HRM Question during running/racing

Run Run Away » running training » HRM Question during running/racing

Categories: running training

Question:

ANd so what do you use as your maxHR? Because I would really like to use this thing for training and not just some cool toy thing to sit on a shelf, esp after mom paid $200 for it What HRM do you have and what software are you using? BTW… does anyone know of some software or webpage, etc that will decode the Polar HRM files to text or something so I can spreadsheet it.. or recommend some other software (cheep) to use with the Transmission that hte Polar S410 uses.. all that beeping and chirping.. still hesitant to shell out $99 or so for the PC Coach "Elite" over the PC Coach "Light" that came with my HRM.. tnx charles evans

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – —snip— Anyway maxHR was 194. Avg was 175. Here is the thing, I am 30 yrs old. so either by 220-30 = 190 or 205-15 = 190. my theoretical .. I love that… is 190. —snip— First and formost. Forget about that formula. I’m 45 and check out my last Indoor 5k http://home.att.net/~nospamplease/Indoor5k.jpg I have the bottom of the chart starting at 170 and according to that formula my max should be 175. In just 3 minutes I go over that "theoretical" max and just keep going as you can see for yourself. If you are intested in what my lap times where for that race, they were posted last Saturday, but basically it was a few 52 second laps, then a few 58 second laps and then 40 second lap to the finish. In other words, that was sort of an easy run. I know other people that can trash that formula with 200+ bpm and they are even older than I am. Thanks Roger

Response:

Charles, I just use 207 because that is the highest value I’ve ever seen, that I consider valid and not because of some quirk. It could be 210, but I’m not really willing to try and find out. I guess I’m just too lazy, besides, I don’t like running till I see stars. ;-) As for my resting rate. I recorded some data and have seen some 45s, but it isn’t consistent at that rate, so I call it 50. I had a Polar S210 that I ended up trading for a Polar S710. I bought the IR Interface (No beeping and chirping), for downloading to a computer, separately. The software for doing that particular graph came with the HRM and not the interface. I can export the data to a text file and then import that file right into Micro$oft Excel. With Excel you can do graphs and even delete entire columns that you don’t want, and then export it again into straight text for your records. I don’t know about any website that does HRM graphs except www.fitsense.com but then you have to be using one of their devices. I’ve found, while the HRM helps me push on training runs, it slows me down in races because the values in a race are higher than in a normal training run for some reason. I try my best not to look the HR numbers during a race. Then afterwards, all that does is tells me what I already know about when I took it easy and when I pushed. Where zones are concerned, I am really only concerned about one "zone." The 180. Sometimes it takes me a few miles to get there, but I think that is

where the biggest improvements come. Note: on my second marathon I averaged 180 for the whole thing. Roger – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – ANd so what do you use as your maxHR? Because I would really like to use this thing for training and not just some cool toy thing to sit on a shelf, esp after mom paid $200 for it What HRM do you have and what software are you using? BTW… does anyone know of some software or webpage, etc that will decode the Polar HRM files to text or something so I can spreadsheet it.. or recommend some other software (cheep) to use with the Transmission that hte Polar S410 uses.. all that beeping and chirping.. still hesitant to shell out $99 or so for the PC Coach "Elite" over the PC Coach "Light" that came with my HRM.. tnx charles evans —snip— Anyway maxHR was 194. Avg was 175. Here is the thing, I am 30 yrs old. so either by 220-30 = 190 or 205-15 = 190. my theoretical .. I love that… is 190. —snip— First and formost. Forget about that formula. I’m 45 and check out my last Indoor 5k http://home.att.net/~nospamplease/Indoor5k.jpg I have the bottom of the chart starting at 170 and according to that formula my max should be 175. In just 3 minutes I go over that "theoretical" max and just keep going as you can see for yourself. If you are intested in what my lap times where for that race, they were posted last Saturday, but basically it was a few 52 second laps, then a few 58 second laps and then 40 second lap to the finish. In other words, that was sort of an easy run. I know other people that can trash that formula with 200+ bpm and they are even older than I am. Thanks Roger

