HRM

Juneathon Day 6: Why run with a Heart Rate Monitor?

06/06/10 06:54

Why run with a Heart Rate Monitor ? (and how do you use it to get fitter??)

My main reason to use a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) is to try to improve my fitness level, that is to measure fitness as an improvement in the amount of work (longer distance / faster speed) I can do, at the same heart rate.

Two years ago, I got a bit nerdy about this goal and decided over a month to run at a fixed heart rate (which I set at 144 heart beats per minute, (right in my aerobic training zone) and log my heart rate at every 1km split.

On the first outing my average distance pace was 6mins and 2 seconds running at 144 Heart Beats per Minute (HBPM). 4 weeks and 12 outings later, my average distance pace had improved to 5 minutes and 45 seconds again at 144 HBPM.

My fitness had improved by 17 seconds per km (but from a low base!)

For me, a speed freak, it was PAINFUL to run that slowly, so the HRM was really helpful to slow me down so I could build and improve my Aerobic Base.

Building a strong aerobic base is really important before embarking on high intensity exercise which are usually anaerobic in nature. So if your not all that fit, think twice about pushing yourself really hard with an intervals workout (like our new Pyramid 200 MAX).

Instead invest a couple of months plodding, because a strong aerobic base will:

Strengthen your lung muscles that facilitate air movement in and out of lungs
Strengthen and enlarge your heart muscles to improve its efficiency in pumping blood throughout your body
Develop your Endurance muscles
Improving recovery rate of your muscles
Decrease your Blood Pressure
Decrease your Resting heart rate
Increase your red blood cell count and improve the transport of oxygen around your body.

Today's run was a delighful 10k plod at 144 BPM listening to the first hour of Run Free. Loved it.

I bought my Timex HRM from www.heartratemonitor.co.uk .

Comments