HR zones

[Joe]

Another question, since it looks like I'm in the right place for expert advice...

I find I finish most of my runs at 180 bpm (best estimate is 90% max based on most formulas, though I've never tested my max).  This puts me in the anaerobic zone most of the time.  My runs aren't yet long enough that I can't stay there the whole time.  Am I missing out on the aerobic benefits of the lower HR zone or do you still get the benefits of "lower zones?"  Once my runs get longer, I'm sure I'll be in the 70-80% range more often, but I'm curious if I'm cheating myself out of aerobic benefits by running harder or just missing out on the miles that the lower HR would afford.  Or, should I not pay any attention to it and just put in the miles?  Thanks for the help.

Joe

[Sasha Pachev]

Joe:

You get more aerobic benefits by running at a higher HR for the same period of time assuming it does not overtrain you. However, there is a catch. As HR increases the amount of distance you can cover at that effort without the risk of overtraining decreases. So the logical approach, if you feel feisty enough to push your HR, and then still feel good to do it again the next day, and the next day, and so on is to run more miles at a slower pace instead.  I would be fairly confident to apply this rule to almost anybody who runs less than 10 miles a day 6 days a week. After that, things get a little muddier, and you need to look for a balance between running faster and running more, but from your training data in the blog it does not appear you have to worry about that yet.

[Joe]

That answers my question.  I'm trying to add mileage slowly for now since I'm in it for the long-haul and not really training for anything.  I think I can probably add a day of ez running with no problems.  Thanks!

[Matthew Rowley]

Joe, I wouldn't worry about your heart rate, just put in the miles at a comfortable pace.  For a little fun push the pace every once in a while so you can see what you can do.  I don't know if I should be giving advice because I have only warn the heart rate monitor once and didn't like it.  Use the heart rate monitor for recording effort and comparing workouts.   The heart rate monitor can be used to see if you are not recovered after a hard workout.  Other then that just have fun and enjoy running.

[Sasha Pachev]

Matt - good point. HR readings should always be taken with a grain of salt! For two reason:

a) HRM is not like your watch. Things like electrical interference and poor conductivity between the EKG sensor and your body can produce inaccurate readings quite frequently.

b) Even if the readings are accurate, it is difficult to know what the right HR should be on a particular day in a particular workout unless you know your body very very well and have been running with the HRM for a while.