HRM training update

Sounds like it's working for you. I've never tried this before. My HR is high to begin with and I always figured training by it would scare me. :shrug:

i use mine mostly for the Long Steady Rolls. i think it really helped out on this years BRAG event as well. i sed it for the first three days, which were in the hills and made sure i kept it between 65-70%. The second three days was on the flats and i did not use it BUT i felt great, which i contribute to have holding myself in check on the harder part of the course.

Goodluck GR

I'm still convinced this is a great training tool. My main concern is keeping my easy runs easy, and I don't worry too much about the hard runs, although I do try to keep them in range. My pace has definitely picked up, and recently, I've found the sub 9 min. mile zone for tempo runs. A bit fast for what I'm training for, but still, happy to see them!

Since I'm marathon training now, I'm using Pfitzinger's recomendations for HR zones.

I'm convinced.

I really focused on HRM training while preparing for my first marathon. I found it very benefical and an important part of my training. Cappy note: I moved this from TT& RR

Yep, I'm still an HRM user..My long runs have gone faster again recently but I now find it alot harder to keep my HR down due to the heat... :x

In the 3 months or so I've been using the dreaded HRM, I have seen drastic improvement in my racing times, and more importantly, how I feel after said races. I can't wait to see how well I'll do once the heat and humidity go away.

What's the range of improvement you're calling "drastic"?
Just wanting to add a spin to this thread since I'm already on record as a HRM skeptic. As I read posts about HRM strapped runners, there doesn't seem often to be much in terms of drastic changes in race times.

What's the range of improvement you're calling "drastic"? Just wanting to add a spin to this thread since I'm already on record as a HRM skeptic. As I read posts about HRM strapped runners, there doesn't seem often to be much in terms of drastic changes in race times. PRs galore spring racing season. 10K alone was by close to 4 minutes, I think. The biggest proof: 5K PR in late October. 5K in horrendously hot and humid summer weather: 8 seconds off PR. 5K as last leg of sprint tri, where I walked 2 minutes: 48 seconds or so off. And I notoriously suck at 5Ks because I hate them so much and I'm slow as molasses. Again, the biggest difference is how I feel after the races. Sometimes I go all out, sometimes not. But I don't feel like death or puking as much as before because I'm starting to recognize when too much is indeed too much. My overall LSD times are coming down, too. I can run a half for fun and still come damn close to my PR time. Not too shabby. But this is obviously a long term project. Ask me in November. I'm sure I'll have many other good things to report.

I tried, but it never caught on with me.

PRs galore spring racing season. 10K alone was by close to 4 minutes, I think. The biggest proof: 5K PR in late October. 5K in horrendously hot and humid summer weather: 8 seconds off PR. 5K as last leg of sprint tri, where I walked 2 minutes: 48 seconds or so off. And I notoriously suck at 5Ks because I hate them so much and I'm slow as molasses. Again, the biggest difference is how I feel after the races. Sometimes I go all out, sometimes not. But I don't feel like death or puking as much as before because I'm starting to recognize when too much is indeed too much. My overall LSD times are coming down, too. I can run a half for fun and still come damn close to my PR time. Not too shabby. But this is obviously a long term project. Ask me in November. I'm sure I'll have many other good things to report. Thanks for the answer elkid. But just so the viewers at home are in the know, if memory serves me right in posts I've read, you've done quite a bit else in tweaking since last year, such as weight loss, curtailing cigarettes and adding cross-training with triathlon preparation. Where do you think the HRM ranks in importance for you among all these factors plus any that I've missed?

WEIGHT FACTOR: My weight loss was recent. After my marathon I gained back 16 pounds. Stayed at that weight on purpose through tri training. Lost 8 lbs right before the tri due to illness. So weight, insignificant factor.
SMOKING FACTOR: That was last year. No impact.
CROSSTRAINING: more leg balance, for sure, due to cycling. more upper body control, for sure, with swimming. Aerobic capacity has to be up due to both.
I still contend that the HRM has done me the best with running. I go out fast and hard, and this has stopped me from doing so. When I ran the Brooklyn half and wore it, I felt I was going at an easier pace and did better than at Queens where I tried to trust myself (went out hard, then slowed down). Was faster at Brooklyn by 9 minutes, I believe.
I was not always a fan. I fought the HRM, for a long time. I'm glad I got it, though. Last summer almost every run felt like death. This summer, only the extreme heat and humidity bothers me. 85 degrees with 40% humidity is no big deal. Plus, it's kept me out of the med tent a few times.