Racing with a Heart Monitor (I Don't Think So)
Readers of this column know that I am a big-time heart monitor advocate. Yet, the runners whom I coach often do some speed work based on 5K or 10K race pace as opposed to heart rate. Marathoners do runs up to 12 miles at predicted marathon pace. While some might find this approach to be inconsistent with heart monitor advocacy, it is in fact recognition that a heart monitor is a training tool--nothing more and nothing less.
Heart monitors are very effective at keeping runners from overtraining and making sure that their recovery days are truly easy. The key to getting faster and fitter is having those easy recovery days so that when you hit the track or do an anaerobic threshold run on the road, you are able to get the maximum benefit from that workout. But is a heart monitor effective under race conditions? My feeling is no.
There are several reasons why I do not recommend that the runners I coach race on heart rates. The heart monitor does not provide any meaningful feedback at the beginning of a race because it takes several minutes of hard running before your heart rate approaches your anaerobic threshold (AT). Those who do AT runs or mile repeats on the track with their monitors know what I am talking about.
Coach Roy Benson, the preeminent authority on heart monitor training for runners, informs me that there are no good studies examining heart rates in a race setting. Many factors come into play during a race performance in which heart rates have a minor role. This makes sense to me intuitively as a veteran racer. I can never duplicate race performance during a workout. Something seems to happen mentally when you pin a number on your chest and line up with other runners. There has been more than one occasion that I have thought in the middle of a race "How in the world am I doing this?" Yet, I continue that effort even though during the race itself I am not sure how I am able to do so. I guess that is the effect of competition. Reliance on a heart monitor would deprive me of this wonderful experience and the opportunity to find my outer limits.
As improbable as it may seem, there are numerous instances of runners racing at or slightly below their maximum heart rate. This happened to me several years ago at MCRRC's Country Road Run in Olney when I raced up the that nasty hill at one to two beats below my maximum heart rate and held that heart rate for the entire last mile. I felt I had no choice because I was competing against a fellow in my age group and really wanted to beat him. Had I followed the dictates of my heart monitor, I would have slowed down (and lost to him) because I was a good 16 beats above my AT limits.
Finally, I have written in previous columns that you most likely will race your fastest times by running even splits or a slight negative split (meaning the second half of your race is faster than the first half). This generally will not happen if you rely on your monitor because your heart rate increases as you become fatigued. For this reason, I have my runners train at race pace on the track so they get the feeling of a particular pace when they are fresh as well as fatigued.
There may be limited circumstances in which you might consider using your monitor in a race. The monitor can give you feedback in the early stages of a marathon to make sure you have not gone out too fast. If, however, you have done your predicted marathon pace work, even that is not necessary. The monitor can be used by a first-time marathoner whose goal is to learn about the mysteries of the marathon while trying to run a respectable time as opposed to maximizing performance. I refer you to my Summer 2001 Footnotes column (RRCA's magazine) that described such a training program.
In summary, use your heart rate monitor as a training tool. If you want to wear it in a race, by all means do so. It is neat to see what happens during the course of a race. Just don't let it keep you from racing all out.
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.
