Pace vs stride (Read 218 times)

Along the line of my OP... It was brought to my attention that my aerobic base needs work.  My 70% MHR is 127; 80% is 144.  I can barely trot and break 150. So how to I run at a pace that's aerobic (127-144), but yet still running. Obviously I can't maintain 170-180 steps and stay in the aerobic range, even with a 6 inch stride.

 

...Running sure was easier when I'd get out and just run.

Based on age formulas, my max heart rate is 165. Well... I've gotten it to 196. I can race a marathon at a heart rate of 165. If I bothered to enter my age into a treadmill, I'd have to lie and say I'm younger than my children or the machine would be freaking out thinking I'm about to die. Those formulas are only valid if you happen to be in the middle of the bell curve. Don't bother with them. You can do a max heart rate test if you really want to use a HR monitor to train, but it is somewhat (to very) dangerous. I tried HR training and it was a pain in the backside. Just run and listen to your breathing. Slow down until you can easily talk for most of your running. One shorter running session a week where you can't easily talk is plenty. Keep it simple and enjoy it. When you get to the Olympic trials, then you can get more scientific about it.