​Tips on Using Your HRM & GPS:

• Use it daily and ensure you wear your heart rate monitor for every workout.  It helps your coach monitor your Heart Rate Variable Index as well as a more accurate Training Stress Score.
• Set up the basics on your watch; preferable have training zones set up that match your training zones in TrainingPeaks.
• Learn the features of your device.  Learn one or two features every time you use it.  Start with timer and lap button, then move to heart rate features and then if you your watch allows you to customize your screens, customize them.
• Learn your heart rate training zones in comparison to rate of perceived effort (RPE).
• Discuss with your coach on when to switch from HR workout to RPE or when things don’t seem to match.

 
How to do Interval Workouts with your GPS and HRM
There are two methods on how to record your interval workouts. First create a workout that allows your watch to do the splits, not preferred for hill workouts and second manually record the workout.  I will discuss the manual method. Start the timer when you start your workout to include the warm-up.  Once you get to the start of your first interval, whether it is a hill, track workout, or even a tempo workout, press the lap button. Press the lap button again when you reach the end of the interval. Press lap button again when you start the next interval.  A Variation for hill repeats is to add an addition press of the lap button to include the split for the descending portion of the workout.
 
For all intervals, start easy and build into it.  The first interval should be one of the slowest intervals of the set.  Push a little hard on each interval.  Regardless of the number of intervals that are on your training plan, stop the intervals when your form begins to fall apart.  Repeatedly running with bad form will increase your chance of injury.
 
What Information Do I Look At:

• Interval time or distance: How far or how long did it take?  This data depends on whether the interval is time or distance based. Average pace or speed. How many intervals were complete before you started slowing down? Did you run/ride at a recovery effort during the rest period?  This plays to how well you recover and able to complete each interval. 
• Average heart rate: I compare your average heart rate for each interval as well as how quickly did it drop.  It should get higher and take longer to drop after each workout.
• Max heart rate: What did it top out for each interval and max for entire workout?  Did your heart rate stay within the parameters of the appropriate zone based on the type of workout?
• Comments you provide in TrainingPeaks.  Especially any comments that helps me analyze the workout; such as weather, RPE, how you are feeling, resting heart rate, sleep, etc. All of these provide insight to why your heart rate might not normal.
• I also look at other data if it is available such as cadence, power, ground contact time, vertical oscillation, etc.

 
At the end of the day, I am looking for improvements over time. Is your heart rate dropping at a given pace or is your pace faster at a given heart rate?  All are indicators that you are gaining fitness.  Ultimately, the more consistent information you can provide me the better I can analyze the numbers.  Train smart and have fun out there and enjoy the process.

If you haven’t read Part 1, I would recommend you read through it before continuing through Part 2.

The next phase of training is the Build Phase where you will build upon your aerobic engine you have just finished developing.  Again, your “long runs” will be conducted in Zone 2 maybe 3 depending on your race distance.  You will begin to decrease the amount of time spent in the aerobic training zone and increase the time in both lactate and anaerobic training zones.  How much you increase is depended on the race distance.  Short course will require a higher increase in anaerobic training zone and long course triathlete will increase more in the lactate training zone.  This phase of training can last anywhere from 4-8 weeks.

After an in-depth conversation with an athlete about heart rate training and intensity I decided I would write an article reference to how hard an athlete should train.  The questioned posed to me was how hard should I be training.  This article is more geared toward running but can be applied to cycling as well.

There are lots of data out there on the Internet referencing heart rate training but if you don’t understand the basis behind their calculation you may not be training in the right zones for the right reason. I like to use heart rate reserve (HRR).  For the basis of this article I will your HRR and perceived effort.

To calculate HRR, first you must know your maximum heart rate.  If you don’t know your maximum heart rate, do the following workout to get a good estimate.  Do a 10-20 minute warm-up running, a minimum of one mile.  Find a hill that you can run approximately 1/4 mile in length at a 3-4% grade.  Run up the hill four time with each time getting progressively faster with the third and fourth trip up the hill starting at 85% and finishing at the top at an all out pace and check your heart rate at the top and jog back down.  Take note of the highest heart rate reached.  To calculate your resting heart rate, check it first thing in the morning before drinking any coffee and preferably before you get out of bed.

Use the following equation to calculate for each training zone.

Exercise Heart Rate = % training intensity (Max HR – Rest HR) + Rest HR

Example:  Training Intensity 60%, Maximum Heart Rate 168, Resting Heart Rate = 58

Exercise Heart Rate = 60% (168-58) + 58
Exercise Heart Rate = 60% (110) + 58
Exercise Heart Rate = 66 + 58
Exercise Heart Rate = 124

Below are the five training zone based on HRR and Perceived Effort:

Training Zone HRR                                                         Perceived Effort
Zone 1 (Aerobic Zone) = 40 to 60%                   Conversational Pace – Complete Sentences
Zone 2 (Aerobic Zone) = 61 to 70%                   Conversational Pace – Complete Sentences; a little labored
Zone 3 (Lactate Threshold) = 71 to 80%             Conversation becomes labored; three to four words max
Zone 4 (Anaerobic Zone) = 81 to 90%                Difficult to talk, labored; one to two words
Zone 5 (Anaerobic Zone) = 91 to 100%              Unable to get any words out

Now that you have established training zones either by perceived effort or by perceived effort, how do I use the training zones for training?  Most of us, to include myself, train way to hard and over train on a continual basis; especially during base training and during long runs.  We tend to feel as though we have to run fast to get fast.  I am a firm believer to get fast we must run slow!  Why, to build our cardio efficiency or our aerobic system!  You cannot build your aerobic system by pushing your heart rate to extreme levels and holding it for a prolonged period of time.  Actually you want to keep your heart rate zone 1 and 2.  Training in these zones is how you develop your aerobic base for optimum fat burning and building a strong anaerobic system.

Back to the original question, how hard should I be training?  This is not an easy question to answer.  It is not a blank one answer fits all.  Each athlete is different and each phase of your training will be different.  An athletes experience, race goals, and distance all play a factor.  Generally speaking the shorter the race the higher the intensity and the longer the race the lower the intensity.

Regardless of race distance, Base Phase training should be conducted 80-90% of the time in an aerobic training zone with the other 10-20% split between lactate and anaerobic zones.  Virtually every “long run” should be conducted in Zone 2.  Base Phase training can last anywhere from 4-16 weeks depending on the athlete’s history and goals.

I will discuss the next phases of training in Part 2.