Heart rate (HR) monitoring

I jumped on the heart rate (HR) monitoring band wagon for a short bit – but I'm off of it now and I am sure that I’ll get a lot of comments back on this post….

Summary for the impatient:  I feel that while there is valid science behind the physiology and mechanics of my HR as it relates to my running efficiency, the effort required to adequately monitor it and quantify (if not also qualify) the data hardly makes it worth my effort to monitor and run to a HR bandwidth.

In other words, I am saying that I am able to judge closely enough how I am doing without having to attach devices to my body, be constantly monitoring the status of HR readings, and then adjust my effort to those readings.  In the same way that I would have to go through a data collection and analysis process if I was monitoring my HR and arrive at some quantifiable solution, over time I have been able to recognize body signals that provide me with basically the same information regarding my health status.

Don’t get me wrong - I’m an Engineer – and I love data. As it is I probably keep way too much data about my running activities, miles run, splits, cumulative, averages, pacing, hill work, miles on shoes, and so on. And at first I really latched on the idea of being able to quantify my running efforts with the status of my HR – the data could be pretty interesting – perhaps… 

But as I got into it I realized that first off, the key is to establish what my MaxHR was.  There is/are a bogus formula which needs to be expunged from the internet that uses a number minus your age or a factor of your age. Perhaps over a very, very large population sample the results average out, but at a personal level it is a non-starter. And the reason is simply because my MaxHR can be substantially different than another runner of the same age and similar health. The same can be said for the “aerobic” and “anaerobic” ranges which are said to be 60-70% and 70-80% or MaxHR respectfully. Bogus, bogus, bogus.

The only way to make this really work is to gather enough data and sufficient testing to establish metrics that apply to me personally. And this is something that is totally possible. And yes, I am confident that it would make me a better runner. But no, I doubt that it will ever enable me win a race (my genetics simply aren’t there to run at a pace faster than the guys at the front of the pack or even in my age group). So given all that, I don’t see the value in going through all of the data gathering – it begins to take the fun and joy out of simply being able to run.

I’m trying to keep this post very personal and individual to me, because I realize that everyone is different, genetically, biologically, chemically, etc., and there are also mental games at play. But I’ll share one situation where I was running with someone who was tracking their HR and somewhere around mile 9 he said that he needed to slow down or walk because he was approaching the max for his targeted HR aerobic range. I’ll note that we were running pretty smoothly, conversing, laughing, and he seemed to be in a very comfortable groove, in other words, he did not seem to be approaching a higher level of exertion than he had been. I asked him if he felt ok, and he said he felt great, but that he had to keep his HR below a certain threshold. Turns out he was taking his threshold levels literally as calculations from the same internet crap that I mentioned earlier.  His MaxHR was probably nowhere near what he read he should calculate, and his aerobic range was likely substantially wider than even 60-70% of whatever his MaxHR really is…

So my conclusion to all this is to run by listening to my body. How comfortable do I feel? How is my breathing? Do I feel like I’m pressing or am I cruising? Can I run a little faster without a lot of extra effort? Should I slow down? And so on. I think it comes down to running smart, but not so much “data smart”, but rather smart as in tune with my body and recognizing signals.

I also realize that not everybody can interpret what their body is trying to tell them,  so having a device that tells them “SLOW DOWN”, or “you are good, you can speed up some…”  is important. I get it.  But I just feel that I can be a better runner, and be healthier, by being able to tune in more to what my body is saying and not stress myself out on the my current HR reading.

Side note… I still track my HR from time to time, but only because I find it mildly interesting. Plus,  I’m a data hog. But I won’t look at my HR while I’m running anymore; I’ll let my body tell give me status updates the old fashioned way…

Comments and stories welcome...