What HR should I expect to hit in Oly and 1/2IM races?

Triathlon Forum
1

My max HR is 183. The highest I let my HR get in training is 155 (about 85%).

I have done 1 olympic race and am on path to do a second and a 1/2IM after that. I can’t tell what level I should be pulling back from as the race is going, though. Should I try to keep the same 85% threshold on these things (the run is really where it starts wanting to get up there), should I allow myself to go higher than that by the end?

And in the 1/2IM, where the bike and the run are so much longer, should I be aiming to hold a rate that is below 85%

Any help would be most appreciated.

2

You should be trying to figure this out in training. You need to do some rides 1-2.5hr in length (to simulate the oly to half) where you maintain the rough same pace from start to finish. Your Hr can fluctate by 5-15 beats in a race from training. HR while a good guide, should be used in conjunction with learning your effort levels.

3

Why only 85% during training and how do you know that is your “threshold”? Did you measure HR for your first Oly and what was it? What is your estimated time as time is a factor. % of MHR is not necessarily a good measure of where you should be training/racing and many will argue it is a terrible measure. Might be good to try the Oly and some training sessions without looking at your hrm and go by feel - see how long you can hold certain levels of perceived effort in your training. Also try to correlate hr with percieved effort. It takes a lot of time and experimentation to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Then when you think you have it figured out, circumstances change (heat, altitude, life stress, fueling mistakes, injuries, etc. ) and you have to improvise.

For the half - Gordo has a good article on his site for first time half pacing and if I remember correctly there may be some HR guidance.

4

Also remember, you are RACING. I was tired and “overtrined” today for an OLY race and I hit 190 during some hills - hey, I’m racing and it was hot. I hate leaving anything on the course. If you are asking about pacing, you have to figure that out from your tempo runs during training with your HRM. I was over 180 on the run the whole way - my max (tested) is 195 (age 35)

5

Shit how do you guys get your heart rates so high? highest i go in a race that isnt swimming is 169-170 at parts of a half marathon.

6

well, 2 ways: mainly GO FASTER/HARDER and it will get there. Or in my case today, be tired, overtrained and hot (that way the HR is hight AND you don’t go fast ;(

7

I believe you asked that question before when one of these threads came up. It is individual. A local guy who was a former pro has a max of 170 - mine is around 195 and the dude smokes me - we’re the same age (38). I assume you were all out in the 1/2 mary and if so then you are just one of those people who have a low max hr and if not … then you are just a slacker :slight_smile:

8

I use a calculated HRMax of 192. Seems to work decent for me.

I did a solo Oly the other day, and my highest was 186 towards the end. At that point I was using RPE, and I felt tired, but comfortable (after battlin’ a cramp). I did not take any hydration on the run b/c I wanted to do “hands free running” (won’t make the same decision again). My HR on the bike was 156, on the run 170.

Bike 1:37:49 27.6 miles 16.93mph (my fastest over this distance) avrHR 156.

Run: 1:06:40 6miles 11:07min/mile avr HR: 170 (again, walked a cramp out for a bit)

5 days later I did this long brick –

Bike – 2:31:11 36.48 miles 14.48 mph Avg HR: 133

Run: 38:13 4.00 miles 9:33 min/mi Avg HR: 162

I was scheduled to take the run at a slower pace (relative, as 9:33 IS a slow pace for most), but damn it felt good to run like that (for me) coming off the bike. And no harm done, the next day I went on a 2:30 run (12.4mi) and felt fine (10min run, 2min walk, repeat).

Sorry for all the rambling … what this tells me is for the 1/2IM, I’m going to need to follow a guide of going around 15mph and keeping HR around(or under) 150, and I’ll need to make hydration on the run my main priority.

Tomorrow, I have a 4h bike, 30min run brick, which I hope to learn something more about 1.2IM bike pace.

Note: The highest I have ever seen on my HRM was 190 when doing interval sprints with a buddy that was getting ready for semi-pro football.

As long as I don’t get a HR reading of “0” on my HRM during my 1/2 race … I’m fine. =)

9

max hr for swimming using a 6 second count x 10 was around 210. that was 10 years ago though. max hr doesnt change does it?i just dont seem to have the higher end anerobic (for short swim distances ie over 50m-200m) or aerobic capacity anymore. im asking my body to do it but it just wont respnd.

10

I would think your max HR would decrease over time. It would only seem to make sense. But what do I know…
Answer: Not much. :wink:

11

YES! Your max heart rate will decrease with age (eventually). That does no necessarily mean that you will be any “slower”, this is just a fact of life.