Response:

My wife and I recently, about six months ago, got a polar XT trainer. After going thru much of what you described as far as figuring out what Max HR at what percent I decided to talk to our running coach. His suggestion was not to use a formula based on, Age, VOMax or any such thing, but to compile your own max using a series of runs. Based on your running experiance go out and run what you would call a "Race pace" known distance this will give you a good starting point for finding out were your heart rate is at that pace. You can then use that heart rate to inform you of how hard you are working out. For example if you run a 10K at race pace HR ave of 165 you would then know that an easy run would be 15-20% below that depending on what chart you use to define AT, AB,CO,EZ. Etc. What this all boils down to is each person is different. Two people running the same pace will have different HR even if they are equally as fit. You need to compile information about "your" HR and create your own personal HR threshold charts based on that info. Our running coach claims he had his HR up to 217 after a particularly difficult hill interval session. He was thirty at the time. According to the 220-your age HR figure he should have died. Have fun ~Matt – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

As I have posted previously, I got a Polar S410 for Christmas and have tried to use it every time I am out running or mountain biking. Anyway, there is an ongoing 4part-increasingly-long cross country series here in Memphis and I have a few observations and questions. The first race last week was a slightly hilly 3K which I did in 15:45 or so. (I’m a 228lb, 6′ hoss). Checking my HRM.. within 30 seconds of running my HR went from an adrenaline-pumping-prerac-jitters ~110 BPM to 160+. With the HR slowing increasing throughout much of the race. Noticebly lower by 5 beats or so when not so hilly. Anyway maxHR was 194. Avg was 175. Here is the thing, I am 30 yrs old. so either by 220-30 = 190 or 205-15 = 190. my theoretical .. I love that… is 190. I was #103 out of 196. But last in my class: Male 30-34. Tough crew The race yesterday, an unbelievable hilly 5k in sloshy mud I did it in 29 min so. As usual, I start off too quickly. After reading Runners World and many running books for years you’d think I’d actually apply something I have "learned". My idea was this time.. Don’t start *too fast* from the start running over a field.. but at a good pace for when you hit the woods (narrow mtn. bike single track) there’ll be no passing more or less. Well of course I started to fast. A little over half way I was walking up half the hills. Ugh. SO the passing would have been .passing the walkers. as about 20-30 people did. I just wanted to sit down and take a nap. Ugh but I finished it. HRM info… maxHR was again 194. Avg was 183. BTW. I was #128 out of 201 in this one. Should be posted online sometime today or tomorrow. So what perhaps is my MHR? Would it be 194? or is that more like 95% or something.. my MHR would be 204 .. 85% would be 173 and 65% would be 132. I have no idea what I would have to do to keep my HR aroudn 173 to 180. I’d more or less have to walk. What is guy supposed to do? Looking in Parker’s _Heart Monitor Training_ he says do a 5K at 90% MHR, 1mile 95%-100%.. would I be hitting my MHR during these two runs? Any ideas would be great. I certainly would like to apply my findings to my running/training. The next one.. an 8k (actually a 9k) close to my house is week-after-next. Hills are as high, but more gradual. but length is almost twice as long. Any training tips? I generally do 15-20 miles a week. I have a 4mile and 2.5 loop around the subdivision. Charles Evans

Response:

—snip— Anyway maxHR was 194. Avg was 175. Here is the thing, I am 30 yrs old. so either by 220-30 = 190 or 205-15 = 190. my theoretical .. I love that… is 190.

—snip— First and formost. Forget about that formula. I’m 45 and check out my last Indoor 5k http://home.att.net/~nospamplease/Indoor5k.jpg I have the bottom of the chart starting at 170 and according to that formula my max should be 175. In just 3 minutes I go over that "theoretical" max and just keep going as you can see for yourself. If you are intested in what my lap times where for that race, they were posted last Saturday, but basically it was a few 52 second laps, then a few 58 second laps and then 40 second lap to the finish. In other words, that was sort of an easy run. I know other people that can trash that formula with 200+ bpm and they are even older than I am. Thanks Roger

Run Run Away