Explain heart rate and pace to me

elvis jones

Hi all,

New to all this and all i look at is my time for a run.

I'm aiming to do 10KM, then 10M, then half marathon and building to Cork 2010.

But i'd love to know the basics about heart rate and pace to bring myself forward.

I know that my last 3M was 9.5 min per mile, thats about all i know ????

DangerMouse27

Ok well firstly you need to get your maximum heart rate..which is 220 minus your age..so if your thirty,your max heart rate is 190bpm.
Next you need to look at what zone your running in..which is as follows..

...ie.. 60-70% of your max heart rate
60-70% develops basic endurance(plus fat burning)
70-80% develops the ol cardiovascular system
80-90% is lactic acid system
90-100% the red line!! fast twitch stuff..fast sprinting

Hope this helps!

elvis jones

Ok and what should i be aiming for after i work that out........

DangerMouse27

Well more endurance runs..maybe forget about the pace and focus on the distance for a few of them...il email ya in a sec.

elvis jones

Cheers !!

Its like that line that Denzel says...............explain it to me like i'm a 4 yr old:p

tunney

Just go out and run, enjoy it, don't worry about times or HRs or pace, just have fun. After a while of this then look at it again.

elvis jones

tunney wrote: »

Just go out and run, enjoy it, don't worry about times or HRs or pace, just have fun. After a while of this then look at it again.

Good idea, keep it simple:D

chez-moi

I tried the whole HR thing during the summer for the marathon. Was tring to keep HR at around 75% for majority of run. That was around 140 bpm. It gets very frustrating and I felt slowed me down. As mentioned a few times relaxing and enjoying it is the most important thing.

I still use the HRM but only as a rough guide, ie if I'm doing 800m intervals on my own I use to make sure I'm putting the effort in. It can help to keep you honest.

getfit

tunney wrote: »

Just go out and run, enjoy it, don't worry about times or HRs or pace, just have fun. After a while of this then look at it again.

100% agree with this. Just enjoy your running to begin with. HR training is a tool you can add into your training as you progress. As a newbie, the main focus is fun. Worrying about HRs and times will just suck the fun out of it.

You need to learn about running and how to run before you bring proper HR training into the mix. For example, after a while you will know what maximum effort is like and by putting on a heart rate monitor for a session like that you will learn your max HR. Using the 220-age is a very raw method and is never/rarely correct. My max is 196, 220-30 says it should be 190. Woddle knows his max is the 205 area and the 220-age has him at close to 190 also!

People use the HR training differently. Chez-moi described how it "keeps him honest" and makes sure he puts in the effort. I come from a more masochistic mindset and would run flat out in every session if I was let. The heart rate monitor keeps me in check and slows me down.

ecoli

Word of warning

Things which may influence your heartrate
Amount of sleep
Weather
hydration levels
stress

given all these HRs should be taken as guidelines and not set paces.Some people find these to be really good i myself dont find it too useful

BenEadir

Hi all,

I recently completed the C25K program and now do 5k 3 times a week in the Gym + 10mins on the rower. (Not a big deal relative to others I know but big enough for me!!)

I'm 42, 183cm and 95kg. I also have hypertension (high blood pressure) and have been on medication for it for 15 years. Lifestyle and fitness are a key part of managing hypertension and as I get older I can see that if I don't build regular fitness and a good diet into my lifestyle I'll end up seriously overweight and heading for serious health problems.

Towards the end of my run today my HR was 160. 1 minute into the warm down (5.5km walking pace) it was 140 and 3 mins into the warm down (same 5.5km pace) it was 120. My resting HR (sitting on couch doing nothing for 30 minutes) is 65 but I don't know how long it takes for my HR to return to that after a run.


My question here in relation the heart rate when training is what should I be aiming for? 220 - my age gets me to 178 so 160 is 90% of that. Does that mean I'm training properly? Does it mean I'm still not that comfortable running 5k? (If I was should my HR not be 150 or so?)

Is the fact that I'm on Micardis a factor? Does that put some sort of speed limiter on my HR?

I'd appreciate any feedback on the above.

Ben

littlebug

I wouldn't go by 220 minus age for max HR. There are huge individual variations. I'm 40 and my max is 204. Others more experienced than me can advise on methods to find out your max. You should ask your doc about the medication to be on the safe side.

menoscemo

Firstly your MaxHR may or may not be 178; 220-age is not at all accurate. The only way to find out your real max HR would be to do a max HR test (several hill sprints in a row to the point of almost collapse and take the highest reading).

There is no problem with being at 160 or 90%max HR at the end of a 5k run, it is not too high or too low, you have nothing to worry about. It is healthy to push yourself up near max HR. If you think it is too high, just run a bit slower.

papac

220 - my age gets me to 178 so 160 is 90% of that.

I am 45. 220 minus my age is 175. my actual max heat rate is 204.High-but not that unusual.

Moral of the story- 220 minus age is b0llocks.:)
Imo if you want to train by heart rate you must do a maximal hr test.

Edit. Beaten to it.

BenEadir

Thanks Lads. I think I'll keep it simple, enjoy my runs and build up to 10k as I'd like to do 4 x 10K's a year to a) raise a few quid for a charity and b) give myself some focus.

Next steps are:-

1. Get out of runnung in the gym and onto the road/path.
2. Pick some 10K's to do. I'd like to do 2 in the Dublin area and 2 down the country which should be Saturday races so I can bring the family down Fri night, do the race Sat morning and make a family weekend out of it.

Is there a website or thread on here with a comprehensive list of 10K's per annum in Ireland?

Ben

littlebug

www.runireland.com has a comprehensive list of races. Best of luck:)

RayCun

BenEadir wrote: »

Is there a website or thread on here with a comprehensive list of 10K's per annum in Ireland?

If you keep an eye on the events forum you'll see listings and discussions of upcoming races. There doesn't seem to be a completely comprehensive calendar anywhere, because some races are organised by clubs, others by private companies, and they don't all list in the same places. racepix has a calendar, runireland has another, I don't know how much their listings differ.

Just look in the events forum, there's a 10k in Meath in June, and a 10k in Parkwest in July. If you're flexible on the distance, there's a 6.5k in Kilmainham in July too, and the Adidas race series 5 mile (8.5k).

One other way of estimating your max HR btw would be to check it at the end of a race. If you've run as hard as possible and are ready to vomit when you cross the line, you're probably close to your max HR.

BenEadir

Hi Ray,

I've signed up for the Adidas 5M on July 17th and the Parkwest 10K on July 25th. If I can get through those two I'll be a very happy bunny.

Thanks for the help.

Ben

RayCun

good luck, and have fun.

JosDel

check out http://www.runireland.com/event/enter-online

sorry for the dup link

hot to trot

heart monitor training for the compleat idiot( correct spelling of title) by Parker is worth a read. Wont take you all night to read it either but is comprehensive and is of great help in getting the most from training without injury.
Go get it. great investment