Is a heart rate monitor better to use for marathon training rather than not use anything and do a run 3 min. / walk 1 min. approach?
Definitely use a heart rate monitor. Here are a few tips:
1) Observe your heart rate during your first training runs. Use this benchmark information as a guideline for your training.
2) If you need to walk/run to begin your training use the walk to let your heart rate recover. Base your recovery on heart rate, not on time. For example, drop your heart rate by 10 beats during the walk. The time it takes to recover will depend on your fitness level.
3) Find a steady state heart rate that you can maintain during your run. Running at 150 beats per minute for 30 minutes is better than running for 5 minutes at 165 beats per minute then walking for a minute.
Don’t forget, wear your heart rate monitor every day and record your heart rate. Make sure to wear your monitor during the marathon.
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Recent Questions
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Evaluating Marathon Perfomance with Heart Rate and Pace
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Dr. Alinda, I am 47 and my heart rate is usually higher than charts after exercising for about 30 min. My comfort HR is about 153-155. After about 45 minutes it shoots to 160 and continues a gradual upward topping at about 168 when I run 5 or more miles
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I am 50 and when I exercise on treadmill or eliptical, I usually cross my target heart rate which is 168 and sometimes for a very long period of time.
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As a heart rate monitor beginner, is it true your pace is slow in the beginning and then gets faster as you train with a consistent HR (145 bpm)?
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How do I use a Heart Rate Monitor for the Long Runs in my training plan?
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