR your going that bit slower.
the choice is whether to accept that and keep to the HR or push a few beats harder to keep the same pace.

attempting to do max test today on hills

Dex Also agree about the heat/heartrate thing. I.m guessing that folks should stick to HR percentages even though it means running slower. Looking back at my training and I reckon that I was probably doing 70-75% HR on my recovery runs even before I checked on my monitor. The difference is I now do more of those and less hard sessions in a week

Dex, I agree with you too; but dehydration and resulting blood thickening is hard to do much about due to the relatively small amount of fluid you can actually absorb over time; i.e. you lose more than you can replace.

Stu pot - I'm pleased to find someone else who adds a few BPM when the conditions so indicate :)
We did a club run with our beginners last night in 29 degrees and none of them had more problems running between 7:10 and 8 minutes a mile than they do running more slowly in cooler conditions; they just sweated a bit more! OK, we only ran 5 miles or so, but hey ... (They didn't know the pace BTW)

5.6 miles at 9:15 average pace, ave HR 135.

That looks like good progress snapstinget.

I wish I could say the same for myself. This will be my 7th week of doing runs below 70% and I've not really seen any improvement all miles seem to fluctate between 10:00/min miles and 9:45/min miles. Mind you I guess it's been hotter the last few weeks so I could of seen some improvement but not noticed it due to the heat slowing me down. Well thats what I'm hoping...lol!!

I've also done 7 weeks c70%. Previously only been running on and off for 2 years art never more than 6 miles a week. I am not aerobically fit hence it only took 3.2mph to take me to the 70% limit with paert run/walk. 7 weeks down the line I can now do 3.5mph all running. Small improvement but I know it will take a long time in my circumstance to build up that aerobic base. Also weekly milage now up to 20.

Patience is the key

2 months ago 7 mile @ 10.20min/mile pace, last week on a "cool" evening 8.5 miles @ 8.15min/mile pace. 70% HRR for me is 145bpm.

Its working for me.

Dex.

My 70% is 142 and am hitting just under 8 min/mile if I ignore heartrate uphill for the last 1/2 mile or so of run. If I try to stick to HR then 8:10min/mile. Still not happy really but will persevere for a little while

My pace seems so slow to veryone else's. Is this because I am so aerobically unfit? Are we talking years here to get me up to a decent pace.

Dex,
Thats a great improvement. Just out of intrest what sort of average pace do you run at now when your not running at 70%? Also what sort of long runs are you doing?

I'm guessing where I might be going wrong is that the longest run i do is about 9 miles.