I have been training this year on HR for my running, and I think I have blown the pooch.
This is what I based my HR on… I did an early season 10k trail race… was decent weather, 64F out. Sprinted to the finish chasing my competitor, and I got this:
So I peaked right around 187 at the end. My HR - Age crappy formula says my max HR was 189. So I decided to say 187 seems right, trained off it all year.
Generally, my garmin called me lazy. Would have a hard race, and get a TE of 4. Blew up on my olympic tri bike (yaya no power yet), even though my HR should have been a pretty solid Z3. Boo.
So looking at some other runs I did, I got this run which was kind of a fun 5k with a slowly increasing pace:
Hit 184 here… but this is when my Garmin started messing up. Replaced my HR strap.
So today with my HR strap, I did some .5 mile intervals. Pushed pretty dang hard.
I was hitting 177 at the end of my intervals.
So I am pretty confused. What should I use for my HRM. 187? 177? 10 is a pretty big difference. Is there a chance the 187 was a fluke of a HRM glitch or heat, and 177 is my true HRM? Or is 1/2 mile interval a crappy way to get HRM?
You will have a different HR max for biking, than running and swimming. Your exercise HR can be influenced by a variety of items including ambient temperature. DNA will have a major influence on what your HR max is. The age predicted HR max is not based upon any science and digging deeper one can find a trail going back (1971) to Cardiologist Sam Fox, researcher William Haskin and one other individual I can not remember. The presentation put on Dr. Fox and Haskin was never intended to be used as a basis for age predicted HR max.
As for what you exercise HR should be? Your best performance might influence your thoughts. Good luck.
Your peak HR can, as you note, be influenced by a single glitch, doesn’t matter whether it’s due to your body motion or electrical interference. For training effort determination you’d be better off to use your 10k race average heart rate - that would give you a good indication of your threshold HR, which is more relevant to racing and training than your absolute peak HR.
As noted by the other poster, HR as a gauge of effort (or your capability on that day) is subject to significant variability. In terms of your training, it may be more appropriate to use running speed as an equivalent to power on the bike; use your 10k average race pace to set your training pace targets (and possibly your race pace targets for other distances).
The problem is that it is virtually impossible to hit your max HR. You can virtually always go harder. If you did a series of 4 steep half mile hill repeats and on the last one had someone holding a gun to your puppy’s head unless you went as hard as possible and you nearly saw Jesus at the top, you MIGHT have come within a couple bpm of max.
You’re overthinking this. All of this stuff is ranges and I’m guessing you’re within yours. If you want to narrow it Down go have a stress test performed to exhaustion. Then, use that ‘estimate’ for that day and time to set your ranges.
Do you have any HR data from you’re fastest, most recent HM? If you do, you could use the ave HR of the last 20 minutes as an estimated LT HR and calculate your HR zones from that.
Do you have any HR data from you’re fastest, most recent HM? If you do, you could use the ave HR of the last 20 minutes as an estimated LT HR and calculate your HR zones from that.
Sadly I skipped HMS this year to do tris
I can totally train by pace like I did in 2013. I just like the second opinion of HRM. But I think I input the wrong ranges in Mr garmin.
You should be able to get pretty close to your max HR. I generally do a 30 minute FTP test on the bike, indoors, with a fan going. I have a Computrainer and set up a flat 40Km course. I do a warm up for 20 minutes, based upon what I “think” my max HR is. At the end of my warmup, I am at 90% to 95% of what I think my max HR is. To get to that, I start at about 60%, and hold that, then over the next 5 minutes, get up 70% etc.
I do a bit of a cool down after that warm up, have a gel perhaps and some water. I let my HR drop somewhat, then I start the FTP test. I get my HR up to 90% within a couple of minutes and hold on till the 15 minute mark. If, at that point I think I can finish then I up my effort level for the next 5 minutes. You should feel like you can’t finish. If you feel like you can finish, put out more power. With 10 minutes to go, you should feel like you can’t do it. Now hold on for 5 minutes. With 5 minutes left you should be having problems breathing and you should hurt, a lot and seriously doubt if you can finish. Keep that power level up. With 1 minutes to go, your vision will narrow, you’ll be drooling and can’t do anything about it, the dogs will start barking, your Significant Other will start looking for an AED and time will dilate. At the end, you’ll have problems staying on your bike, in a stationary stand.
Now, if you don’t do that on your bike, then do something similar while running. You need to warm up for 20 minutes or so and then run at a hard pace for 1/2 an hour. THIS WILL HURT. If it doesn’t, you won’t get close to your max. for the last 1/2Km / Mile, Sprint at your maximum. At the end you should be collapsing. If you aren’t, keep going.
Make sure that you look at your watch while you are running. If there is a quick spike, ignore it.
Oh, and make sure you are cleared by your physician for this level of physical activity. This will be much harder than your race pace.
In terms of your training, it may be more appropriate to use running speed as an equivalent to power on the bike; use your 10k average race pace to set your training pace targets (and possibly your race pace targets for other distances).
