HELP! Heart Rate Training Issues

Ditch the monitor. You don't need it. Easy run = you can have a conversation with the person running with you. That's it. Some days you'll be slower than other days because it's hot out or you're tired. That's OK.

Using a heart rate monitor is very useful for training. Your instantaneous HR will vary a lot. If you take your average heart rate over the entire 7 miles run and you run these seven miles at the same pace your average HR should be almost identical everyday.

Thank you very much guys for the responses!

There is no need -- I repeat, NO need -- for a high school runner to use a heart-rate monitor. Running is not that complicated. Instead of concentrating on how he feels, he's already obsessed with the number on his watch.

If you're training on your own a heart rate monitor might help you out, but ask your coach about the workouts. The heart rate monitor is for you will not over train stay in a good zone, heart rate will not always be the same everyday some days it will be high or low, I'am a long distance runner for my altitude & marathon training only, i have a POLAR heart rate monitor. If you know your heart rate numbers you could train yourself.

Don't listen to the naysayers , a HRM is great for monitoring your fitness, gauging improvement and controlling your effort.

Make sure the monitor is damp and working right away. If I don't wet mine, it won't give me accurate readings until I start breaking a sweat 10 to 15 min in.

My strap monitors are very accurate . For kicks, sometimes I'll wear both my Polar and my Garmin and they give me the same number. The optical ones suck badly.

I am one too wrote:

Don't listen to the naysayers , a HRM is great for monitoring your fitness, gauging improvement and controlling your effort.

Make sure the monitor is damp and working right away. If I don't wet mine, it won't give me accurate readings until I start breaking a sweat 10 to 15 min in.

My strap monitors are very accurate . For kicks, sometimes I'll wear both my Polar and my Garmin and they give me the same number. The optical ones suck badly.

100% on all of that.