Outlaw 2013

It wasn't 100% walking it was walk run but at 14-15mm pace I might as well have walked

My normal running pace when fit is about 12-12:30mm and 180

I have a garmin

I've only run "fast" once which was a 1m race at 8:55 maxed at 198 then,

 did 201 in a tempo run later that same month (2008 when I was really fit, running daily to forget my grandma had cancer), 202 interval training in the July, 200 in a 10K race in the July

can't find the 205 but it was on a tready doing a MHR test, saw 203 in a 5m XC race going up a very steep hill

Never once have I got to the puke stage so it must be higher

EP - when I first started running to heart rate I was doing 15/16 min pace, a year later and I am more like 13 min miles, so just keep at it and it works. Who cares how slow it is? Going too fast will be counter-productive in the long run, and you will end up too worn out to do the other sessions and your running pace won't get any quicker. 

I Fink, therefore I am (dead slow). I'm following Fink to the letter. Ego left at the door type stuff. I even (accidentally on purpose) left my retro Garmin 301 in the portaloos last month at the Toronto marathon, so my only guide shall be the cheapo Decathlon HRM. Because it's all about the HR, the 220 minus age thing is not terribly accurate, and might underestimate your zones. This article is excellent on how to calculate your real training zones. The HR test is pretty hellish, (I needed a couple of days to get over the trauma), but it works.

http://www.flammerouge.je/content/3_factsheets/constant/heartrate.htm

I did the Functional Threshold Heart Rate test from Going Long which gave me the values that I'm using for my zones on my Garmin.
I've done a couple of runs recently where I tried to stay in zone 2 and it seemed to work because I wasn't walking but running at a comfortable pace, not particularly fast.
Up I did the FTHR the only way that I could stay in zone 2 was to walk.

JvR wrote (see)

I did the Functional Threshold Heart Rate test from Going Long which gave me the values that I'm using for my zones on my Garmin.
I've done a couple of runs recently where I tried to stay in zone 2 and it seemed to work because I wasn't walking but running at a comfortable pace, not particularly fast.
Up I did the FTHR the only way that I could stay in zone 2 was to walk.

Hmm, looks good. I'll see how I get on with the calculated thresholds but if I'm walking to stay in Z2 I'll defo be looking at the FTHR.

to whoever posted that link ....

A couple of weeks ago I hit 191 on my bike, so assuming running is 10 beats higher this gives me 201. When I hit 191 I was breathing like a steam train and legs would function no more so pretty close to max!

Using the formula on that link gives me 163 as the top of Z2 and 173 top of Z3.

So my recent averages of 166 aren't bad! Then I walked as I hit 170 so if I walk a few beats sooner I should average Z2.

Happier now

My concern had been very much doing long runs but getting nowhere. I saw a 3hr run being a max of 14-15m and my running head said you can't do a mara with that as a max. But I guess IM is a totally different beast.

I think this HR is going to be a little bit harder than I expected. Training has been fine and I've made progress making sure my runs are kept in Z2 (under 159BPM). However, had my first race last week after attempting this approach, a half marathon in Conwy. I'd targetted a 1h 35min race, which I have managed in training, but on the day my HR rarely dropped dropped below 166 and I ended up running a 1h 39m race. Annoying on 2 levels. My finish time and despite slowing myself right down my HR still would not come down to where I wanted / expected it to be.

Has anyone found similar experiences between training and racing? Am I to put it down to race adrenaline?

ithink adrenaline plays a large part on mine.............and the gun going off at the start..........i don't think i could ever get 210 in training but get that all the time in races

Today I averaged 164 so 1 off Z2 which I was really pleased with despite being just over 15mm as it was horribly windy out

Yes I was slow but I can live with this pace I think.

Question ...

Fink finish plan starts at 15mins of exercise I'm doing up to 45 for both run and bike and about 1hr swim. This is about week 5 level. OK I'm doing fewer sessions just because I can but Fink starts at 3hrs p/w maxing at 4 in month 1

So come the 10th do I/we drop back to Fink times or stay as we are until Fink catches up?

I would stay till Fink catches up

Stanners, a good HM, but I think you're overcomplicating things.

Adrenaline will take part - like Seren said, my HR is higher during a race than training. Were you aiming to race the HM or use it in total for a Z2 run?

EP: What FlatF said - wait until Fink catches up. Of course, if you're not used to the training times, then perhaps cut back on running whilst the bike/swim ramps.

thanks folks also a worrier. If it was just a mara I would know where I am what to do but the long distance tri is all new. I've done 1 HIM without properly training so don't have any experience really

I've just realised that Fink starts 10th Dec, but how do I keep up the swimming over Christmas? The council pools will be shut the entire week? My training will be ruined before I've even started ...   I guess the North Sea is out in December ?

last year i did openwater swimming in the river britrisky :

but i'm not this year.will fiddle around with the plan..lots of places do an organised christmas day swim

brit - are there any non- council pools that you could go to?

anyway, a week near the beginning won't make much difference - you could do extra cycling instead

agree with Mathschick, just substitute the swimming for a turbo session or get out on the bike if you can escape.

It's just a plan, it isn't gospel - things will crop up between now and July that will pretty much see everyone have to alter at least one week due to other commitments/barriers etc..

Brit as above or start on Dec 3rd (next Monday!) then you can miss a week without worry?