Easy Pace = double resting HR?

Where did you get this calculation? It is true that the Range is important (Max HR - Resting HR). It seems odd to use 78% as it is high and very specific. Also, you do not offset the result by Resting HR. Therefore the result seems very low. Running by feel seems to be a lost art. A HR monitor is a tool and can be useful. However, there are ranges for "easy" and ranges for "moderate" and ranges for "hard" running. They change a bit based on how tired you are. So you have to listen to your body and run accordingly.

hpylori40 wrote:

(Max HR - Resting HR) x 78% = Easy Pace

Heart Rate Reserve is going to be the best bet for prescribing HR for people of different fitness levels. Generally, under 60 or 65% of HRR is considered easy.

so if you have a Max HR of 200, and a resting of 50, that would be:

200-50 - 150 beats of "HR reserve"

0.6 x 150 = 90

Add resting HR back, = 140 bpm for 60% of HRR

Eh?? wrote:

Cyberius wrote:

Better off with 180 - age

I´m 20 years old so that would be 160. I recently did a HR max test and it was 185. Easy pace at 160 BPM would be ridiculous.

There's no way our MHR is that low, I'm 25 and consistently hit 180+ on gentle tempo runs. I only run 15:30

I judge easy pace by how many lines of Tupac's " I ain't mad at cha" I can recite without getting out of breath..

Ex Phys wrote:

Heart Rate Reserve is going to be the best bet for prescribing HR for people of different fitness levels. Generally, under 60 or 65% of HRR is considered easy.

so if you have a Max HR of 200, and a resting of 50, that would be:

200-50 - 150 beats of "HR reserve"

0.6 x 150 = 90

Add resting HR back, = 140 bpm for 60% of HRR

This is absolutely the correct answer and accounts for differences in individuals.

For me easy pace is 123 HR calculated and this is pretty much spot on. My HR rarely gets above 145 unless I am really pushing it. 145 for someone else may be their easy pace.

hplum40 wrote:

In the book I'm currently reading, "Running Tough" by Michael Sandrock (2001), he quotes coach Rich Castro as saying that a good guide for your easy runs is doubling your resting heart rate. This would be around 80-85 beats per minute, as my resting HR is about 40-ish, and has been for a while now. There is no way I could run at 80 BPM. I think tripling the resting HR would make more sense (120-130 for me), but double? No way.

Thoughts?

120-130. I AM NOT A BOT.

Huapango wrote:

Easy pace should feel....ummmm....easy.

This

Cyberius wrote:

Better off with 180 - age

I'm 57, my bpm are 165 during hard workouts. Most of the time I cruise along at ~135. I'm still not back in shape and 15 lbs. overweight so I expect to get back to 180-185 bpm once I'm back in decent shape. My resting pulse rate was 54 a few weeks ago but now is back to ~70 because I didn't work out. In my early 20s when in good shape my resting pulse rate was 34. Despite an apparently strong heart I was born with a slight heart murmur which I believe is still happening. If I keel over during a run then f**k it, better to live a good life than a long one.

um not sure if that is good advice... my resting heart rate was 32 (in my prime) and to go for a run at 64 beats per minute would be impossible. Even now as an almost 50 my resting heart rate is 40 and 80 would be tough. I know Mike but haven't read the book. The problem with quotes by coaches is what one believes doesn't actually make it correct. I have never seen this theory before and would be surprised if anyone followed it.... Although i did see that Lasse Viren had many of his runs with very low heart rates.

Doubling your rest rate makes no sense.

Maffetone formula gives a rough estimation, most of the times is spot on.

But if at calculated HR you don't feel 'easy' don't blame the formula but apply corrections as indicated (from -10 bpm to +10 bpm) and blame your bad aerobic form.

If you want to measure easy psce by HR, it would be wiser to go down from you max HR and not from you rest HR. Elite runners have rest HR of 30, running at 60 HR- they might fall asleep during the run