if you've ever tried heart rate training
to improve your running you'll know that
one of the hardest things about running
with heart rate is when you're trying to
run with a low heart rate keeping the
pace slow effort low and heart rate
firmly in your aerobic training Zone can
be a real challenge especially when
you're just getting started with heart
rate training but of course these long
low heart rate runs are the key to
improving your endurance as a runner
allowing you to run faster for longer
without getting so tired so it's an
essential skill to work on whether
you're using heart rate to keep your
long runs slow and steady or your
intermaphro tone training to build your
aerobic base there are a few tips that I
want to share with you which will help
you get comfortable with running with a
low heart rate
firstly try to avoid running in the
hottest parts of the day in fact if you
can run either early in the morning or
later in the evening when the
environment is cooler it'll help your
body regulate its core temperature more
effectively because as soon as your body
begins to overheat your heart has to
work harder in pumping more blood around
the system as blood vessels beneath your
skin dilate in an effort to dissipate
the heat through your skin as you sweat
of course if you plan your runs so that
you don't run in these hotter periods of
the day this simply won't be a factor
that you need to worry about
dehydration is another factor that can
cause your heart rate to increase while
you're running when you get dehydrated
your blood volume decreases slightly so
your heart has to compensate by pumping
the blood around your body faster so
that exercising muscles can get the
oxygen that they need
so when it comes to running with a low
heart rate you need to make sure that
you're well hydrated before your run and
the longer runs make sure that you take
adequate fluids out on the run with you
we're all slightly different but as a
Rough Guide you should aim to drink
about four to six ounces of fluids every
20 minutes during your longer runs
remember if you wait until you're
thirsty before you start drinking you're
already dehydrated the hormone that
causes that thirsty feeling is released
when your body notices that you're
dehydrated but if you keep on top of
your hydration it'll be easier for you
to keep your heart rate low while you're
running
while we're talking about drinks here's
one for the coffee lovers there's
nothing wrong with having a coffee in
the morning before you run but just
remember that caffeine is a stimulant
and depending on how sensitive you are
to it and how much you drink of it it
will have an effect on your heart rate
so if you're a runner who struggles to
keep your heart rate low and you consume
a lot of caffeine perhaps consider
experimenting with a few runs where you
stay clear of caffeine for a good few
hours before you put on your running
shoes and head out of the door once
you're out and running have a think
about how you're breathing
if you have a tendency to breathe
shallow and fast and you feel like
you're breathing into your upper chest
rather than getting a full inhale of air
with each breath take a moment to slow
the pace down consciously slow your
breathing rate and focus on belly
breathing to get a full breath of air
with each inhalation this slow
controlled belly breathing approach will
help to slow your heart rate and Aid you
in maintaining control of your heart
rate as you run if after everything so
far you're still struggling to keep a
low heart rate while you run there's
absolutely nothing wrong with adopting a
run walk run strategy for your running
you can use short intentionally planned
walk breaks to allow your heart rate to
drop back into your aerobic training
zone between each of the running
sections if you're finding it hard to
keep your heart rate low perhaps begin
with a three minute run one minute walk
pattern then over time you increase the
duration of those run blocks up to a
point where step by step you build
towards a nine minute run one minute
walk pattern so even if your heart rate
is creeping up with each running block
you have a one minute walk between each
running section to allow it to come back
down and under control before you start
running again plenty of successful
runners use this type of run walk
approach it's just a case of burying the
ego listening to your body and trusting
in the process
similarly running up hills can cause
your heart rate to suddenly Spike even
if you've been trying to keep the pace
super slow
the problem is once you spiked your
heart rate on a hill it can be really
difficult to get your heart rate to
lower back to the same level that you
are running at before the hill
can't avoid Hills on your easy runs and
you're trying to run with a low heart
rate your best bet is in fact to walk up
the hills trust me your Aerobic System
does not understand the difference
between running and walking it only
understands intensity so you'll be
getting just as good of a workout if not
better because you'll be keeping your
heart rate right where it needs to be to
get the most out of your heart rate
training knowing your max heart rate and
threshold heart rate will really help
you accurately set your heart rate
training zones and train at the correct
intensity
in an Ideal World you'd find out your
maximum heart rate as part of a VO2 max
test in an exercise physiologist's lab
they put you on a treadmill and have you
run what's known as a ramp test
and a similar but different process
called an obla test involves pinpricks
of blood being taken as you run at
increasing intensities on the treadmill
to determine when your blood lactate
begins to accumulate the exercise
physiologist can then use this data to
determine your threshold heart rate and
figure out your training zones
that's all great but we don't all have
access to an exercise physiologist's lab
so here's how you can work out your
maximum heart rate and threshold heart
rate with just a running watch a heart
rate monitor now with that chest strap
monitors are the most accurate rather
than wrist-based Optical sensors and of
course a flat running route let's start
with maximum heart rate your maximum
heart rate is the fastest your heart is
capable of beating the highest beats per
minute whilst effectively pumping blood
around your system so with that in mind
we know that to get you up to your
maximum heart rate you're going to need
to work really hard during this test the
good news is that the hard part is
actually over fairly quickly
after a gradual warm-up of at least 15
minutes progressing from light jogging
to 5K race pace and some dynamic
stretches you'll be ready for the main
test
for the test you need either a running
track or a flat running route
run for two minutes as hard as you can
then walk for one minute to recover
before the next set repeat this four
times so that's four sets of two minutes
running hard with 60 seconds recovery
between each set
when I say run as hard as you can it's
not a Sprint but the fastest Pace you
could possibly sustain for two minutes
when you look back at your heart rate
data for the four sets you'll see where
your heart rate Peaks you'll be able to
identify the highest beats per minute
your heart rate reaches and use that
figure as your maximum heart rate
you don't need to do this test very
often at all as your maximum heart rate
doesn't change much over time although
it does get lower with age performing
this test once per year is more than
frequently enough
in comparison your lactate threshold
heart rate is more likely to change as a
result of your training and is actually
a good indicator of changes in your
running Fitness if your threshold heart
rate increases over time as a result of
your training it means that you're able
to maintain higher intensities of
sustained running before your blood
lactate levels begin to rise
significantly meaning that you'll be
able to run harder for longer before
those heavy legs kick in one way of
testing your threshold heart rate is to
do a 30 minute threshold test it's not
as high intensity as the max heart rate
test but the effort does last for longer
again after a 15 minute Progressive
warm-up the test is a 30 minute run
where you run as hard as you possibly
can manage for 30 minutes
for most people that will be slightly
faster than 10K race Pace it's not a
Sprint but you need to be working hard
right from the start
review the heart rate data from the run
and take two measurements your heart
rate at 10 minutes into the test and
your heart rate at the end of the 30
minutes add those two heart rate figures
together and divide the sum by two to
get an average figure this average
figure is your lactate threshold heart
rate that you can use to determine your
training zones