Hi all
I probably fall into the trap of doing all my training in the "grey" zone. So I've decided to try HR training for my next marathon cycle. Max HR is 188 taken from last race on my 735XT. Which seems plausible given my background etc. I'm 7 weeks into this HR method, (base building) and my weekly mileage is around 35-40 miles currently. Marathon is in April. I'm not expecting to BQ!
Previously, I've just plugged my (somewhat realistic) goal time into the vDot calculator. It said do easy pace at around 6min/km Which FEELS like a conversational pace.
Of late, I've been running my "easy" runs at around 70% of my max HR (as many sources recommend) And its SO slow it feels terrible! I'm going between 6m50 and 7m30 per KM! I'm literally just jogging and shuffling and find myself walking even the slightest inclines to control my HR from exceeding 75% of HR
My run form is awful. Had a few niggles too, which worries me that running so slowly is actually a bad idea!
Assuming (yeah I know!) that my Garmin is giving me vaguely accurate readings. Is it worth persevering with the HR stuff or should I go back to the vDot figures?
Or, as a completely random idea, is it worth getting a proper lactate threshold test done? There's a University near me that charges £170/$205 for a 1hour session. But I suspect that's a wate of money at my meagre speeds. I doubt my body is an outlier and presumably the Max HR I've recorded previously, is as good a guide as any.
Thanks for reading.