Trying to understand W5R2 heart rate results

Just starting out with Get Running? Chat about the basics of running, what clothes to wear, where to run... anything you like!
Post Reply
alanmcd
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:34 am
Location: Boynton Beach, Florida, USA

Trying to understand W5R2 heart rate results

Post by alanmcd »

I finished W5R2 today - two 8 minute runs with three minutes walking between.

During the first 8 minute run my heart rate was very steady at 171-173 beats per minute and during the second run my heart rate was also very steady at 172 to 174.

My pace slowed from 5 minutes per kilometer at the start of each segment to 7 min/km at the end of the first segment and 9 min/km at the end of the second segment.

I am a so called "high-beater" with a measured max heart rate of 188, supine resting heart rate of 55 (as low as 49 as high as 60), and a 2 minute active HRRecovery rate of 22 to 29, and Polar fitness index of 39 which at age 61 is supposedly "very good". (The fitness index supposedly correlates to VO2max.)

According to heart rate zone concepts I ran both of these segments around 91% of MHR which is either zone 4 or zone 5 both anaerobic zones. (I felt great afterwards but did need to take a nap in the afternoon.)

It would seem that I will be able to do the 15 minute W5R3 alright, but I'm wondering if I'm actually approaching a lactate wall that is going to prevent me from succeeding in W6-W9.

Are most people doing the program in their aerobic zone? Anyone else using a heart rate monitor?
Runner08
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 10:49 am

Re: Trying to understand W5R2 heart rate results

Post by Runner08 »

I use a heart rate monitor it showed an average HR of 154 on a 6k run today That has me doing 38 mins or so in zone 4 and a little time in zone 5.
alanmcd
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:34 am
Location: Boynton Beach, Florida, USA

Re: Trying to understand W5R2 heart rate results

Post by alanmcd »

Thanks for your datum - confirms what I'm finding that most people do 5K and even some do 10K in upper zones. I found a great post which included a link to a spreadsheet that can be downloaded. Enter MaxHR, RestingHR and it graphically shows target heart rates to run everything from warmups to marathons based on various experts' guidelines.
I defer to Greg Maclin who has spent a lot of time looking at this and has put together a spreadsheet that summarizes the information here

http://mymarathonpace.com/Running_Calculators.html

About 3/4 of the way down the page is this link

Heart rate:
Training and Racing Heart Rate Zones - Download (Greg Maclin)
http://www.box.net/shared/n0keplglpo

Really good stuff there
I ran my W5R3 22 minutes at 91%MHR / 89%RHR which is slightly below the 5K "race pace" for me so I can stop wondering if I should be seeing a lower heart rate at this point.

Alan
Post Reply