Hi ladies,
So I'm on this new training plan, and it has me running often at lower HR zones. Trouble is that running makes my cardiovascular system spike so darned much. I'm not intense enough to do an actual vo2 max test in a lab, but I do field tests for my heartrate and threshold every few weeks. Consistently, my average HR over a 30-minute hard effort is in the 180s. If I run as slow as I can, about 15 minute miles, my heart rate is around 150. The plan tells me my zone 1 is around 104 bpm, zone 2 is around 125 bpm, and zone 3 is around 135 bpm, and that's where most of my training should be.
As most of you know, I'm a shitty runner. I have some hope that I just need to run more and my body will become more efficient and adapt. But, in the meantime, what do I do? Some people suggest a run/walk combo. But keeping my heart rate in zone 2 would mean majority walking, not just run 5-10 mins. and walk 1. For me, it means run 2 mins, walk 3 mins, or something like that. And my heartrate would probably spike and dip fairly dramatically, rather than remaining constant. I'm not sure that's going to get me enough running to meet my goals. Or am I looking at this the wrong way, and should I embrace where I am and start walking more? Should I see if I can run even slower than 15 minute miles? I'm not sure that would be great because I'd probably adopt a wonky form to actively slow down more. Should I just run as slow as I can and try to keep my heart rate down while sticking to the general plan? For instance, if the plan says to run a 10-min warmup in zone 1 and then 20 minutes in zone 2, should I just run as slow as I can?
Formerly GiantNewb, but not such a newb anymore.
So I'm on this new training plan, and it has me running often at lower HR zones. Trouble is that running makes my cardiovascular system spike so darned much. I'm not intense enough to do an actual vo2 max test in a lab, but I do field tests for my heartrate and threshold every few weeks. Consistently, my average HR over a 30-minute hard effort is in the 180s. If I run as slow as I can, about 15 minute miles, my heart rate is around 150. The plan tells me my zone 1 is around 104 bpm, zone 2 is around 125 bpm, and zone 3 is around 135 bpm, and that's where most of my training should be.
As most of you know, I'm a shitty runner. I have some hope that I just need to run more and my body will become more efficient and adapt. But, in the meantime, what do I do? Some people suggest a run/walk combo. But keeping my heart rate in zone 2 would mean majority walking, not just run 5-10 mins. and walk 1. For me, it means run 2 mins, walk 3 mins, or something like that. And my heartrate would probably spike and dip fairly dramatically, rather than remaining constant. I'm not sure that's going to get me enough running to meet my goals. Or am I looking at this the wrong way, and should I embrace where I am and start walking more? Should I see if I can run even slower than 15 minute miles? I'm not sure that would be great because I'd probably adopt a wonky form to actively slow down more. Should I just run as slow as I can and try to keep my heart rate down while sticking to the general plan? For instance, if the plan says to run a 10-min warmup in zone 1 and then 20 minutes in zone 2, should I just run as slow as I can?
Formerly GiantNewb, but not such a newb anymore.