Heart Rate Zone - question & contradiction

I used Eric's time trials in the 8 week program to determine my HR zones (average 6 min trial HR minus 8 beats is threshold, zones computed per Friel for running). Problem is I really redlined my last trial and my avg HR was 168. Previous time trial a few weeks ago my avg HR was 158. So my threshold seems to have gone from 150 to 160. I am 50 years old and 160 just seems too high. I have never in my life gotten my heart rate over about 185, and if I had to guess I would say that my max is 180 (not 190 as shows up on the Training Peaks calculator) and threshold is probably 155ish. ?????? Who the heck knows. It matters today because I'm scheduled in the 8-week workout to run 6 minutes in Zone 4. Any thoughts or advice?

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by James ("Jim") Keane on March 3, 2012 at 10:15am

Correction, by avg HR in my last 6 minute trial was 169 vs. 156 for the prior 6 minute trial, and as I noted above I was pushing it, in a mid-afternoon, whole-body-wide-awake, felt-like-puking all out run. (I rowed crew in college, and retain a vivid muscle memory of six-minute puke-your-guts-out cardio work - I'm guessing most rowers live way up in the high reaches of their HRs during races.) My newly calculated zones, based on this near-puke-level HR (Joe Friel for running) are:

Zone 1 < 136

Zone 2 < 146

Zone 3 < 154

Zone 4 < 160

Maybe it's right. I just want to make sure I'm getting the most out of Eric's training plans. Actually before this re-calculation, when all my zones were about 11 bps lower, felt pretty wimpy. I would appreciate any input - just that with this wide swing there may be a mistake.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by James ("Jim") Keane on March 3, 2012 at 4:06pm

Here are main sets from todays aerobic intervals workout (2x6 minutes in zone 4) - maybe the new zones are okay. I couldn't sing the national anthem during main sets, but it didn't feel at all like "max" either - felt like a moderately aggressive race-day 10k pace, something I could sustain:

MS 1: 6:04 minutes, pace of 7:59, avg HR 158bpm

MS 2: 6:02 minutes, pace of 7:54, avg HR 160bpm