Home› General Training Discussions

Winter HR vs Summer HR

Dave TalloDave Tallo
in General Training Discussions

I can 'test' to a certain VDOT more or less consistently across the winter OS and the Summer / Fall IS.  However, I notice that my HR can vary significantly for Easy Paces between the two seasons.  On the same achieved VDOT , I would ballpark my OS HR to be in the 160-162 range, where In Season, it's 146-155.  

Weight gain might account for bit of this, but probably not much.

Although the training stress is the same, the stress responses - using HR as my marker - is different.  (RPE is pretty similar).  If I assume that the summer HR is 'normal,' is it possible that I'm overloading things by putting in my EP at this much higher heart rate?    IOW, If EP is really designed to be recovery, do no harm, easy aerobic work, but my body is consistently responding, across half the year, like it's something more, am I undermining my recovery or burning too hot?     If that's the case, would it not be preferable to run by HR in the outseason, and switch to pace in the in-season? 

 

Comments

  • dan_forbesdan_forbes

     Dave, I would stick with RPE and pace as your primary guides.  Pace is the most objective, not being influenced by much and I'm sure you have your RPE dialed in pretty well too so that might considered objective, not much influencing that if you are a seasoned runner.  HR is very finicky with a lot of variables that can change it from day to day, that's why pace has been selected by serious runners as their training guide for the most part.  I would say that you must do your running either indoors or heavily clothed in Canada during the OS where you will be more hot causing and increase.  Also, your heart will have to work harder to pump blood that is more thick in the winter months, not as viscus as in the warmer summer months (maybe that's a myth and I made that up, but swear I've been told that a million times!).  But I would stick to your vdot and RPE guns and go with it.  

  • cwhytecwhyte

    Dave,

    You need to convince me that this is true:

    "Although the training stress is the same"

    How are you determining that the training stress is the same? I would be very surprised if this is true given that most of us are peaking for a summer-based IM. I'll give you my quick response though...

    I think people highly over-estimate the impact of fatigue as we proceed through our Race Prep period. I know we don't all necessarily train the same way but it's classic for people to mistake a low HR one month prior to their IM (or in season) as "an improvement in fitness" when it typically represents "a peak in fatigue."

    Ideally we're building CTL as we progress toward our Race Prep period so our HR will likely react differently to the same relative intensity as a result. It's going to be and should be surpressed as you get close to your IM.

    Make sense?

    I completely ignore my HR in the off-season or early General Prep. I'm finding that it too often distracts my athletes this time of year.

    Thanks, Chris

  • Dave TalloDave Tallo

    Chris,

    You're right to call me out on that: I should have wrote "Although the training stress score is the same ..."   So assuming my VDOT hasn't changed from OS to race preparation, the same 30' EP run is going to have the same TSS, whether I training 8 h / week balls-to-the wall OS, or 15 h week race-specific.   

    But to your point, I agree that training stress will be experienced differently at different points of a season or upon different levels of fitness.   Thanks for the response.

Sign In or Register to comment.