HR question: should I speed-walk on on easy runs?

“For reference, I did 1600m on the track recently in 5:15.”

So you said you got a strap. Hopefully you used it. What was your average and max Heart Rates in this effort?

The tt was before the strap. The highest I have seen was 187 on a hill climb, nothing that could accurately say what my true max is. I am 25 and active, so I have been assuming max is between 190 and 195. Will work something into my schedule soon to get a more accurate number

What you are describing is not counterproductive, and if the objective is to improve aerobic development, you can add in faster running. One of the best ways of doing that is with relatively short intervals/Reps. They can allow one to run at paces that improve form, without overextending oneself.

IMHO you're overthinking things.

Run what's feels easy effort, you can always monitor your HR. As you get fitter your HR should get lower. Enjoy your runs, slow down if you feel like it.

Jakob walks up hills to keep his heart rate down. You’re better off walking or honestly not running at all on your easy days if you’re not able to control your HR or not beat up your legs with too much turnover.

Very common Norwegian practice. Seiler has written about it. They walk hills when necessary. The Kenyans shuffle the first few miles of their easy runs. Americans get obsessed with numbers, paces, and Strava kudos.

Who's having more success over the past 40 years?

This doesn't make sense. 5.15 1600 is faster than what 98% of all hobby jogger can run so you should be able to keep your HR much lower on your easy run.

I'm 54 years old and really out of shape right now (45 min 10k) but when I'm running 8 min miles my HR is around 150. Is your HR monitor working properly?

Intuitively I agree, but I have triple checked and the HR is accurate. It's like I have no efficiency at low speeds, hence me doing all easy miles lately. I usually run every other day, and what my brain thinks is "easy" is just under 8 min pace, and always around 160bpm, creeping higher after 4 miles.

Thanks all for the feedback, I will focus less on the watch and more on perceived effort. Continuing to walk up hills feels wrong but for now it will allow me to run more miles.

Ultimately my concern becomes: if all my perceived easy runs end @ HR of 160+, am I (1) running them too fast, or (2) at the correct easy pace but not fit enough yet?

at 20 mpw you're going to be much better off training from perceived effort if you don't already have vast experience with a hr monitor

for people doing higher volume, hr training becomes more useful and predictable

Your questions are so classic.

You wonder about a certain Hf value, but you have no reference, because you do not know your HRmax.

Training by HR is point and clueless without knowing your own HRmax.

Speed walking is against company policy and will result in a formal warning, kind regards

HR spike at the beginning is normal. Do some warmups to get the body ready.

When engaging in your running routine, it is advisable to start with an easy effort level. By doing so, you can keep track of your heart rate, which is a crucial indicator of your fitness level. As you become fitter and more adept at running, you should notice a decrease in your heart rate during your runs. Remember to savour the experience and slow down if you feel the need to do so.

If you can run a 5:15 1600m, then imho, stick with perceived easy pace at just under 8 min / mile. Definitely wear the HR strap, but at this point don't pay attention to it during the run. Over the next month or 2, note whether or not there's improvement in HR drift or just HR level overall. The heat and humidity play a huge factor in regards to HR, so that may apply in your case - may just need to acclimatize.

I thought this thread was going to be about dating a coworker.

Heart Rate dorks are all the same. What's the single best way to get better at running? By running. Keep the strap, ditch the strap, strap it to your dog: run by effort.

The more you run, the fitter you'll get. The fitter you get, the lower your HR will be. You should rarelyever get to the point where you're breathing out of your eyeballs on a run (and obv. never on an easy run). When in doubt, slow it down.

If you want to walk, do it with the soccer moms after they drop the kids off at summer school

Zone 2 on easy days.

OP, your fitness is low; 20mpw is low. Your HR is going to be high when you run uphill. HR jumping to 130 or so shortly after starting is not uncommon.

I wouldn't worry too much about your HR at this point.

Your goal is a half marathon so you should probably be doing three hard workouts per week: an interval workout, a long run, and a tempo or modified tempo. Then, you could do easy runs three days a week.

Compared to the typical novice adult half marathoner, you are FAST. You should avoid beginner training plans that urge you to go slow. "Slow" at your current level of fitness (20mpw) is a shuffle. Shuffling is not optimal running form.

I agree with "more info needed." One of the best ways to improve aerobic development is short intervals with short recoveries.

Here's a hybrid interval/tempo workout I do. I'll warm up with 3 miles of easy jogging, walking, drills, until I get to my designated 3-mile mark. This takes maybe 50 minutes. (Slow, but the purpose is to get me three miles down the path so I HAVE to run three miles to get back.) Then, I do some dynamic stretches and I run 3 miles back to my starting point with a tabata timer set to 60 seconds running and 30 seconds walking. The walking isn't race walking or brisk walking... it's just a purposeful moving along pace with the focus on recovering as much as possible in 30 seconds. The 60 seconds running is a little slower than my current mile race pace. You should be able to increase this to 4 miles of 60/30 run/walks in a month or so.