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Heart rate monitor training
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Groovy - I have been do HR training for 3 weeks and have already seen a 30 second per mile improvement. However last night it was slower again so I put it down to the heat.
Like your approach, its exactly what I do except I use WLR site to track my intake and also use their calorie calculations to apply a calorie value to my activity which I can lift straight from my TC download. I find there calorie to be a little more conservative then SportTrack, and way more realistic compared to the laughable values you get from Garmin.
I don't diet anymore, but I do count calories and take note of what I eat and what I burn cycling, running and playing footie. It keeps me on track, and if I have a day where I eat what I want I know I can take a couple of days to get my weekly calorie target back on track. Currenly I'm eating 2300 calories per day (13 stone 11pounds - lost nearly 6 stone in the last 14 months) plus whatever exercise I do increases the number of calories I eat as well. I usually can't eat the full daily calorie recommended intake, but for the week I'm not too far below. I've been losing a pound a week that way.
All good fun, and it does get a bit addictive. Oh my god, I'm turning into a geek............
Dex.
FitDay is on my laptop, so it goes with me most places which is handy.
Its good to know someone else on here is doing the same. You are right, its not about what you would call a typical diet, its just keeping things in balance and accounting for everything you consume and do.
I find I can usually get through a day knowing almost exactly what my calorific intake was even without the software, as I'm so used to what is in what.
6st in 14 months, crikey thats good going, I don't think I have 6st to lose :-). My immediate goal is as I said, get down to a safe weight for the knees, which I know to be about 15st 9 and below. Almost there like, weighed in at 15st 12 this morning. After that I'll probably set a mini goal of sub 15, like 14st 13 or summat.
I've not been able to sustain sub 15 for the last 4 years to be honest, something always comes up, and you know what its like when you start feeling better, you wanna just ease off, but sometime that means breaking to hard and coming off the rails. So I'd be happy to stay there for a while, and then drive down in a concerted effort to my ideal weight of about 14st.
Having said that, I'm more concerned about body fat % really, as that would be the figure that ties it all together, but typically I know they almost come hand in hand when exercising and losing weight. I'm probably looking at getting to the mid teens, ie not buff, just right.
I was having a mid-life crisis (hit 40) last year and knew I needed to do something so I was highly motivated. Although, I didn't think I'd do as well as I have done.
RHR was 70 ish, now 45 ish
Body Fat was 38%, now 18% - still more to do here, I'd like to get to 15%
Took up running and now doing between 50-60 miles per week.
I'm saved ;-)
Dex.
groovy - the heat makes quite a difference.
I guess I'm just not a morning person
30 second improvment in 3 weeks thats really good.
I'm sure I read somewhere you shouldn't see any improvments for about 6 weeks am I wrong?
Heart rate was consistently up at about 163-167 which was a little bit much. I was alright during the run, but once I'd stopped I felt boiling and took about 15 minutes in a cold shower to feel normal :-)
Probably go out at about 8-9pm tonight :-D
Maintained 155-159 for most of the 1hr session at 11min/mile, which is getting slightly faster which is nice. Can notice the extra effort needed in the legs, which I imagine as the HR goes down they'll need more adjustment to the effort.
Its been really good though this HRM training, and I'm really enjoying it and seeing almost scientifically slow progress. Can't wait to get another couple of weeks behind me and see where I'm at.
See y'all tomorrow :0D
i've just got the idiots guide and my ceiling etc are exactly the same as snaps.
i'm finding that i can happily keep even pace (9min/m) for 6-7 miles then i lose a minute a mile. furthest i'm running at present is 9 miles.
is this usual and should it even out for the remainder of the long run as i progress?
i can get down to 6.30 pace in the hard effort but only for a mile then the second one about 6.50, hoping this will hold for longer if i stick with it too.
Could this drift be due to the increased heat? Maybe if you ran on a cold day your HR wouldn't rise during the last mile or so?
I seem to remember Pantman saying that you should run at a particular pace till you can do 3 circuits of a 5k course with no cardiac drift??? And then increase your pace for future runs.
the heat has been a bit of a factor but i try to go before it's too hot.
the later miles going slower has been happening pretty much since i started monitoring it, a month or so ago, though the overall run is one to two minutes quicker in total.
i guess on the pantman rule i'm still half way round the third lap.. patience etc
However, I'm not sure when you should look to increase the heart rate?
I regard HR as a guide to pace and so allow an extra 5bpm if I have to run in the heat of the day.
Both of these issues drive your HR up for the same pace you might do on a cooler day, simply because your heart is having to pump more blood around your body to feed your running muscles, cool you down and keep you hydrated as you lose fluid due to the fact your running and sweating.
In terms of HR training, I consider my HR to be like the rev counter in my car, I'm not looking for an improvement on each run, but I am looking for an overall trend towards faster times over a period of months. And, thats what I've seen so far, I ran 17 miles on Saturday at 9.11min/mile pace in 28 degrees, whereas two months ago, I ran 8 miles at 10.19min/mile pace and it was a lot cooler. I think thats a good measure of improvement, and an indication to me that my training is working.
I think you just got to accept that you will be running slower if you stick to your HR training for the same pace in the heat. But as you make more medium term comparisons you should see an improvement. Those of you who have only recently started training as its gotten hotter, will probably see big reductions as you run in cooler weather. Your body will still, presumably, make the physiological adaptations you are seeking even though you are running slow. Just do lots more miles if you have the time.
I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm incorrect with my understanding above.
Dex.
the choice is whether to accept that and keep to the HR or push a few beats harder to keep the same pace.
attempting to do max test today on hills
Stu pot - I'm pleased to find someone else who adds a few BPM when the conditions so indicate
We did a club run with our beginners last night in 29 degrees and none of them had more problems running between 7:10 and 8 minutes a mile than they do running more slowly in cooler conditions; they just sweated a bit more! OK, we only ran 5 miles or so, but hey ... (They didn't know the pace BTW)
I wish I could say the same for myself. This will be my 7th week of doing runs below 70% and I've not really seen any improvement all miles seem to fluctate between 10:00/min miles and 9:45/min miles. Mind you I guess it's been hotter the last few weeks so I could of seen some improvement but not noticed it due to the heat slowing me down. Well thats what I'm hoping...lol!!
Patience is the key
Its working for me.
Dex.
Thats a great improvement. Just out of intrest what sort of average pace do you run at now when your not running at 70%? Also what sort of long runs are you doing?
I'm guessing where I might be going wrong is that the longest run i do is about 9 miles.