So, today was training session 1 of my 12 week block. Starting off simple - supposed to be a Z2 run for 20-30 mins.
Now, based on my calculation - triple checked (read: still probably wrong) my max HR is 185. Fine, that means my Z2 is between something like 137-147. So, before my run I threw on the trusty apple watch, fired up Strava, and wrote ‘35-50’ on my hand so I wouldn’t forget (I’ve never done a zone run before).
For about the first…half-mile I was dedicated slow-and-steady. I felt like I was crawling. But, about the mile mark I had blown my HR up. By the end of my run (25 mins) my average HR was 169 - way off. Now, I didn’t say ‘screw it’ and just run wild. I tried to keep a steady, measured (slower than test) pace and really focus on even breathing and not get tired.
Other notes about my run today:
Outside
94 degrees / 42% humidity
Overall elevation gain of 150ft
…I also had tacos with my kids about an hour before.
So, I’m curious as to what happened. Does anyone have any strategies to recover the HR zone mid-run or cycle? I don’t think I could have ‘slowed the pace’ any more without walking.
So, today was training session 1 of my 12 week block. Starting off simple - supposed to be a Z2 run for 20-30 mins.
Now, based on my calculation - triple checked (read: still probably wrong) my max HR is 185. Fine, that means my Z2 is between something like 137-147. So, before my run I threw on the trusty apple watch, fired up Strava, and wrote ‘35-50’ on my hand so I wouldn’t forget (I’ve never done a zone run before).
For about the first…half-mile I was dedicated slow-and-steady. I felt like I was crawling. But, about the mile mark I had blown my HR up. By the end of my run (25 mins) my average HR was 169 - way off. Now, I didn’t say ‘screw it’ and just run wild. I tried to keep a steady, measured (slower than test) pace and really focus on even breathing and not get tired.
Other notes about my run today:
Outside
94 degrees / 42% humidity
Overall elevation gain of 150ft
…I also had tacos with my kids about an hour before.
So, I’m curious as to what happened. Does anyone have any strategies to recover the HR zone mid-run or cycle? I don’t think I could have ‘slowed the pace’ any more without walking.
M
You sure your zones are right? ~137-147 should be Z3 based on your max
How ofter do you run? Session 1 in 12W block,… but did you do any running before or you had break for a while?
Edit:
150ft of elevation and tacos even 1 hour before, was definitely not best idea for Z2 workout.
Tacos are fairly heavy food. So i would eat them at least 2 hours before if not even 3. Mainly because you are planning to do Z2 workout. If i would go on bike, then i would eat them 1 or maybe 2 hours before.
I had a similar thing happen on my run yesterday. I was doing easy pace and my heart rate was reading crazy high. Then when I’d walk it would drop 20-40bpm in just a second or two.
I figured it out pretty quickly-the battery in my heartrate strap was going bad. So I pulled my chest strap down to my waist where it’s more comfortable and just used perceived exertion as a guide for the rest of my run. If I can run with breathing just through my nose then that is my pace. Once I need to breathe through my mouth I’m going too hard.
I keep a nice supply of 2032 batteries on hand for my HR strap and power meter.
Like the poster above, my first thought would be cadence lock on your HR monitor unless you are very out of shape. If you are going to be using HR as a guideline for your training I would either get a separate optical HR monitor or chest strap. I know a lot of people don’t like (not accurate enough for them) optical HR so the chest strap might be best if you are going to use it for more than just recovery runs/rides.
If you can’t spend the cash on a chest strap then I would do some testing during your next run. Maybe stop and take your pulse to see if it matches the HR reading. Maybe mess with the tightness of the watch on your wrist until you get accurate readings.
Hey m_hoop,
that sounds weird, especially that your avg. HR was 169!! That was very high outside temperature for a run, and that elevation is also something to consider. What was your perceived exertion, or your subjective feel? This could be important in case you had a technical problem as somebody already mentioned above.
Do you have any recent data that you could compare to this one?
As far as I know there are no tricks and hacks how you can recover the HR, other than to slow down enough. Normally (for a steady tempo, terrain and environment) your HR will jump higher then usual in the first few seconds to a minute, and then it will settle down to a stable value. After that it will slowly creep up - slower or faster depending on your form.