How Do I Use This Thing?

Increased availability of technology for exercisers has become sort of a blessing and a curse all wrapped into one shiny, wrist-mounted, global-positioning, heart rate-monitoring, tell-me-when-I'm-running-too-hard device. Running with a heart rate monitor/GPS watch can give a runner of any experience level all sorts of information about their workout. From the questions I see asked online, the only problem is that many people just don't know what to do with all that data. So I would like to simplify things and help people out.

To make the best use of a heart rate monitor, one must first determine his or her target heart rate zones for running. There are several formulas available to estimate one's Maximum Heart Rate (MHR), and using one of those formulas is a good place to start, but don't rely on the formula alone. One formula has shown that for 95% of people's estimated MHR lies within a range of 40 beats per minute. If your actual MHR is even 10 beats per minute away from the estimate, all your training zones will be inaccurate as well. The best way to know what MHR really is would be to do a MHR test, which is not always appropriate for everybody, especially those new to exercising.

So, now that I possibly have you regretting spending all that money on an expensive heart rate monitor I'll give you some hope.

If you are a new runner, with a new heart rate monitor and want to start using it, here is my recommendation.
It uses a combination of mathematical MHR formulas, and good old fashioned listening to what your body is telling you.

For a serious breakdown of MHR formulas and a calculator thrown in with it, click here. Now you have some totals on hand for what your MHR might be. Keep in mind this is your maximum heart rate, not your training heart rate. It is very easy to determine your target heart rate in different training zones, and since I am targeting this information at beginner runners, we are going to keep things in the "easy" zone. Keep in mind, that "easy" is a relative term. Easy runs don't always feel easy.

The top end for easy runs is 80% of your MHR. If I am going out to do an easy run, I would take my MHR from that formula and multiply by .8. The formula gave me scores ranging from 179 to 184, so I'll use 181.

181*.8=144.8.

So my target heart rate for an easy run is around 145.

Now for step 2.

I strap on the handy dandy heart rate monitor and go for a light run. I start off really easy, maybe even by walking briskly, gradually increasing my effort until I get up to about 125 beats per minute. When I get to 125, I say the Pledge of Allegiance, or some other paragraph long memorized statement.

Sounds like a strange thing to do, I know, but there is method to my madness. I am trying to find the first ventilatory threshold (VT1). The reason for that is that what these heart rate monitors and percentages are trying to find is at what intensity the lactate starts to accumulate in your blood or the "onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA). OBLA correlates very well with VT1, because when you reach OBLA (Obla dee obla da life goes on). Your respiration has to change to buffer the acidity building up.

If it was easy for me to say the pledge, I increase intensity a bit shooting for 130 BPM. It is much easier to do this in a controlled fashion if using a treadmill, but I really dislike running on a treadmill. When I get to a steady 130 BPM, Pledge of Allegiance.

Every time it is easy to say the Pledge, I try to add 5 to my BPM until I find it "uncomfortable to challenging" to say the Pledge, or whatever paragraph I've been saying. and voila, I have found VT1. My heart rate at VT1 is now my real upper end of my easy zone.

Personally, I don't recommend anything other than easy zone running for new runners, there are lots of adaptations the body needs to make to running, not just your cardiovascular system, but your bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles as well. Don't worry about tempo runs, and VO2max intervals yet, there is a lot of improvement and progress that can be made running just in the easy zone. As a matter of fact, experienced runners should be spending 70-80% of their running in the easy zone.

Now that you have the numbers you need, while it is great fun to look at all the graphs and data after the run, and while it is tempting to try to get Nike plus or whatever program your feeding it into to cheer for your fastest mile, don't let the technology trick you into bad training habits. This is how to use that heart rate monitor.

Set the device to alert you when you have reached your heart rate at VT1. If your heart rate monitor doesn't do that, just look at your heart rate periodically. For the first few weeks, when it beeps, recite your paragraph, if it is easy to do, stay at that effort level, if it is uncomfortable to challenging, ease off a little.