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Low HR Training for an Inexperienced Runner -- Lets see what happens! (Read 648 times)


Grand Poobah

    This will be the beginning of a log I update once a week or less frequently.  I am 39 years old and have run infrequently for the last few years.  My longest run previous to a few weeks ago was 5 miles back in 2008.  Recently, I started and completed the Hal Higdon 10k program, focused on maintaining an average heart rate below 155.

     

    I improved dramatically (in my view) during the program, where near the end I could run 3 miles in an under 10 minute pace while maintaining the 155 heart rate.

     

     

    AND NOW EVERYTHING IS CHANGED.

     

     

    I am pursuing a low-carb diet (which i've been doing for a year now), I have transitioned over to the Hal Higdon half marathon training program, and I am following the MAF low HR approach to training.  Because i had already completed the 10k training, ive started the half marathon training at week 5.

     

     

    Anyway, the common wisdom on MAf training is that its only useful for longer distance runners.  Well, we shall see.  I have already started and am completing all my runs at a HR of 141 or below.  It is torturous, but I am committed and it should be interesting to see how this approach to training works for an inexperienced runner.

     

    I immediately dropped from 10 minute or so miles to 13 minute or so miles, so it has been no fun.  But i'm only a week in and we shall see what transpires over the next two months.

     

    More updates to come and my log is public.

     

    HB

      I'm interested in how this pans out for you.  I tried the HR training a while back and abandoned it as to keep my HR where it needed to be was, as you said, torture.

      I'm now monitoring and watching my HR again, trying to find my zone...and trying to learn to pace myself.  Happy running!!!

      "Do not reward yourself with food, you're not a dog"

      zonykel


        There is a "low HR training" group here already. Plenty of MAFers you can join!


        Grand Poobah

          Fell off the wagon for a week during the holidays...combination of going skiing and family stuff.  Anyway, back on track again today with a start of Week 5 on this program:  http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program

           

          According to conventional wisdom, my runs are currently too short to really benefit from MAF training, but by week 7 I will be doing 20 miles per week and by the end will be around 25MPW and 10 mile long runs.  Therefore, I figure by then i should be seeing some results, and its only a few weeks away.

           

          Having done this for two weeks now I didn't see any change or improvement in my long run pace times, but I'm not that surprised.

           

          I will probably post back in either a month or if I start to see any meaningful deviation.

          Buzzie


          Bacon Party!

            Good luck to you, HB. I'm a low-carber (keto) and Maffetone runner ... has been working very well for me in terms of injury (lack thereof) and training/racing recovery. I'm happily racing distances from 13.1 to 100+ miles on this plan and am looking forward to going both faster and farther this year.

             

            MTA - LHR training can work ... A year ago, when I started LHR, my MAF pace was 11:00 / mi or so. It came down to about 8:35 by the time I started racing in May. This fall I had a 21-min PR in the marathon - 3:14. [And two PRs at 13.1]

            Liz

            pace sera, sera


            Grand Poobah

              Buzzie -- that is inspiring!

               

              When you say your MAF pace was 11/min or so, would that have been your pace at mile 7ish?

               

              I start out OK at about 11 or 12 minutes but by mile 6 I am at 13-14 minutes.

               

              If it weren't as cold as it is right now, i don't think i could even do it.  Luckily I am planning to run outside all winter, so hopefully by the time it heats up I'll have brought my times down to a bearable pace at MAF HR.

               

              Thanks!

              Buzzie


              Bacon Party!

                My stated paces are averages. I typically see the most variance in the first 3 miles then settle in at a consistent pace or even end up a bit faster after 8-9 miles. On long training runs up to 50 miles I do see some degradation, but often have 2nd, 3rd, 4th winds and find myself picking up the pace in later miles. [I don't know what happens when I go longer as I don't wear HRM during ultras.]

                 

                Keep the faith and give it some time. You'll likely be amazed by the end of the month. My improvement was not linear - started off slow, then shot up, then leveled off, then bumped up again, etc.

                Liz

                pace sera, sera


                Grand Poobah

                  Perfect, thanks...i guess my near term goal is to get my MAF times to where you were when you started Wink

                   

                   

                  The good news is I'm a relatively new runner and it has seemed thus far that performance improvements come pretty quickly and steadily....at least for now.


