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running zones: HR vs pace

saskatsaskat
in General Training Discussions

I usually do my run wkos by pace vs HR but I find that my pace zones do not match my HR zones.  I ran a 10 miler on saturday and first 2 miles avg pace was 9:44 and avg HR was 160...that seemed to be about right albeit slightly high for that pace. Then in the 3rd mile, my pace was 9:33 (MP = Z2) and my avg HR was 171 (Z4).

Do other folks experience this? Is this common? Or does this mean my fitness sucks? (I've been on the EN plan since end of Jan.)  Should I hack my plan with a run focus from here on out? I'll be on the HIM plan for 2 more weeks and then transition into the beginner IM plan to prep for IMWI.

Any EN words of wisdom are greatly appreciated!

Comments

  • jetskrjetskr
    It was pretty hot Saturday so that and hydration could have had something to do with it
  • Bruce ThompsonBruce Thompson

    2x what Jeff said.  The heat will drive up your HR at any pace.  I ran several times over the Memorial Day weekend, and noticed that my HR was almost 20 bpm higher than in 60* temperatures.  Of course, it was also record high temp days for Chicago and I know I'm not acclimatized to the heat yet.  So don't worry too much.  Just follow the plan and you'll be ok by IMWI (I'm racing it too) but remember that high temps and that big orange thing in the sky will force you to slow down to keep your HR under control.

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

    Pace is pace, and for the purposes of training runs, it's what you should follow. As others have said, there are a number of factors which can cause variation in HR: Temp, terrain, wind, sleep, how hard the most recent workouts were, etc. Since you've got access to real-time pace info, and you have tested yourself and know your training paces, don't use HR to drive your workouts.

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    +1 to what Al said. You can also use HR along with pace as a sanity check. Say, if you're running at some pace and you feel like you're working harder than usual, check to see if your HR is jacked up for any of the reasons that Al mentioned. This is useful on the bike too (comparing power zones with HR).
  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson
    +2 what Al said.

    However, paying attention to HR is important because it can also tell you if you need to rest. If you are going super easy and your HR is sky high, might be time for a day off.
  • saskatsaskat

     Thanks, everyone!  I'll stick to using pace as my guideline 

  • Beth_SBeth_S
    Yes to what everyone else says -- but I picked up my heart rate monitor lately and have been using it -- along with pace in training. It is a good whip for threshold efforts and invaluable on recovery/EP days, when I am going too fast. In fact, I pay way more attention to heart rate on easy days than pace and more to pace on hard days than heart rate. Does that make sense?
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