Finally got a heart rate monitor for running. I've been trying to run without one, and doing abysmally. Oh, I can go for an hour on the eliptical trainers and such, but as soon as I'd go outside on the track, I'd be puffing like a steam locomotive and get terrible leg cramps by 2-3 miles.
So.... I got a heart rate monitor. I'd read a lot about training with them, aerobic rates, oxygen deprivation, etc. Got it, and went for a run with it. Trying my darnest to stay in the aerobic level.
WENT 5 miles! I only stopped because I've NEVER run that far. Certainly wasn't any sort of speed record, but I ran it. When I stopped, I felt like I could do it all over again. Amazing!
Hard as heck to go slow enough to keep the heart rate down. In fact I hardly ever had it all the way down, but I kept it in the 145-160 range the whole time. Which meant some of the time I ran like a feeble old man, but I kept moving and feeling good.
Didn't do any interval or fartlek training stuff, but I think I'm further along on the readiness for that than I'd have ever guessed. I'll start trying that tomorrow morning.
Oh yea, 145 lbs! Ran my first run Wednesday (it was only a 1 mile fun run), and lifting more weights than I've ever lifted before. Woho!
From experience, if you can keep your heart rate low while you run, you will speed up. A year ago, I would struggle to keep my heart rate at 150-155 at 11min miles for 4 miles, now I can do that at around 9:00 for 10 miles.
If you over do it, you'll never speed up or gain endurance. So keep the HR in check, do speed work once a week, and before you know it, you'll be able to run a half marathon.
I <3 HR monitors.
Eric
As a former track & field athlete (fifteen years) and former high school track coach (five years), both aerobic and anaerobic conditioning are important to performance improvement.
Build an aerobic base by keeping your heart rate under 160 just like you're doing. The heart pumps maximum blood volume between 140-160 beats per minute. Therefore, you're forcing capillaries deeper into muscle bodies and the vessels change to carry the extra volume as well. Higher than 160 BPM, the heart chambers slam shut too quickly so they don't fill up completely. That's when you go into oxygen debt. You'll also find running within your aerobic (no 02 debt) capacity to be a more pleasant experience that will increase your energy levels for other stuff too.
After some months, adding some fast running will improve your times in road races because you can't run 6:00 miles in a race by running 9:00 miles in training exclusively. By this time, what was once anaerobic to you becomes aerobic so you can pile some new anaerobic capacity on top of that.
Nowadays, I use an HRM when I climb higher than 10,000 feet. At that height, my aerobic threshold is about 150 BPM. Above that, my legs will be mush after 20 minutes. If I stay between 140-145 beats, I can climb for days.
Keep it up. You're on your way.
sounds like I should invest in one. I have just been running until I'm tired, then turning around and going home. Maybe some hill repeats tossed in for fun.
In reply to sobe_death:
I've never had one either. I've done a couple marathons, bunch of half marathons, some triathlons, etc., but I've just relied on perceived exertion.
My goal in running has always been to avoid getting really fat, and I've been successful in that. But, maybe I need an HRM. I don't know.
I will +eleventybillion this whole thread so far.
HRM == the best thing I did to improve my speed over long distance. Did a solid 1:59 in my 1st half marathon and beat it by 10 minutes in my second. The only difference was the HRM slowing me down when I trained.
since I'm considered a cheap E36M3, my HRM was to run at a pace that I could carry on a conversation with out going into the puff-puff-puff mode.... does pretty much what JERRY FROM LA was writing about... you just have to have a running partner that likes to talk...
The Nike+ gizmo changed the way I run. Apparently you can sync them with HRMs, might have to look into that!
wbjones wrote:
since I'm considered a cheap E36M3
Mine is a timex & cost less than $50 for the whole setup online w/ free shipping.
wbjones wrote:
since I'm considered a cheap E36M3, my HRM was to run at a pace that I could carry on a conversation with out going into the puff-puff-puff mode.... does pretty much what JERRY FROM LA was writing about... you just have to have a running partner that likes to talk...
The idea is to run at a pace where you can speak one five word sentence without having to pause for air. Yes, this is how we rolled back in the day. However, to maximize your training time, taking yourself right to the brink of oxygen debt without tipping into it is where the HRM shines.
The cheapest Polar is fine. Set a high and low threshold rate and knock yourself out.
Interval training and hill repeats work best when placed upon a good foundation of aerobic fitness. Otherwise it's like building a chassis out of muffler moly.
It's tough for me now, because at one point my long distance aerobic days were being run at 7 minute/mile pace. Now I'm around 8:30-9:00 mile but the pace my legs want to run is still on the 7 minute mark. I also have problems with walking up stairs instead of running up them taking double steps.
Hey, I still run up the stairs and I'm 54! What your circulatory system requires and what your muscles require can be two different things. So go ahead and run up all the stairs you want. Throw some hills into the runs too. Your pulse will go back to normal on the downhill side. 
Don't worry. You can work yourself back to seven minutes but it will take more time.
I love mine.
But I haven't used it in a couple years... I should get off my duff.
pigeon
HalfDork
4/16/10 9:21 p.m.
Agree on HRMs as a necessity for proper training. Use mine biking at all times. My setup was about $13 to my door from some deal website over a year ago. Battery in the chest strap just kicked the bucket, couldn't get a rate for my first on the road (vs indoor trainer) session last weekend and it drove me mad.
in the mid-'90s i used a polar pacer consistently on my road and mtbike rides. at a mtbike race in 1996 (i was 29) my heartrate hit 202 bpm on a climb. and when running, i couldn't go faster than a 9:00 mile without my heartrate going above 185. so i quit running. shortly thereafter i quit using my HRM. i ride as hard as i can while still breathing through my nose. so far, i'm not dead.
AngryCorvair wrote:
in the mid-'90s i used a polar pacer consistently on my road and mtbike rides. at a mtbike race in 1996 (i was 29) my heartrate hit 202 bpm on a climb. and when running, i couldn't go faster than a 9:00 mile without my heartrate going above 185. so i quit running. shortly thereafter i quit using my HRM. i ride as hard as i can while still breathing through my nose. so far, i'm not dead.
I hit 224bpm instructing a tortuous interval class once. Apparently the 220 max is a myth. 
Dropped the ephedrine from the wake up mix and averaged around 20 bpm less the entire workout.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:
Mine is a timex & cost less than $50 for the whole setup online w/ free shipping.
+1. The Timex works just fine.
used a garmin forerunner 50... paid just over $50 for it... worked great, best part it will sinc up with the computer and show you where you eased up and such... you can hook a foot pod up to it to show how fast you are moving (or a speedo/cadance sensor for bikes) which is pretty neat... spend a bit more and you can get one that will sync up with GPS showing how fast you are moving and the route.
i could easily do much longer rides with it (i ride don't run) found I was pushing to hard... slow down and you ride faster :)
"Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast."
I just started using a Suunto T1 HRM while cycling. It provides some great info and even better motivation.
