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by
Dagny Scott-Barrios
Fern Oliner had been a runner for more than 25 years when she experienced
a breakthrough in her performance. It happened at age 59, during a
challenging half-marathon.
"For the very first time, I felt like a true runner," she recalls. "There I
was on the uphill, passing people and feeling totally in control. I
absolutely loved it."
Her secret? Oliner was wearing a heart-rate monitor.
"I was breathing heavily as I was going up the hills, but the monitor told
me I was okay. So I sped up," she says. "If it weren't for the monitor, I
would've kept running at the slower pace, as I'd always done."
Oliner's experience is a classic example of how runners can benefit from
this relatively simple technology. Once considered the gadget du jour for
hard-core professional athletes, heart-rate monitors have gone mainstream,
their tell-tale chest straps peeking out from T-shirts on everyone from
fitness runners to veteran marathoners.
All these people are wearing monitors for the same reason: Your heart rate
provides an objective gauge of exertion, one that's usually more exact than
your own perception of how hard you're working.
"While it's important to be aware of your effort so you're in touch with
your body's subtle cues, this isn't always a very accurate feedback system,"
says George Parrott, Ph.D, who coaches a Sacramento, Calif., running club.
"Whereas the monitor is such a precise index of effort."
The bottom line: No matter what type of runner you are--beginner,
intermediate, or advanced--a heart-rate monitor will help you train more
effectively. We'll show you how.
Want to take the guesswork out
of training? Then you need a heart-rate monitor. Here's how to use it:
Tips for Beginners:
Newcomers to running are some of the biggest fans of heart-rate
monitors, for two main reasons. Tracking heart rate ensures you're working hard
enough to reap fitness benefits. On the flip side, setting a maximum heart rate
on the monitor can keep overzealous novices from overdoing it.
Beginners should choose a target heart-rate zone--generally between 65 and 75
percent of maximum heart rate (MHR)--and stay within it for most of their
workouts. Runners who haven't yet developed a sense of their speed and effort
can learn from their monitor. "I love being able to keep a consistent pace
without having to look at my watch all the time," says Kerrie Hardman, 37, who
started running 2 years ago. "Nothing has helped my training more than
monitoring my heart rate."
Suggested workout:
This one comes from running coach Roy Benson, a
longtime advocate of heart-rate training. To do it, first you'll need to
determine your MHR (see "Finding Your Max" below). Now, take 75 percent of your
MHR, which will be your upper limit. Then calculate 65 percent of your MHR,
which will be your lower limit. Plan to run 20 minutes total (head out for 10
minutes, then turn around). Start running until you hit your upper limit heart
rate, then walk until it's back down to your lower limit. Run again up to 75
percent, then walk until you hit 65 percent. Continue this way for the entire 20
minutes. "As you progress through the weeks, you'll spend more time running than
walking, because you'll take longer to hit your upper limit," says Benson.
Extend the length of your workout as your fitness progresses.
Fun twist to try:
To keep your motivation high, use the monitor to track
your fitness, suggests Ed Burke, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at the
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Choose a running speed that's
realistic for you, and run a timed mile. "Repeat that mile at the same pace a
month later, and your heart rate should be lower," he says. Run the same timed
mile 2 months later, 3 months later, and so on. Each time, record your
heart-rate figures in your training log so you can track your progress.
Tips for Intermediates:
If you've run for a year or more and have a solid mileage base,
you'll find the monitor a great help as you start doing more challenging
workouts. One of the best ways to use a monitor is to preset a target heart rate
for a tempo workout. (See "Training and Racing" box on next page.) This will
keep you from going too fast (a typical mistake with tempo running). Another
great way to use it is on long runs, which should be run neither too fast nor
too slow for optimum results (aim for 65 to 75 percent of MHR, depending on your
fitness).
Intermediate and advanced runners are renowned for running too hard on their
recovery days, and a monitor can remedy this. "I actually found it harder to
stay below 75 percent of my MHR on my easy days than I did staying at 95 percent
of my MHR on hard days," says Laverne Sheppard, 41, who attributes a 30-minute
improvement in her marathon PR to her monitor.
Suggested workout:
This ladder workout progresses through a range of
heart-rate zones. After 10 minutes of jogging, run 4 minutes at 70 to 80 percent
of your MHR, 3 minutes at 80 to 90 percent, 2 minutes at 90 to 95 percent, and
finally 1 minute above 95 percent. Finish with 10 minutes of easy jogging. For a
less challenging workout, decrease the amount of time spent in each zone by a
minute. For a more challenging workout, do the ladder two or even three times.
Fun twist to try:
Even runners who swear by heart-rate monitors in
training will tend to leave them at home during races. But Benson says they're
the perfect tool for learning to race at the proper pace. "The monitor will show
you if you're starting out too fast or too slow," he says. "Within a half-mile
or so you should be in your desired zone, and a heart-rate monitor will enable
you to keep it there." (See "Training and Racing with a Heart-Rate Monitor" at
right for optimal heart rates for various race distances.) |