                  Grand Poobah

                    Perfect, thanks...i guess my near term goal is to get my MAF times to where you were when you started Wink

                     

                     

                    The good news is I'm a relatively new runner and it has seemed thus far that performance improvements come pretty quickly and steadily....at least for now.

                    runnerclay


                    Consistently Slow

                      There is a "low HR training" group here already. Plenty of MAFers you can join!

                      Several of us have BQed using LHR training.

                      Run until the trail runs out.

                       SCHEDULE 2016--

                       The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

                      unsolicited chatter

                      http://bkclay.blogspot.com/


                      Grand Poobah

                        Awesome!  I will be setting my sights a bit lower haha.  If I could one day eventually complete a marathon under 4 hours that would be cool with me.

                         

                         

                        This week completed week 6 of the program -- no improvement in performance (as expected):

                         

                        Highlights:

                         

                            • Career long for single run distance (6 miles) for second time (first time outside)
                            • Probably career high for week (16 miles)...increase versus 10 mpw last two months
                            • Avg pace 13:22 versus 10:51 pace pre Low HR approach (155 avg HR then vs 140 now)

                        Going forward will be increasing distances significantly and would expect some performance improvements over the next few weeks.


                        Grand Poobah

                          Completed week 8 of the program this week.  New PR for total weekly mileage (19 miles) and for longest individual run (8 miles).  My mileage is increasing by about 20% per month and should increase by 30% in February.

                           

                          Highlights:

                           

                          • Decided i can't do low carb for now.  When running in keto I  am experiencing significant muscle and joint pain, difficulty controlling heartrate, and lingering muscle pain for  a couple of days post run.  Very odd and disappointing, since i've been eating low carb for over a year.  In any case, I am eating a banana before runs and carb meals before long runs.
                          • Some performance improvement this week.  If i hadn't been running at noon on a hot day i think my time would have been noticeably improved.
                          • Going forward, i will be running significantly longer distances, so I am expecting noticeable performance gains in February.


                          Grand Poobah

                            A long overdue update.  The short of it is I gave up on the exclusively MAF based low-HR training approach back in April.

                             

                            The cause?  I decided to take a "break" from low HR training and run a 10k one weekend.  As I labored under the vicious early spring Denver sun, I was passed by all manor of squat, obese women, by several men pushing their DOUBLE baby stroller, by voluminous numbers of senior citizens, and by quite a few dog walkers.  What I couldn't grasp was how unbelievably slow I was, given that I am reasonable thin, male and lanky, and unencumbered by either dog or babies.

                             

                            So, I committed then and there to get faster...and i lost confidence in the appropriateness of low HR training for me.  I should have recognized this at the outset, as it was recommended for folks clocking higher weekly mileage than I ever really got to.

                             

                            So, i shifted to a different approach that still focuses on the long slow runs on the weekends, but with tempo runs and speed training during the week.  I immediately got quite a bit faster (although im still slow).

                             

                            Now, I am going to keep with this form of training through the summer with a goal of running a sub 2-hour half in October.

                            zonykel


                              If your log is accurate, increasing your volume should help (whether low HR or not). Recommend you give Running Wizard a try. It'll give you a sensible plan based on your recent result.

                               

                              A long overdue update.  The short of it is I gave up on the exclusively MAF based low-HR training approach back in April.

                               

                              The cause?  I decided to take a "break" from low HR training and run a 10k one weekend.  As I labored under the vicious early spring Denver sun, I was passed by all manor of squat, obese women, by several men pushing their DOUBLE baby stroller, by voluminous numbers of senior citizens, and by quite a few dog walkers.  What I couldn't grasp was how unbelievably slow I was, given that I am reasonable thin, male and lanky, and unencumbered by either dog or babies.

                               

                              So, I committed then and there to get faster...and i lost confidence in the appropriateness of low HR training for me.  I should have recognized this at the outset, as it was recommended for folks clocking higher weekly mileage than I ever really got to.

                               

                              So, i shifted to a different approach that still focuses on the long slow runs on the weekends, but with tempo runs and speed training during the week.  I immediately got quite a bit faster (although im still slow).

                               

                              Now, I am going to keep with this form of training through the summer with a goal of running a sub 2-hour half in October.

                                I agree with the running more. Your HR even when doing low HR training was probably still in a normal easy zone (above 70% HRmax). Volume is your issue, not intensity.

                                "So many people get stuck in the routine of life that their dreams waste away. This is about living the dream." - Cave Dog
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