Calling all who train the Hadd way

A good test would be to try (rested) a 75-90 minute run. After about 15 minutes of warm up, gradually bring the pace up to about 85% of max and see if you can maintain that exact pace for 60 min. without any cardiac drift. Meaning, see if your heart rate will stay stable for 60 minutes at that same pace.

Important that you are well rested and run this on a flat well measured course.

If you are there, you are ready to start moving towards some harder work.

~yo

Thanks hadd-a-like thats something i could try might have to wait a few weeks. i think it would work out around 163HR i know i can do that for around 25-27 minutes. But as of yet don't know how long i could hold that HR without loss of pace.

Haddaway!!!???

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nsCXZczTQXo

In time it's possible for you to run a marathon averaging 168-170 HR the whole way (based on your 191 HRmax).

Right now you know you cannot hold that effort for that long, but it'll come with training.

Your easy running should be ~70% HRmax. So for you that means low-130s HR (say 130-135). Right now, that probably feels like walking and you don't want to go "that slow", but I would suggest you work down to it over time.

Right now you can keep your HR under 145 for a long run, once you find this easy to do (ie: the pace doesn't feel maddeningly slow) try keeping the HR under 140 for long stretches (although you can let it climb on uphills, but once on the flat again at the top, once again bring the HR under control).

Two days per week do this:
Tue: a session at 150-155 HR (~80% HRmax)
Fri: a session at 155-160 HR (~85% HRmax)

The Tues session can start at 2 x 15 mins (as you are doing) and slowly build up along these lines as you get more and more comfortable at that effort:
2 x 15 mins, 2 x 20 mins, 3 x 15 mins, 1 x 30 mins, 30 mins + 15 mins, 1 x 40 mins, 35 mins + 15 mins, 1 x 45 mins...

There is no need to take every step I give above, but slowly try and increase the amount of time you can run at 150-155. Take a relaxed 3-5 mins jog break in between each long rep.

The Fri session you can begin shorter;
2 x 8-10 mins with 3-5 mins jog break. Then build to 2 x 12 mins, 2 x 15 mins, etc. Don't be in a hurry to build, let the physical adaptations happen in your muscles and it will get easier and easier as the weeks go by.

You should find that as well as you gaining the ability to go longer and longer at this effort level, that the pace at these HRs improves over the weeks. But don't get too anal about whether each session is faster than the week before, just get the work in. Improvement is not linear.

Give it 6 weeks at these effort levels (increasing the length of the reps over the six-week period), and then post up again.

Do a 10 min jog warm up before each session. Some simple stretches and 3 x 100m strides with 60 secs jog break) and then begin.

Hadd
Thank you

Will do all of that, been doing this properly since the new year, yes at first it did seem like walking and have noticed improvements in the 6 -7 weeks i've been doing this.
so will drop easy pacing back down to 130-135, i am determined this time. Not the quickest runner but am interested in how quick i could be with the right training

And will post back in 6 weeks and note what improvements are made

Once again Thank You.

Hadd,

Here's an interesting forum spun, in some manner, off of your posts:

http://runningahead.com/groups/LOWHRTR/Forum

Thanks for the link, Will. I'll have a browse over the coming week.

Hello
Its been about 6 weeks since i last posted and training has been going ok. Passed 500 miles for the year today, while i realise that is probably still low milage it is more than i have ever done before and crazily enough it does appear pretty easy. If you told me a few years ago i'd find 50mpw easy i'd probably would have laughed

My training paces have reduced by about a minute a mile since the beginning of the year starting to get sub 10 min miles (yes i am a bit on the slow side lol) but am amazed at the change this is probably around HR 138
I have been trying to run at 130-135 not always easy but its getting there i can manage it for sections of the run

Today i did a half marathon pretty perfect conditions this is my last race before the London Marathon so i didn't run it at an optimum HR. I averaged 158

The training sessions have been going well but i will probably need some more work at it and to increase the number of miles up a bit.

Hadd:


I'm 55+ and have tried to increase my aerobic base by using low H/R training several times. My base(s) have been 4 to 12 weeks. I have improved after each of those bases but not the percentage increase in pace as other runners that have posted in other LHR forums. I recall reading that LHR training for those in my age group might not be as effective as those younger than me. I'd appreciate your input/suggestions.

The majority of the runs are at 70%MHR with 6x100 strides and some faster run that do not exceed the high 70% range. The weekly totals are about 12 to 16 hours.

Thanks
YOF