by immediately aiming for a set heart rate is a sure-fire way to ruin a track session.Plotting your heart rates over a number of weeks should give encouraging results. Comparing two sessions a few weeks apart, for example, should show a slightly lower heart rate
every few minutes as you're running, to get a general idea of your rate throughout the session. You will probably find that, even if you maintain the same pace throughout, your heart rate will rise by 5-10 beats over a period of 30 minutes
often see round figures quoted in general guides, ranging from 70-90 per cent of MHR. Unfortunately, the reason theyre so vague is that as weve found out were all different.In the early days, youd have needed a physiological lab test to find
, its how you work up to your max that counts.Sports science laboratories often use a graded treadmill run to establish MHR. The speed of the track is gradually increased until you can no longer keep up, and your heart rate at this point is assumed
