Heart Rate In Races

by Ruben
(Laredo,Texas,USA)

Should one run with heart rate or just on pace in the scheduled 5k, 10k's and marathons ?

"Marius, should I stick to a certain heart rate on the races like the 5k 10k half marathon and marathon or should I use a pace time? What do you recommened?"

Answer: Always run on pace in races. Due to adrenaline and tapering factors leading into the race, you can never rely on your heart rate in those. It is much better to be aware of pace during workouts and teach yourself good pace "feeling" Then, when races come around try and calculate your finishing time. Now, for the first 2/3rd of the races stick to this pace 100 %. Then the last 1/3 you are "free" to run faster if you have "the day" That way you'll make sure to get the best out of races.

But do try and be aware of pace in practice. It can be done extremely well if you are used to it. In my own running I was able to guess/run the time on 400 meter laps around the track within an accuracy of about 0.2 seconds without a watch and could guess the pace on off track km/mile pace with only 2-3 seconds error-margin on almost all paces. Which is a huge benefit when races come around.

Best of luck !

Kind regards
Marius

Back from Heart Rate in Races to Marathon Training Schedule

I'm often asked what shoes I personally recommend to help stay injury free while running (on the 100 day plan) so I'll add a little bit about it at the end of these Q and A's.

Good shoes are crucial if you want to stay injury free during your marathon journey. In general, the best is to find a shoe that fits your feet according to your foot type.

However, these three shoes will do an excellent job with their mild correction - and will work for most runners :

The most sold running shoes ever - and by every model seems to get better and better. About the same weight as the Kayano but the fit is a little bit different.

The 2150 is a great alternative for the faster work you'll be doing in the 100 day plan. It is one of the few shoes that "feels" like a lightweight one but at the same time has more than enough stabilty to prevent injuries with the marathon type length of some of the interval sessions.

A tips for international (non-US) runners : check out roadrunnerssports.com : Example : Asics Kayano (RoadRunnerssports) they ship worldwide and it can really save you some money on your shoes.