Skirt Runner
I got a new Garmin for my birthday, the 220 I got it with the heart rate monitor.
I tried it out for the first time this morning during my speedwork. I started with .75 miles easy pace then did .25 mile intervals with .1-.15 of easy jogging in between. I did 4 intervals of 10K pace and 2 of 5K pace. Then jogged easy for .75. Seems that my heart rate for easy pace is around 140-150. 10K pace was about 180. 5K pace was about 190. According to the standard max heart rate formula of 220-age (29), my max should be 191. Though I was pushing hardish for the 5K intervals I would not say it was even close to all-out. I know the only way to truly figure out your max is a stress test but I'm not looking to go get one just for fun.
I wanted the heart rate monitor to help my training. My previous training plan indicated heart rate ranges for every workout and I was hoping the HRM would be beneficial for my training. But, based on my workout today I really don't know what to assume about my max heart rate or how to use that knowledge to better my training.
Any advice would be helpful....thanks!
PRs: 5K- 28:16 (5/5/13) 10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13) 4M- 41:43 (9/7/13) 15K- 1:34:25 (8/17/13) 10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14) HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14) Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)
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Labrat
220-age is complete junk
Here is why
The start to heart rate training is getting a good close estimate of your maximum.
5K 20:23 (Vdot 48.7) 9/9/17
10K 44:06 (Vdot 46.3) 3/11/17
HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17
FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18
You need to find your true Max HR. Without it, the HR data will be useless and you won't know whether you are running too slow or too fast for the current fitness.
Damaris
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I use a HRM but have never "tested" my max. Last year I hit 185 at the end of a 5K when I was going at an honest, 100% all out, could not possibly go any harder effort. I believe most max HR tests are 20-30 minutes long IIRC, so I figure the 5K would work. So, I use 185 for my max. Last time my vitals were tested at the doc's, my resting HR was 46. I figure it's a little lower when I sleep, so I set the minimum at 42.
Close enough.
<3
How do I test my max without a doctor's office? I'm sure my insurance would likely not approve a stress test not indicated for any medical reason.
Like Baboon suggested, a 5K race (all out) would give you a good approximate of your Max. I calculated my max as being 196 after I ran a PR on a 5K and my max during the race was 191.
Kristin, I'm in the same boat. I got a HRM with my new 310XT, have done a couple of runs with it and have no idea what all the new data means. So I'll be watching this too, hope you don't mind.
Would a 10K be a good indicator or no?
I have one I plan on racing on Sunday. Don't have a 5K planned for a few weeks.
I use the max I hit in a 5k also, 175.
5K plus 5 bpm is about the best easily accessible indicator, take the highest if you really push the last little bit
A 10K will not work to determine max HR, as that is run much closer to the LT pace for most of us.
You can do some hill sprints in training and get a good idea, but need to discipline to REALLY push yourself on them.
Would a 10K be a good indicator or no? I have one I plan on racing on Sunday. Don't have a 5K planned for a few weeks.
Not really. Unless you know for sure that you're running a 10K effort, I don't think it would be.
If a 10k takes about an hour, then divide your max hr. ( one that you maintained for about 1 min) in the race by 0.9 or you can use that number as LT HR in Joe Friel's training. LT pace/hr is frequently considered equivalent to effort you can maintain when racing for 1 hr. (assumption is that LT HR is near 90% HRmax - which may or may not be true, but better than many age-graded formulae)
Consider that most of your training should be below that effort. Most things at harder efforts may need a faster response time than what a harm provides - as in hard interval work periods may not be long enough for hr to get there. When I'm doing harder stuff for 20-60 sec, the higher hr occurs during the recovery.
Also if your prior program was RW, don't be surprised if your results suggest a higher HR than that did. (just my experience from comparing their %VO2max with HR numbers)
Another thing to try is to just use the talk test -the less you can talk, the greater the intensity.
Good luck.
Thanks guys....this has been really helpful. I guess I will use the data from my 10K to approximate for a few weeks and run the rest of my training runs by effort as I usually do and just see what the data shows until my 5K in November. Then I may be coming back for more advice as to what to do with the info once I know my max.
The problem with truly finding your max is that a) you have to run very, very hard to do it (and it's nearly impossible to run that hard on flat ground) and b) you really need to do multiple tests due to inherent error in the monitor. If you really want to find it, here's how.
Run a couple of miles as a warm up. Near the end of your warm up, do some strides to get ready for the hard part. The hard part comes on a hill. Find a hill of medium steepness you can run up for about 2 minutes. Run hard up for those 2 minutes. When you get to the top, run hard down again. When you get to the bottom, turn around and head up again. Harder. When you get to the top, run down hard again. All out hard. At the bottom, turn around and run hard up again. All out. As hard as you can. When you feel like you are going to die and want someone to chop your legs off and your chest feels like it's going to explode, pick it up a notch. Hold this effort as long as you possibly can. Welcome to max land.
I have never trained by heart rate although I have checked plenty of times at the end of runs. Here's roughly where my heart rate will be at the end of runs.
Recovery jog - 120
Easy run - 140
Marathon pace run - 150
Tempo run - 160
VO2max work - 180
My max is around 190
Bear in mind that my heart rate will be higher in hot weather. It's not at all uncommon for my heart rate to end up near 160 on a longer easy run when the weather is brutal.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI
The problem with truly finding your max is that a) you have to run very, very hard to do it (and it's nearly impossible to run that hard on flat ground) and b) you really need to do multiple tests due to inherent error in the monitor. If you really want to find it, here's how. Run a couple of miles as a warm up. Near the end of your warm up, do some strides to get ready for the hard part. The hard part comes on a hill. Find a hill of medium steepness you can run up for about 2 minutes. Run hard up for those 2 minutes. When you get to the top, run hard down again. When you get to the bottom, turn around and head up again. Harder. When you get to the top, run down hard again. All out hard. At the bottom, turn around and run hard up again. All out. As hard as you can. When you feel like you are going to die and want someone to chop your legs off and your chest feels like it's going to explode, pick it up a notch. Hold this effort as long as you possibly can. Welcome to max land. I have never trained by heart rate although I have checked plenty of times at the end of runs. Here's roughly where my heart rate will be at the end of runs. Recovery jog - 120 Easy run - 140 Marathon pace run - 150 Tempo run - 160 VO2max work - 180 My max is around 190 Bear in mind that my heart rate will be higher in hot weather. It's not at all uncommon for my heart rate to end up near 160 on a longer easy run when the weather is brutal.
Holy crap. My heart rate is going up just from reading that!