I just started training with a heart rate monitor but am finding it hard to stay in Zone 2 (122-141 bpm) during a 10 mile run. I have the Garmin 310xt with premium heart rate monitor. Today’s run was part of a Brick workout and my average mile was 9:01/mile with an average heart rate of 163bpm (my zone 4). Last week’s 10 mile run was a 9:09/mile with an average hr of 155bpm (my zone 4). 2 weeks ago my 10mile run was a 9:24/mile at 140bpm (my zone 3). These 3 weeks have been part of my Aerobic Stage of training and I was suppose to run at zone 2 (122-141bpm)…just couldn’t run at that pace…seemed too slow. All 3 workouts described were run on the same road. I’m seeing a quicker pace from 2 weeks ago but again I’m also in zone 4 for heart rate. Do my zones need to be recalculated? During interval training from last week I would hit 171bpm for :30 second sprints. I’ve read most of the threads on ST regarding heart rate but any thoughts, guidance or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
According to Garmin my zones are listed below: I’m 31yr old male 184lbs.
Max – 189
Z1 – 110-122
Z2- 122 – 141
Z3 141-154
Z4 154-168
Z5 168 189
Why are you trying to stay in z2? Zone 2 is typically the garbage zone. You either want to be in z1 to build base and endurance or z3 and above for speed and strength. Training in z2 will give you minimal gains.
Also I would not trust the numbers garmin will spit out. Typically z3 is around 89-91% of max HR. And those numbers are not even close. Your best bet if you are planning to use your HR is to find a local place that does lactate and VO2Max tests to find out your exact numbers and have that retested every 3-6 months for optimum performance. They are typically between $150-200 for each test.
I just started training with a heart rate monitor but am finding it hard to stay in Zone 2 (122-141 bpm) during a 10 mile run. I have the Garmin 310xt with premium heart rate monitor. Today’s run was part of a Brick workout and my average mile was 9:01/mile with an average heart rate of 163bpm (my zone 4). Last week’s 10 mile run was a 9:09/mile with an average hr of 155bpm (my zone 4). 2 weeks ago my 10mile run was a 9:24/mile at 140bpm (my zone 3). These 3 weeks have been part of my Aerobic Stage of training and I was suppose to run at zone 2 (122-141bpm)…just couldn’t run at that pace…seemed too slow. All 3 workouts described were run on the same road. I’m seeing a quicker pace from 2 weeks ago but again I’m also in zone 4 for heart rate. Do my zones need to be recalculated? During interval training from last week I would hit 171bpm for :30 second sprints. I’ve read most of the threads on ST regarding heart rate but any thoughts, guidance or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
According to Garmin my zones are listed below: I’m 31yr old male 184lbs.
Max – 189
Z1 – 110-122
Z2- 122 – 141
Z3 141-154
Z4 154-168
Z5 168 189
Are we to assume that your max hasn’t been measured just calculated based on the seldom correct for any particular individual 220-your age?
That’s definitely NOT Aerobic. Assuming you are doing some form of Maffetone which would be 180-Age +/- 5. I’ve been doing this since December- never exceeding 146 for the most part. My 12 mile AM runs (simi-hilly) have dropped from 8:10 to 7:45 in two month at same or lower HR. It just takes time and patience.
Yes, Max HR was calculated off of 220-age. Realizing this is just a calculation how would you calculate what my Z1-Z5 is…seems like i’m way off
You may well have a much higher max than the old equation provides. It was just an average from a large number of people and the standard deviation for the group was rather large. My max is about 175 and I’m 58. Search “finding max heart rate” and you’ll find lots of good advice.
You really want to dial in your HR zones with some form of testing. Max based HR zones are basically typical patterns from larger population in that certain physiological process typically occur between x% and y% of max. Problem is that you might not be in that range even if you get a good max value. It’s my view that since ultimately you want to base zones off an aerobic threshold (however you define it), you should test for that.
I recently added a page to my blog titled advanced running. This is not my work, it cam from Marky V’s blog and was written by Joe Hadd. It will answer your questions about tests to establish max HR and what to do to build your aerobic base with specific guidance.
I was all up in arms about training in certain zones earlier too. I recommend the book Be Iron Fit. It shows how to do a test to gauge your HRM. It also goes into pretty good detail about using different zones to train. Find out your HRM and plug those numbers into your watch. You want to stay in zone 2 and zone 4. Zone 2 will build your aerobic base, zone 4 will help increase the density of the mitochondria, enhancing your ability to transfer oxygen to muscles. According to this book, zone 3 is the garbage zone. Don’t give up on this heart rate training. I was skeptical for a while too, after a few posts I made here, then actually doing it for a few weeks I am really getting the hang of it. It also depends on what you are training for. If it is ironman then you really want to focus on the zone 2 stuff…build your aerobic base…it is a long day out on the ironman course. Message me if you like, I may be able to scan some notes, etc.
I too train using HR zones. My coach and I set them up at a track (Max HR etc). My personal zones are very similar to yours.
My zone 2 is around a 10min pace. Yes, painfully slow. But coach reassures me that it is worth it in the long run. Builds up aerobic base like previous stated.
As others have pointed out you cannot just calculate your maximum heart rate. It is simply not accurate enough. You need to determine it with a test. There are any number of protocols to determine your max. Some involve hill sprinting. Some involve track sprinting. If you truly intend to train by heart rate you must have an accurate reading of your maximum. The rest is meaningless without it