When you reach a plateau in your training, experts recommend that working within specific heart rate zones will kickstart progress again. But will it just make you a slave to technology?
Good quality heart rate data can be used to help guide your effort during training sessions and races, and you can also review it post workout to help structure your training in the future.
As an experienced runner, I have used heart rate data to ensure I keep my easy runs easy. This allows me to safely increase my running volume while staying fresh enough to nail faster paces on hard workouts. Using a heart rate monitor can also help you understand the connection between your heart rate and your rate of perceived exertion (RPE).
Data is great; for those working with a coach, heart rate data is objective information you can share with your coach so they can better guide you. But it’s also good for the self-coached; if you have a disruption in your training for injury, sickness or life, heart rate is a great metric to follow when you’re returning to running. Regularly collecting heart rate data also enables you to look at trends in workouts and races over time. I like to use my heart rate monitor for watching changes through the cold and flu season, across my menstrual cycle and when the outdoor weather changes.
Another thing to consider is the ever-advancing technology in heart rate monitors. Long gone are the days of the stiff chest strap that chafed. A strap such the 4iiii Viiiiva is more comfortable and accurate than early generations of this technology. and the optical wrist-based heart rate monitors in many new GPS watches are improving in their accuracy.
A modern heart rate monitor can also provide great data beyond the run. New watches and heart rate straps allow you to track metrics that provide valuable insights into your overall health and wellbeing. There are many reasons why heart rate training might not be the most optimal way to track and measure your running effort.
For instance, your heart rate can be affected by lack of sleep, increased stress and caffeine intake, all of which increase your heart rate above what might be your ‘normal’. Given most of us are inf
