Runners' Training With a Heart Rate Monitor

I purchased a Garmin Forerunner 110 in July. I purchased the “bundle” which means that there was a heart rate monitor included, but it took me nearly six weeks before I bothered to start playing with the thing. I don’t know – somehow it intimidated me. Then I started reading up.

Training with a heart rate monitor takes a lot of the guesswork out of training. If you’re one of those people that would rather just run for the fun of it, click on another link. However, if you’re a freak for gadgets and want to improve overall fitness and learn to train at the proper pace, heart rate monitor training is for you. 

How to Do It

1)     First, find your maximum Heart Rate (MHR)
There are two ways to find your MHR – manually and with your heart rate monitor.

Manual Method:
Apply the formula -  205 – (.5 X your age) = MHR

With your Monitor:
Do an easy 10 minute warm up. Be well hydrated and rested.

Run hard and fast for 2 – 3 minutes. Jog back to your starting point. Repeat two times, running a little harder and faster each time. Then on the last repeat, run like you are in the Olympics.

Check your heart rate during and immediately after the third repeat. The highest number you see on your monitor is your MHR.

2)     Using the Numbers
The idea here is that your various workouts (long run, tempo, hills, fartlek, intervals) should push your heart rate to a particular percentage of your MHR in order to gain the most training benefit. Also, your heart rate monitor can prevent you from over-training on your easy run days. Once you’re been monitoring your heart rate for a while through a variety of workouts, you accustom yourself to what each effort level feels like – you’re not tied to the monitor forever.

OK, so what about those numbers?

If you have downloaded training plans form the Internet, you will notice that many of them tell you something like “run at a 65% effort.” That effort level is related to your MHR.

Here are some general guidelines for different kinds of training runs:
Recovery, long, or easy runs – 65% to 75%
MHR
Tempo runs - 87% to 92% MHR
Interval repeats (shorter bursts of speed during your run) - 95% MHR

3)     Some Workouts To Try
It may sound like a lot of work, but monitored workouts can actually be a lot of fun – particularly if you track your progress over time.

            Beginners:

As a beginner, target 60 – 75 percent of your MHR for the majority of your workouts.

First, determine your maximum heart rate as explained above. 75 percent of your MHR will be your upper limit, 65% of your MHR your lower limit. Plan to run 20 minutes total. Start running until you hit your upper limit heart rate, then walk until it's back down to your lower limit. Run again up to 75 percent, then walk until you hit 65 percent. Continue this way for the entire 20 minutes. Over time, you’ll find yourself running more and walking less as your fitness improves.

To stay motivated, try this: choose a running speed that feels right to you and run a timed mile, monitoring your heart rate. Repeat the same mile a month later and then 2 months later. Your heart rate running that same mile will be lower over time as your fitness improves. Record your heart rate in your training log so you can track your progress over time.

Intermediate:
 
If you’ve been running for a while and have a solid mileage base, your heart rate monitor will be a great companion for more challenging workouts. Preset a heart rate if your device allows it for tempo workouts, which will prevent you from going too fast (a common mistake). On long runs, you should aim for 65 -75% of your MHR. Be sure to stay below 75% on your easy run days (no over-training).

For an excellent training workout, try “the ladders.” This workout progresses through a range of heart-rate zones. After 10 minutes of jogging, run 4 minutes at 70 to 80 percent of your MHR, 3 minutes at 80 to 90 percent, 2 minutes at 90 to 95 percent, and finally 1 minute above 95 percent. Finish with 10 minutes of easy jogging. If you need something a little easier, decrease the amount of time you spend in each zone by a minute. For a more challenging workout, do the ladder two or three times.

The Garmin line of GPS enabled watches with heart rate monitors make it easy to track your heart rate during workouts and store the information through their Garmin Connect website. However, Garmin can be fairly pricey. No worries. There are plenty of good heart rate monitors out there that won’t set you back a week’s pay. Check HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com for recent models and pricing.

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