Just before the start of lockdown, I got a parkrun PB of 27:47 after taking nearly a year to get back up to pace after marathon training (wrongly).
Then, as lockdown came into force, you may remember me mentioning that I had started a low heart rate training plan. The first 4 weeks I increased my mileage to 100 miles whilst running in zone 3. It took a couple of weeks to get used to it but I loved the easy running. For the next 4 weeks, I upped the mileage to 125 miles and included a weekly tempo run. The last time a did this kind of mileage, my legs were ruined but this time I had no issues with tired legs at all as most runs were easy. In the last 4 weeks I did a tempo and a speed session and dropped back down to 100 miles to allow for recovery. I’ve just had a week very easy running and this morning I did the final measure - my local parkrun course.
Absolutely delighted to have smashed my time. The parkrun was 26:05 with a 5k pr of 25:34 which is over 2 minutes off my previous time.
Conclusion - it works! I’ve lost quite a bit of weight along the way and am nearly at target so that’s massively helped but I can certainly recommend zone 3 training - slow down to run faster 😃
Written by
Tasha99
Marathon
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34 Replies
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I love this and something I'm going to look at and focus on for a bit so thank you for inspiring me. That is some pace for a 5k too!! Well done you. So well deserved. Really pleased for you! You are feeling fit and strong with stamina. How powerful running can make us 🎽😊
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Was there a specific plan you followed? I'm looking around online.
No I just made mine up. But my friend is really into all this and at uni to become a physio so he’s guided me. Basically I ran 5 times a week gradually increasing by a mile or so each week then dropping back the 4th week for recovery. You need to run at least 30 minutes to gain the aerobic advantage and running too fast or far isn’t advantageous. I did most of my run 4-6 miles and maybe a 7 to 9 mile max long run. Week 5 introduced a 20 minute tempo with 2k warm up and cool down either side. Week 9 speed session in different forms introduced with 2k warm up. I’d have never have thought I could go that fast before! 🤣
Wow! You are amazing! Congratulations on a fabulous 5k PR. How long in total have you been using this method? sounds like just under 4 months, is that right (phenomenal progress!)?
Maybe I'll have a go through the winter after this bout of HM training. My heart rate runs pretty high so I think I'd have a hard time with it - but it would be a different challenge 😀. Your results sell it very strongly 👍
Well you adapt it to your heart rate zones. You have to run in zone 3 which is different for everyone. I loosely used garmin but had to change my max heart rate. I tried to keep under 140 but the guy I spoke to today who’s even more of an expert than my mate, reckons I need to go slower than that as my resting heart rate is only about 40. I’m considering paying out for a lab test to get the precise details. I can’t believe how much more I can run and yet my legs are always fine!
Fascinating! I already raised my max heart rate in Garmin and Strava (both seem to have different default zone calculations). My resting HR is mid fifties usually. Despite all that almost all my runs are zone 4 and 5 at the moment. But I am intrigued - nothing new is easy at the start, right?
That was my issue: all my runs were zone 4 and 5 before. Neither here nor there. Not hard enough to improve and not easy enough to recover and enable heart muscles to improve. It takes a good 2 weeks to settle into it. I couldn’t do it on the first run at all.
Congratulations. Well done. And what a brilliant post. I only started low heart rate training a few months ago but it has worked wonders.
Even after having my beta blockers reduced (yay), at a similar pace I'm still running with a lower heart rate. I couldn't imagine running without my heart rate showing on my Garmin these days.
I ran my fastest 5k today, 25.16 which is almost 2 minutes faster than the last parkun (27.14) and I'm convinced that low heart rate training has helped.
Also, running to the tempo of songs that keep me at targeted heart rate has made this process SO much easier. I have a playlist of songs of a variety of tempos that are very close together. (Need slightly different tempos depending on incline, although can also modulate heart rate through steep size of course!)
If you need to walk to stay in “zone 2”, I strongly suspect that’s your zone 1!
But no matter, clearly you’re finding a heart rate that’s transforming you that’s all what matters. That’s fantastic!
I’ve been doing my zone 2 To great effect really terrific to see my speed going up at the same heart rate. Congrats on all your progress, very inspirational !
I admire you sticking with it, I feel I'd have to be virtually walking to keep my run in zone 3...there are times as I'm getting fitter that a portion of my run is in that zone which I'm always pleased with.
It must take a lot of patience along the way, maybe one day I'll give it a try on your sage advice 😊
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