1st attempt at Zone 3 HR training...challenging and ridiculous but good!

[Run46]

Today was day 1 of my Zone 3 HR training...I started by looking back at previous runs and setting my max heart rate on my Garmin to reset the zones accordingly. It spiked at 200 on my HM last week 😳 but before that 195 was my highest on occasional long runs so I set it at 195 (200 felt like an anomaly). I then set an alarm alert for zone 3.

I also set up my watch display to show time, distance and HR...I knew if I didn't remove pace from the screen I'd struggle to remain calm at how slow I was going.

In the first 9 minutes I really struggled to keep in zone 3 and was constantly having to stop and walk for a few seconds to bring my HR back down. As I continued I channelled the Japanese slow running guy and was pleased to manage 7 minutes and a small hill before the next little walk was needed.

I have to say, I felt slightly ridiculous at times, not least when the heavens opened up 45 minutes in and I had to stop and walk in full view of a couple of dog walkers who I'm sure wondered what on earth I was doing...I'll admit that for around a minute I ignored the alarm coz I felt silly stopping in torrential rain but I gave myself a talking to and slowed to a walk regardless.

I'll also admit to swearing a couple of times, once a 'for f@#k sake' slipped out under my breath as I sped up crossing a road to avoid an oncoming car and the bloody alarm went off, the resulting walk did see me grinning though at my own frustration. 🤬😆

I decided to continue for an hour as that was all my patience would allow and managed 4.5 miles and a super slow pace at well over 2mph slower than my HM last week but and it's a big BUT...I wasn't tired upon getting home and had more than enough energy to do a 20 minute strength training session after stretching out, which I thoroughly enjoyed and am looking forward to doing more of as it's something I've been lax at recently due to using the exhaustion after my runs as a reason not to bother, or to give a half hearted attempt.

Overall it was challenging as I had to be constantly monitoring both my watch and pace. And until I get used to it I don't think I'll have the patience for very long runs but it went better than expected and I'm hopeful with time it can work as well for me as it has for Tasha99 and Hidden 🙏🤞

[Hidden]

Booooom 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Well done you for giving it a right good go. It does take a run or two to get used to it and you will if you give it time. I laughed my head off at some of your feelings about this 😂😂😂😂😂 once you relax more too hopefully your HR will come down again and you'll reap the benefits. Loved reading this 😁 I'd give it a whole month of runs all at slow pace. I did this on every run no matter the distance.

[Run46 Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Lol, I'm glad I amused you, thankfully I did see the funny side of it myself too 😂

I plan to persevere and will do all bar one at the required pace for the next month...there's a 10 mile virtual run on the HM training plan in around 3 weeks which I will probably break the rules for 🤔😉

[Hidden in reply to Run46]

Yes, this will be a good opportunity to see if you feel any better or stronger for doing this 10 mile one. I hope by then you are comfier for longer. Now when I finish a run I'm obviously tired but not out of breath and it feels brilliant.

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one to swear on a run 🙄

I’ve never run to heart rate but I know many swear by it.... literally 😂

[Run46 Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

😂😆😂

[Tasha99 Marathon]

Wow well done. You’ll notice over the next couple of weeks that they get much easier to do and then you’ll get used to it. I didn’t do anything over 45 - 60 minutes at first as there’s no real benefit to it and actually you’ll not see any gains. Aim for 30-50 minutes 4-5 times a week for a month at least. Then you can introduce a faster run one a week. Running like this is my new normal now.

[Run46 Half Marathon in reply to Tasha99]

Great, thanks for the info Tasha 👍

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to Run46]

I’ve edited now so it’s legible 😶🤣

[Run46 Half Marathon in reply to Tasha99]

😂😆👍

[Hidden in reply to Tasha99]

My mentor has spoken ✅

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to Hidden]

😶🤔 15k pr today and I was going slow until the last 2k 🤣💪🏽 I do like Matt Fitzgerald’s fast finish runs 👍🏽

[Hidden in reply to Tasha99]

💥💥💥💥💥 That's brilliant! Well done you 🥇

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

Brilliant! That made me laugh! I think you're giving the passersby more credit for thinking than is actually due, but I can see why it would feel that way. I think moving from HM to low HR training is a great move - that's my plan for this winter too. Good luck, and keep letting us know how it goes. Good luck 🙂

[Run46 Half Marathon in reply to linda9389]

Will do Linda, thanks.

I think you're right, it was me feeling a bit self-conscious as I felt like I was virtually running in slow motion...I'm sure anyone who saw me was paying no attention at all 😏

[David_G Metric Marathon]

Hi Run46, I’ve just bought a book by Matt Fitzgerald (mentioned elsewhere in this thread) about running more slowly, which seems interesting!😀🏃‍♂️ I’m going to give it a try and see how I get on, but I fear I might find it frustrating until I get used to it 🤯 I’m used to running about 80% of my runs fast and 20% slow, which is the complete opposite of what I should be doing apparently!🤣

[Run46 Half Marathon in reply to David_G]

Me too David, not that my fast is actually that fast but it's enough that my HR continues to climb and I defo wouldn't want to hold a conversation!

I guarantee you'll get frustrated 😅

[David_G Metric Marathon in reply to Run46]

Thanks Run46, I’ve invested in the book so I ought to at least give it a try!😊 I’ll see how it goes over the next month or so and report back on here🙂👍

Thanks for confirmation that I’ll be frustrated😳, I’ll just have to guard against it as best I can and tell myself off if I start speeding up!😆

[Run46 Half Marathon in reply to David_G]

The theory being that over a few month the frustrations melt away as we can run at our previous faster pace with a lower heart rate and oxygen to spare 😉

[David_G Metric Marathon in reply to Run46]

Ok, that’s the theory👍 The hard part is running slow enough for long enough to prove it correct!🤣