Left-brain runners who are motivated by technical items and data tracking tell me that they are more motivated when using a heart monitor. Right-brain runners who love the intuitive feel of running find that the post-workout number crunching is often too intense, jolting them out of their transcendental state of running. After talking with hundreds of both types of runners, I came to the conclusion that there are benefits to using a heart monitor, especially for runners who are doing speed training.
Once you determine your maximum heart rate, a good heart monitor can help you manage your effort level. This will give you more control over the amount of effort you are spending in a workout, so that you can reduce overwork and recovery time. As they push into the exertion zone needed on a hard workout, left-brain runners will gain a reasonably accurate reading on how much effort to spend or how much they need to back off to avoid a long recovery. Many type-A runners have to be told to back off before they injure themselves. I’ve heard from countless numbers of these runners who feel that the monitors pay for themselves by telling them exactly how slow to run on easy days and how long to rest between speed repetitions during workouts. Right-brain runners admit that they enjoy getting verification on the intuitive evaluation of effort levels. The bottom line is that monitors can tell you to go slow enough to recover, how long to rest during a speed session, and what your red zone is during a hard speed workout.
All devices have their technical difficulties. Heart monitors can be influenced by local electronic transmissions, and can have mechanical issues. Cellphone towers and even garage door openers can interfere with a monitor on occasion. This is usually an incidental issue, but keep in mind that if you have an abnormal reading—either high or low—it may be a technical abnormality.
Be sure to read the instruction manual thoroughly, particularly the section about how to attach the device to your body for the most accurate reading. If not attached securely, you will miss some beats. This means that you are actually working a lot harder than you think you are.
I suggest that you keep monitoring how you feel at each 5% percentage increase toward your maximum heart rate. Over time, you will get better at the intuitive feel, for example, of an 85% effort when you should be at 80%.
If you are going to use a heart monitor, you should be tested to find your maximum heart rate. Some doctors—especially cardiologists—will do this for you. Other testing facilities include human performance labs at universities, and some health clubs and YMCAs. It is best to have the test supervised by someone who is trained in cardiovascular issues. Be sure to say that you only need a maximum heart rate test, not a maximum oxygen uptake test. Once you have run for a couple of months with the monitor, you will have a clear idea what your maximum heart rate is from looking at your heart rate during a series of hard runs. Even on the hard speed workouts you can usually sense whether you could have worked yourself harder. But until you have more runs that push you to the limits, assume that your current top heart rate is within a beat or two of your current maximum that has been previously recorded.
In general you don’t want to get above 90% of your maximum heart rate during workouts. At the end of a long training program, this may happen for a short period during a speed workout, but your goal is to keep the percentage between 70% and 80% during the first half of the speed workout or longer run, and minimize the upward drift at the end of the workout.
Computing maximum heart rate percentage
For example, if your maximum heart rate is 200, then: |
90% is 180 |
80% is 160 |
70% is 140 |
65% is 130 |
Maximum heart rate for easy days
When in doubt, run slower. One of the major reasons for fatigue, aches and pains, and burnout is not running slowly enough on the recovery and fun days. Most commonly, the rate will increase at the end of a run. If this happens, slow down and take more walk breaks to keep it below 65%.
Maximum heart rate between speed repetitions
To reduce the lingering fatigue that may continue for days after a hard workout, extend the rest interval walk until the heart rate goes down to this 65% level or lower. At the end of the workout, if the heart rate does not drop below this level for 5 minutes, you should do your warm-down and call it a day, even if you have a few repetitions to go.
Maximum heart rate during speed work
Run more smoothly on speed repetitions so that your heart rate stays below 80% during speed work. If you really work on running form improvements, you can minimize the heart rate increase by running more efficiently: keeping feet low to the ground, using a light touch, maintaining quick but efficient turnover of the feet. For more info on this, see the running form chapter in this book, or in Galloway’s Book on Running, Second Edition.
If the chest strap doesn’t interfere with your sleep, you can get a very accurate reading on your resting pulse in the morning. This will allow you to monitor overtraining. Record the low figures each night. Once you establish a baseline, you should take an easy day when the rate rises 5-9% above this. When it reaches 10% or above, you should take an extra day off. Even if the heart rate increase is due to an infection, you should not run unless cleared by your doctor.
Use the two-minute rule for the pace of long runs, not heart rate. Even when running at 65% of maximum heart rate, many runners will be running a lot faster than they should at the beginning of long runs. Read the guidelines in this book for pacing the long runs, and don’t be bashful about running slower. At the end of long runs, remember to back off when your heart rate exceeds 70% of the maximum heart rate. There will be some upward drift of heart rate due to fatigue at the end of long runs. Keep slowing down if this happens, so that you stay around 70% or lower of your maximum heart rate, even during the last few miles.
There are two types of devices for measuring distance, and both are usually very accurate: GPS and accelerometer technology. While some devices are more accurate than others, most will tell you almost exactly how far you have run. This provides the best pacing feedback I know of—except for running on a track—so that you don’t start your runs too fast, etc.
Using more accurate products gives you freedom. You can do your long runs without having to measure the course or being forced to run on a repeated—but measured—loop. Instead of going to a track to do speed sessions, you can very quickly measure your segments on roads, trails, or residential streets with GPS devices. If your goal race is on the track, I recommend that at least half of your speed sessions be run on the track. This relates to the principle of training called specificity.
The GPS devices track your movements by the use of navigational satellites. In general, the more satellites, the more accurate the measurement. There are shadows—areas of buildings, forests, or mountains—in many areas where the signal cannot be acquired for (usually) short distances. You can see how accurate they are by running around a standard track. If you run in the middle of the first lane (not right next to the inside) you will be running about .25 mile.
The accelerometer products require a very easy calibration and have been shown to be very accurate. I’ve found it best to use a variety of paces and a walk break or two on the calibration in order to simulate what you will be doing when you run.
Some devices require batteries, and others can be recharged. It helps to go to a technical running store for advice on these products. The staff there can often give you some gossip on the various brands and devices from the feedback they receive about how they perform in real life.
Timers take the guesswork out of Run Walk Run®. These devices can be programmed to beep or vibrate for the amount of running and then the amount of walking.
Those who have trouble taking the walk breaks early in the runs find that they become like one of Pavlov’s dogs as they reprogram the subconscious brain. You don’t have to stress over walk breaks, just listen for the beep.
One of the benefits of wearing the timer in a race is that the beep will warn other runners near you as you move to the side of the road to take walk breaks. In the beginning of a race, some runners like to use five beeps, and then change to two beeps later in the race.
When running in quiet surroundings or in nature you can use the vibration mode.