Friday, July 6, 2007

Time on Legs - Heart Rate

First a report on my 5K race on the 4th of July. This was a local race that benefited our local running club. They had a record turn out of about 900 runners. The course was set up around our local City Park and is a very flat course. I ran this as a training run and vowed that I would not worry too much about time. When the gun went off, I forgot my vow. I shot out of the starting line at a blazing pace and realized that I would have to slow up considerably. I finished the race with a PR of 25.53. What a great way to start the day.

This is the end of my first week running with my new Garmin 305. I found that in order to keep my HR in the desired range I had to run a lot slower than I wanted. Today I went for my long run of 10 miles and kept my HR at or below 150. This slowed my pace by about 45 seconds per mile. I was a little frustrated. What helped me was that I felt really good following the run. It is clear to me that I have been over training and an injury was just around the corner. I like how watching my HR keeps me in check. I think I will leave it off on the days I go for a specific tempo or speed workout pace run.

8 comments:

MarathonChris said...

As you work on your running within your aerobic zone, you will find that over time you will be able to run that heart rate at a faster pace. At least that was my experience.

Congrats on your 5K PR!!!

Maddy said...

Way to go on your PR! That's always a good feeling!

Chelsea said...

Your comment about me beating your friend in the Ironman made my day!!! I just got a 305 as well-love it! I've been heartrate training for about 3 years now-it works!!! :)

CewTwo said...

Great time! Good race! Great way to spend a holiday!

Anonymous said...

Great finish! Sounds like a fun time! I know others that've done the low heart rate training and had the initial frustration you mentioned but saw great improvements in the long run. Interested to see how this progresses for you!

ShirleyPerly said...

I rarely wear a HRM when running (too much chafing) but think it's a great training tool, especially if you're prone to working out too hard.

Congrats on your 5K PR!!

Susan said...

Excellent race! Congratulations!

Irish Blue said...

Nice PR Corey! U Rock!