Heart rate/zone training: Tips needed
Hello, friends! It’s been a couple of weeks since I last wrote a newsletter. Life has been extra busy since I ran the Cincinnati Half Marathon, but I’m back in the swing of things now and back to my regular running schedule, too.
I’ve tried something in the past week or so that I’m on the fence about: Heart rate or “zone” training.
Women’s Running magazine says this type of training — which means forgetting about pace and instead focusing on keeping a steady, relatively low heart rate while running — can help with fitness, speed, distance and preventing injury.
My first attempts have been deeply annoying. With warmer weather, especially, my heart rate skyrockets pretty quickly after I start a workout. When I try to get my beats per minute to slow, I end up walking and then I feel like I’ve barely gotten a good workout in at all. But according to this Women’s Running article, early frustrations are pretty typical:
“Beginner runners may find it harder to do heart rate training, as our heart rates are usually higher when we first start out. It doesn’t mean that we can’t do it; it just means that we may need to expect more variability of heart rate.”
And it takes time to see the benefits, according to Runner’s World:
“Remember that changes in your heart rate don't happen overnight – once you've spent some time racking up slower miles, you'll start to see some impressive results.”
I’ve heard from some friends and several running influencer-types (shoutout to my TikTok algorithm) that they really love their results from zone training, so I’m curious. If you’re reading this and you have any suggestions or encouragement for sticking with heart rate training, please share your thoughts in the comments!
Runner’s log
Last week marked my first runs of official marathon training! I ran for about 35 minutes on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and then I went 5 miles on Sunday.
The Chicago Marathon hooked me up with a custom training plan through an app called Final Surge, so I’m not using Hal Higdon’s program this time around. Though, the two programs are based on the same basic structure: run three easy workouts during the week and one long run over the weekend, with cross-training sprinkled in a couple times throughout the week.
The biggest difference is my new program is urging me to think in minutes as opposed to miles for my weekday runs. I’ve never done this before, and it definitely puts me in a different mindset. It’s made me slow down (in a good way!) because I’m running for a set time regardless, instead of thinking my workout will be done sooner if I just run faster.
I had a lot of fun with my cross-training workouts last week, too. I went to yoga on Wednesday, got in several long walks with Rory and went hiking in Red River Gorge over the weekend with Oliver and his childhood friends.
We had a blast exploring the trails and it helped that the weather was near-perfect, too.
…And they were roommates!
So much has happened in the last few weeks. But the best and most exciting news I have to share is that I’ve moved in with my best friend and favorite person, Oliver.
We found a sweet apartment in Cincinnati’s Pendleton neighborhood to call home, with enough room for our home offices, more than a dozen instruments and our two pets. (Milo the cat and Rory are getting along surprisingly well, for those of you who are curious!) We’re walking distance from dozens of restaurants, bars, shops, parks and more. It’s been so fun unpacking together and settling in to this new space. It just feels right.
Here’s a photo of two tired roommates on our moving day:
I’m so excited for this new chapter and really grateful for the support we’ve had from our family and friends. Please come visit and let us show you around our adorable new neighborhood! We’d love to have you, any time.
xoxo,
mad mitch
This made me tear up at how happy you are and how moving in together “feels right.” ❤️