Variation in HR vs. RPE etc

Triathlon Forum
1

this is my second season training for tris and the first where i’ve been measuring and logging my workouts w/ a HR monitor. i’m training for oly courses this year and am almost 2 months into my base period.

i went on a short run this morning, and as i looked over the data my trusty little gadget recorded, i was surprised to see that it didn’t seem to square too well with what i’ve been observing to date.

specifically, during the portions of the run where i noticed my breathing was getting heavy and exertion was getting a little high for the type of running i was supposed to be doing, my monitor told me over and over again that i was about 8 or 10 bpm below where i expected to see it .

i know that i shouldn’t get too worked up about exact HR numbers and that there will always be variation in the relationship between HR and perceived exertion, but i couldn’t help trying to figure out what the deal was.

i have lots of theories , some of which make more sense than others, but i was curious if any of you more experienced data junkies have seen consistent patterns in your own training with things that confound the relationship between HR and effort. i mean after all, since a lot of us obsessive-compulsive types are logging plenty of scribbles and graphs along with our miles, it would be nice to help make some sense of them…

2

whats your waking HR? Are you sore? If youre sore at all, its going to hurt more. Most often your limited by muscle strength than the strength of your heart. So it’d be tough to get your HR up. Also, HR fluctuates by stress (emotional and physical), sleep quality and quantity, as well as other things. Dont make HR the sole indicator of difficulty or use that as a measure of your workout. It is just one piece of the pie.

3

Low HR and a high PE could indicate fatigue. With the sniffles, pushing a baby jogger and being dehydrated, your HR should have been elevated rather than low. Check your training log for the last time you had a rest day, or if you’ve increased mileage dramatically. Could be an indicator of overtraining.