Hills and Heart Rate

I’m finally coming to terms with my long run pace and HR training. I know you shouldn’t associate a particular pace with a heart rate zone. There are a variety of factors that can affect heart rate. However, the Run With Hal app gives you an “overall” quality letter grade, a “last 9 days” letter grade, and a compliance score with each workout. Sadly, I am motivated to keep my compliance score between 100% and 120% and my letter grade an A.

If I want to earn an A and compliance greater than or equal to 100%, I must run at least 10:30/mile for my base runs and long runs. To reap the benefits of heart rate training, I need to keep it in heart rate zone 2 (Z2). I’m okay on the base runs in my flat neighborhood, but it falls apart on my long runs on the trail.

Last weekend, I stayed in Z2 and averaged 10:28/mi. on the downhill (five miles) and the flat (six miles) and 11:49/mi. on the uphill (five miles). It’s not steep, but the 160-foot ascent over five miles makes me 80 seconds slower per mile. I know that hills affect heart rate training, and I need to accept this fact. I might not hit 100% compliance, and my overall score might falter, but it’s due to the conditions and not to a lack of hard work. Thankfully, the San Jose Rock n Roll Half Marathon is flat, and CIM is downhill.

How has your training been going? Please share in the comments below.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I Received a Job Offer!

Image
This is my 100th blog post. I have gone from a student who did not like to write in elementary school, middle school, high school, and undergraduate school, to a graduate student who tolerated writing a thesis, to a principal who needed to write at least once a week, to someone who writes when he has something to say for fun. I started this blog to share what I have learned and to demonstrate to a future employer that I know how to communicate. I guess it’s appropriate that my 100th article is job-related. I was offered a job! It was a remote job with flexible hours and a six-figure salary in instructional design. Unfortunately, it was a scam. Something felt off from the initial email, but given how AI is used these days, I chalked it up to someone using AI poorly to communicate with potential applicants. Below, I will share the red flags I saw and explain how the scam works so you can protect yourself and your friends and family. Something Was off
Read more

“Let’s go!” vs. “No way!”

Image
I didn’t plan well for my planned pace run. I have learned I am a better runner when training for a race or time trial because I have a plan. Since recovering from injury, I have been running every other day, so 3 to 4 times per week, which roughly constitutes a plan. Last week, I wanted to transition back to running 5 to 6 days a week. I had the following plan in mind. Sun: Recovery Mon: Base Tue: Recovery Wed: Speed Thu: Rest Fri: Pace Sat: Long However, I wasn’t able to get my run in on Wednesday. At the time, I thought it was okay and could flip-flop it with my Thursday rest day. However, on Thursday, I was extremely busy with housework and could not pull myself away for a run. When Friday came, I thought I was ready for a pace run. I figured I hadn’t run for two days; my body must be prepared. I did not account for the fact that I was under-fueled on Thursday and Friday. I failed to comprehend that the housework I did on Thursday was a full-body workout. Friday was also one of the
Read more

Don’t Let Strava Steal Your Low Heart Rate Training Mojo

Image
This is a friendly reminder that what you value might differ from Strava. I have been on the low heart rate bandwagon for a while. By keeping my heart rate low for 80% of my runs, I can develop my aerobic system and allow my body to do more at a lower heart rate. For example, last week, I had my best base run of 2024. I ran 5.2 miles and averaged 10:24/mi. My heart rate average was 138 BPM, and I spent 99% of my time in Z2 or lower. I was stoked to see these statistics at levels I had not seen since training for my last marathon. After I loaded the run into Strava, I scrolled down to the section that indicates when your fitness has increased. I looked, but this run did not trigger the criteria for Strava to show that I improved my fitness. Then, I looked at the relative effort section, and Strava reported that my effort was lighter than my three-week average. I ran further and faster with a lower heart rate, and my effort was lighter; what? I felt great, as if I had improved! I thought
Read more