Whatever level of runner you are, what drives most people to train is trying to achieve a new personal best (PB) at their next race. This can be a wonderful motivator but it can also be very frustrating when you can’t seem to get to the next level. Training with a heart rate (HR) monitor can be the key to success and with Polar releasing their new RS400 and RS800 there is no reason for you not to reach that new PB this Autumn.

HR monitors can be very valuable tools for both beginners and advanced runners not only to ensure each of your training runs has a purpose and specific effort level but some of the new features of the RS range offer other benefits. The RS800 can also calculate your running cadence (how many footfalls per minute) which can make a huge difference to performance. I look for a very specific cadence range for all the runners and triathlete’s I coach however it is hard for individuals to monitor this while out training on their own and the RS800 solves this problem. In addition, the ability to route profile and calculate the meters climbed can be very valuable when training for certain races and having this as part of RS800 is hugely valuable.

Getting Started

In order to use a HR monitor effectively you need to calculate your maximum HR. You can do this more accurately through a coach or sports doctor however to get a good idea you can try this test:

Treadmill: After a thorough warm-up perform 2 x 4min flat out runs with 1min easy jog between and the highest rate you hit will give you an approximate maximum.
Outside: Same as for a treadmill but finish the last 4min run with 100m up a reasonably steep hill or some steps.

(If you are overweight or a complete beginner, it is best to use a very approximate formula until you build up some base fitness. Take 214 - (0.8 x age) for men and 209 – (0.9 x age) for women.)

Once you have your maximum HR, you need to work out your resting HR by lying in bed after waking up and take your HR. (For the best results, you may want to take an average over a few days.) Subtract your resting HR from your maximum HR and this will give you your working HR and you can use the following guidelines:

Recovery Runs = 60% of your working HR.
Long, Slow Runs = 60-70% - These help you to build endurance, burn fat and get your body to adapt ready to run fast.
Tempo Runs = 70-80% - Teaches your body and mind to run @ target race pace.
Longer Intervals = 80-90% - Teaches your body to run faster than race pace which helps to make your target race pace achievable.
Short Intervals = 90-95% - This helps top-end speed and helps you feel sharp for a race.

One of My Favorite Workouts for a 10km Race.

Most people do a long, slow run and intervals every week but often miss a key workout in the middle. This is a really important physical and mental workout as it takes a lot of mental power to run hard for longer periods as you need to in a race.

The Build Run – Depending on what distance you are training for and your previous fitness/experience, this run can be anything from 30min to 120min. For 10km preparation, I like to build up to running a 60min Build Run:

Example of a 60min Build Run:
15min Easy = 60-70% of your working HR
15min Moderate = 70-75% - this should be 5-10 beats higher than the warm-up.
15min Moderate-Hard = 75-80% - should be 5-10 beats higher than the previous build.
15min Easy cool down = 60-70%

This is such a good workout as you have to think about pacing, it is a longer run than an interval run so it’s a good way to get some more miles in the legs and good race training both physically and mentally. It is harder than it looks as you are building up fatigue in the legs during the workout before you get to the harder section so it is good race practice without you going out and running your full race distance at race pace and therefore recovery is quicker. The key to improvement is consistency so it’s important not to go out and fry yourself every workout and this is where a HR monitor can be very valuable. It ensures you go hard when appropriate but easy when it’s time to build endurance or do a recovery run and this means you can be consistent with your training.

Happy Training and Good Luck in your next races.

Claire Murray