The Advantages of Using a Heart Monitor
Have you been thinking that perhaps it's time to start training with a heart monitor? Or are you among those who have already purchased a heart monitor but left it sitting in a drawer collecting dust because you can't figure out to use the blasted thing. This column will hopefully shed some light on why you should consider using a monitor. In the next installment in July we will address the issue of how to determine your maximum heart rate and training zones.
In the March 2001 Rundown, Coach Jim Whitnah provided sound advice when he told runners that their training pace in long runs should be about 90 seconds per mile slower than their 10K race pace. I believe runners should adopt a similar pace on their easy recovery days. When using a heart monitor, this translates to 60-70 percent effort (employing the Karvonen formula). Club members who want to maximize their running potential and stay injury-free would be well served by following Coach Whitnah's advice. Many veteran runners train very successfully using the principles advocated by Coach Whitnah and other coaches, including myself.
When the Pace Method Doesn't Work
Unfortunately, several categories of runners will have great difficulty training by the pace method and are logical candidates for strapping on a heart monitor. One category consists of those who do not know their current 10K pace. They are often beginning runners (with two years of running or less) or runners who do not race competitively and have no way of determining what their pace on long runs should be. Of course, these runners can also follow the "conversational" pace rule, namely that if you are able to hold a comfortable conversation while you are running you are making the kind of easy effort Coach Whitnah and I recommend. Many, however, are not confident that they can monitor their bodies well enough, and in their cases the heart monitor would remove all doubt and uncertainty.
Runners returning from injury or layoff are another group who can benefit from the monitor. One runner who comes to mind was a man I successfully coached to run a Boston-marathon qualifying time back in 1995. He had been a pretty fast runner in the early 1980s (with a sub-3:10 marathon at age 40) but running had taken a back seat to other activities for a number of years. Previous attempts to get back into shape were unsuccessful because he did not know what pace to train at. I persuaded him to train with a monitor. At first he was very concerned that he was running too slowly. But over the course of a year he went from not even being able to run a ten-minute mile to qualifying for Boston with a sub-3:35 marathon.
At the other end of the spectrum are highly competitive runners who lack self-discipline and hammer away at every workout, even during recovery days and long runs. They are the reason why coaches such as Grete Waitz, Pete Pfitzinger and Steve Scott, former elite runners, insist that their world-class athletes wear heart monitors. They understand that what is done on recovery days (or in some cases not done) may make a greater difference in performance than what is done on the track.
A Heart Monitor Measures Effort
The heart monitor removes all uncertainty and allows runners to do their easy runs and long runs by degree of effort rather than by pace. Training by effort with a heart monitor compensates for the good and bad days in our lives. Each of us has undoubtedly experienced a great training run in which we zoom along at a faster than normal pace while feeling as if we are making no effort at all. On the other hand, we probably have struggled through a run feeling like warmed-over death, unable to reach our typical training pace. These differences are a function of how well rested (or tired) we are and the degree of stress we are feeling. If you had been using a heart monitor, chances are that your pace in those two situations might have varied by as much as 30 or 45 seconds per mile. If you were training by pace, you might feel compelled to slow down on the good day (perhaps dropping under 60 percent effort) and to run faster on the bad day (running at 75 percent or more). In both instances, you would not be getting the desired training effect.
Looking Forward
In the July issue I will give you some tips on how to determine your maximum heart rate and then calculate your training zones.
Coach West is a licensed coach, affiliated with MCRRC, and available to coach motivated adult runners. A portion of his coaching fees for MCRRC members is returned to MCRRC. For further information about personal coaching opportunities, contact Coach West at kirtwest@comcast.net.
