Running

[muppet]

First outing with the heart rate monitor this evening after work. After a 9 day layoff, still not feeling 100% and a few pains from being pressed into junior football action last Sunday I was worried I would have a bad outing. Made a balls of my calculations and aimed to keep under 160 bpm. Was going to do 7k with the option of 10k if it was going ok. It was seriously slow!!!!! However, it felt great once I got into it and I went on and covered the 10k. Probably a bit too much coming back off a break but feck it, I'll be sound.

Think I should have been aiming at 170 ish (220-38-60)*0.9 + 60 = 169.8 which would probably have had me around a minute to 90 secs/mile slower than my best 10k pace but in the circumstances it was probably no harm to keep the effort at a lower rate.

By the ay it worked perfectly. I just used it to see what my heart rate was, didn't bother setting target zones etc.

I'll bow to the other lads knowledge on here, but running at 90% or 170 as you calculated would be race pace I think. Running at 82% (by my calculations) or 160 bpm would be still close to race pace territory. I know it sounds mad but the recovery stuff would be slower at 70% or 145 bpm maximum. If you thought 160bmp was slow wait till you run at 145.

[magpie seanie]

Ah jaysus - I'd still be fecking running if I kept it down to 145!

[muppet]

Ah jaysus - I'd still be fecking running if I kept it down to 145!

That is the idea behind the recovery runs. I am now up to 5 days a week. 3 of those are probably recovery runs and the times for them now match my PBs from 3 months ago.

[Bingo]

If you doing a recovery run, would your distance not be much lower? 4/5/6km be the height of it when I do them. I'd throw in 8 80m strides at the end of the run - 80m sprints that focus on running form. Great leg and lung opener and over that distance very doable.

Not every recovery run but every other one is grand.

[imtommygunn]

90% is basically as fast as you can go seanie which in my view is too fast for a training run.... You go anaerobic and are too wrecked to get real value...

70% and below is a recovery run. It seems slow to begin with but give it a blast for a while. While it feels slow your fitness willl benefit massively massively from it and you will speed up in no time.145 seems abiut right.

Fyi 80-85% is what's known as a tempo run. 20-25 minutes of that once a week is enough however these are much better after getting the fitness up with 70% ..

Bingo recovery is just about low effort levels. I would do 6 or 7 mile recovery but all relative to mileage i guess...

[Milltown Row2]

My average heart rate for half marathon was 147bpm and that was for a decent (for me) time. Cardio wise I was well able to carry on, legs/joints was different matter altogether.

[Mayo4Sam]

LL, you can reverse engineer it.
The next time you race a 5k wear the HRM, whatever u go at there is ur lactate threshold, work it out from there

[imtommygunn]

Your race pace isn't lactate threshold pace... If it is you're not racing hard enough!!

[magpie seanie]

Seanie Im not sure if those watches we bought are calibrated correctly.
I went for a run tonight and the watch was telling me I was in 92% zone. I was only running at just over 6 minute km which felt very slow,but no matter how much I slowed the watch never dropped below about 80%.

As far as I can make out the watch calculates your maximum heart rate from the info you enter ie age,height and weight.
I don't think from what I have been reading that this is a accurate way of calculating max HR.

I'm guessing if the watch is off then so will the displayed heart rate.
As of yet I can't find anywhere on the watch to input your max hr manually.

Yeah - the % shown on the watch is % of your max heart rate.

I'll stick with it and we'll see how it goes.

[WT4E]

Thanks Ballinaman

I'm going to target under 40 - hopefully I can do it!

Jebus man there will be a thousand people behind you! And that is assuming only 1,500 start.

Sorry dunno think the Irish Runner title put me off when I read it to myself again after I booked it. Started to think 'Irish runner' and picture myself with 300 athletes all doin this in under 30.

But I'm more calm now.

I'm about 1 month into the running (with a reasonable base of fitness due to previous football training). I did a six mile run last Friday in 48.04 (5 mile split 40:28) so assuming the course is not mental tough I would say its a very doable time for me.

Hopefully!

I'm going back ways in my times however I didn't get out for a week because I was getting over man flu as the missus puts it.

Ran 6.25 mile last night 52:50 (5 mile split 41:37). I doubt if I will be able to go sub 40:00 within two weeks now! 

[imtommygunn]

I wouldn't beat yourself up about it...

Sub 40 is a very tough goal and one that not that many people get. You need to put in a fair bit of work at the running to be hitting times like that.  If you don't get it this time it's something to aim for at least.

[Bingo]

WT4E,

I'd also add that if you going for each run and targeting running at race pace and race distance, you will struggle to improve. This will mean you are always running at a hard pace and this will make recovery harder and result in tiredness and fatigue when you do your next session.

I'd advise slowing down, mix up the training a bit and build on the mileage. You need a structure to the training. 

[imtommygunn]

D'oh 40 minutes for a 5 miler.

Ignore me - slightly more manageable - hadn't read back and thought it was 10k!!

[WT4E]

So do you think could I knock 2 mins off that in 2 weeks?

I was feeling pretty happy before I had to stop for a week.

Bingo,
I'm using a running programme which ranges from 3 - 8 mile over 5/6week period with rest days etc too - just happened to be the 6 mile run last night.

[Bingo]

So do you think could I knock 2 mins off that in 2 weeks?

I was feeling pretty happy before I had to stop for a week.

Bingo,
I'm using a running programme which ranges from 3 - 8 mile over 5/6week period with rest days etc too - just happened to be the 6 mile run last night.

You'll be grand then. Its very achieveable and in a race situation you can generally get extra outa of yourself. I'm sure you've been told the golden rule when racing is to control the pace at the start, not go slow but stay within your required pace. Too fast too soon can take the wind outa the sail for later in the race.