Chi Discussion Forum

Hi,
I am doing the run/walk to 10k program and I’m having some trouble keeping my heart rate down.  According to calculations my HR should be about 140 when doing the LSD run, but I can’t keep it that low while running!  My workout yesterday was to run 12 mins. walk 2 mins 2x, but my HR kept going up to around 165-170!  I know it isn’t helping my training to run with my heartrate that high, so I kept going back to a walk in order to lower my heart rate.  What should I do about this problem?  I know I need to heart rate train in order to get myself used to running for longer periods, but how do I do this?  And how do I stay on the program?  Please help as I’m not sure what to do for my next workout.
Thanks!
Cindy

Hi Cindy-

How are you calculating your HR? And how do the numbers you’re getting relate to your perceived exertion? The LSD run should be that - long slow distance. One thing I used to do when I was training for my first marathon back in ‘85 (before HR monitors existed outside the hospital!) was check in with how I was feeling and then back down a bit. I approached the long run as something I had to reserve my energy for and if I felt a tiny bit like I was starting to push it, I would back off. It is about endurance.

HR is a tricky thing and it can depend on many factors - hydration, weather, how rested you are. Plus it can tend to creep upward near the latter part of a run. Give yourself some room with the numbers and body sense how you are feeling before, during, and after your run. As your fitness increases, the numbers will start coming down. And if you need to walk, think of your long run in terms of time on your feet and not so much that you have to run the entire thing, and take a walk break. A little hint - a lot of ultramarathoners I know do the same thing, so you are in good company.

Keep us posted on how it’s going.

Laura Houston
Certified Chi Running and Chi Walking Instructor
Seattle WA

Excellent advice from Laura. you do need to make sure your calculations are correct and that your heart rate monitor is reading correctly. Your MHR as a general rule should be 220 - your age, but to get it more accurate do a run test, for example run hard up a longish hill 3 times and recover downhill after each one. your third hill should give you a maximum reading. You should find it’s close to that formula. I did mine last week and the formular said mine should be 168. It was actually 170.

Then there’s the question of working to MHR or your working (reserve) heart rate. Your working heart rate is supposed to be more accurate. Your WHR is your MHR-resting heart rate X percentage of training zone + your resting heart rate. So for me for example my MHR is 170 and my RHR is 45. So that’s 170-45=125. 125X 80%=100. 100 +45 =145. So training at 80% for me using WHR is around 145bpm. If I worked purely on MHR that calculation would be 170 X 80%=136bmp. So working with your WHR means you can go a little faster. BUT I still haven’t found out what most people work to yet!

Also, I have found that if i don’t have a good contact with my heart rate strap by wetting the contacts enough, you can get a high reading…mine was 210 last week! I had to stop and spit on the contacts and start again.

Having sais all that, It may be just that your cardio fitness hasn’t caught up with your enthusiasm yet, so just slow it down. your heart doesn’t know what pace your running or weather it’s uphill or downhill. It just knows how hard it needs to work, which is why I understand that training this way is the best.

Good luck with it. Be patient