I'm so frustrated right now. (Read 1448 times)

I agree. But I am biased. I don't believe in low HR training. It never worked for me. Made me slower. I don't believe in using McMillan or any other person/guru to predict how fast or slow I should run. I just run. Fast if I feel good, slow if not. I don't train in HR zones either. My paces vary in any week from day to day, run to run. I do wear a HRM religiously but only as a feedback mechanism so I can objectively tell how hard I am working because going 100% on feel can sometimes be misleading. My HRM is most valuable when I need to back off and have a higher than normal HR at a given pace. For that purpose alone, I will wear it. You're correct, in that you should vary paces but it will happen naturally if you let it. But don't listen to me. I never read "the book". What's my point? Listen to your body and go with how your legs feel. You need to finish some runs pretty winded if you hope to race faster. Train fast, race fast. Simple. But don't overdo it. You HAVE to incorporate easy days or complete days off. If you're not feeling somewhat tired after a tempo run, it wasn't a tempo run.

and this is good information. This is all stuff I have in the back of my head, but it helps to hear someone else say it out loud. I dont always feel tired after a tempo run and perhaps Im not workin' it hard enough, that was another thought- perhaps these are my easy runs and my hards are just not hard enough. Bottom line is I will wear my hrm a bit longer just for my own curiosity and then take it from there. Thanks for all the advice, it helps me put stuff in perspective.

If you want to use a HRM, you need to know how to use it and you are currently not using it to your advantage. If you don't want to use the HRM, then get rid of it, but be prepared to fully understand what your body is telling you. There are your choices. Now pick one and stick with it for at least 6 months. That should give you plenty of time to deal with your path and understand what you are getting yourself into. If you choose one and get injured while running, post it up and peeps will be here to help.

If you want to use a HRM, you need to know how to use it and you are currently not using it to your advantage.

Care to elaborate on how to take full advantage of the HRM option?

I don't want to start a Low-HR-training-stinks debate, but please remember that the label means many things to many people, which is why I directed you to the user group. At the one extreme, there are people who train exclusively under a particular threshold. For others (most), it's a method of learning to run easily and intelligently. The label begets more debate than it deserves. It's fairly mainstream as a concept. If, on the other hand, you just wanted people to tell you you're fine and just keep doing what you're doing then keep doing what you're doing. Everything's great. Echo echo echo echo

Care to elaborate on how to take full advantage of the HRM option?

You have to do your own research and find a method that you are willing to try. The LHR trainers here have a few methods outlined. Then you can also go to the local Borders or B&N and find all sorts of books on the subject. It was widely known at CR that I am one of the evil LHR trainers, so it might as well be known here. When it comes down to it, you just find a method you want to try and you stick with it to see if it works out for you. Some methods are not even LHR methods. Pfitz has a very aggressive plan for HRM use. I do believe that if you buy a HRM you might as well use it to further your training. If you don't want to use it, eBay it.

Fond and old link. They moved it but it's still there. http://www.teamoregon.com/publication/online/wizard.php

I always assumed those where my slow easy runs, but if you look at my race time my pace is not that much different than my presumed easy runs...

Hmmm. Well, you could try running "easier" for some runs and see how that works. The pace might seem too slow at first, but don't worry about it. FWIW, your "easy" runs on your log are run at a pace definitely faster than my easy runs. Yet your recent 5K race pace is a minute/mile slower than my 4-mile race pace a bit ago (and that was with only 2 hours sleep in the previous 32 hours, during which I ran 2 other relay legs...) FWIW #2, my 4-mile race pace there is 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per mile faster than my easy runs, and that "race HR" was about 30 bpm higher than the "easy run HR". FWIW #3, The teamoregon pace wizard calculator that willamona mentioned is like a lot of other formulas, etc, in that it works for some and not for others. Hint: don't put in a run at "easy" pace into the "Recent Run or Race (Optional)" data entry. When I did that, the results came out all screwed up. Even for the more reasonable results, they had easy runs for me at a higher HR and a pace a minute per mile slower than my easy runs are currently (and I'm not in shape yet...what's up with that). Who knows... There are also some other indicators that some folks use to verify that the pace is easy. One is just breathing only through the nose when running easy (I do that, and could go faster and still not breathe through the mouth.) Another is to note how many steps you take in one respiration cycle. My cadence (easy) is not as high as the purists say it should be, but I still get 7-8 steps per breath. I like to use 7 because it's an odd number and you aren't always breathing in when the same foot strikes the ground (do they say runners are superstitious?) Take it easy...