Heart Rate Monitors, Weight Training and Aging, Everyone Can Race a 5K
Dear Coach:
I am preparing for my first marathon and am training with a group that uses a training schedule consistent with some of your recommendations. I just purchased a heart monitor to assist in my training and in finding a good training pace. Where can I find more articles regarding pacing a marathon with a heart monitor. I am looking for guidelines based on prior experience, such as "your first eight to ten miles should be at seventy-five percent of your maximum heart rate, your next few miles should be at such and such, etc." Please let me know of any Web sites or books that give guidance in this area.
Mark

Dear Mark:
I do not know of any programs that have been successful in terms of pacing a marathon relying solely on heart rate. I tried to have several of my runners with disappointing marathon times rely on their monitors for pace; the results have not been particularly good. My friend and mentor, Coach Roy Benson, has had limited success with runners using the heart monitor to dictate race pace. I have found that it is helpful for most runners to try to maintain a heart rate of seventy-five to eighty percent of maximum for the first half of the race because it keeps them from going out too hard.

However, marathoners need to rely on perceived effort rather than heart rate for the remainder of the race, because you can do amazing things in a race situation compared with training. I am concerned that runners would unnecessarily slow down because of the monitor when they could, in fact, keep pushing on at a faster pace. Having said all this, you might check out the Running Times Web page to see what Coach Benson currently says about who might be candidates for running a marathon solely on heart rate.

Dear Coach:
Over the years I have enjoyed your comments on training. I believe in heart-rate based training. It has kept me running almost without injury since late 1990 (I had run for 23 years before with some pretty fast times until wear and tear caught up with me). At age 58, I am still running and am reasonably competitive. As an aging runner, I find that the three keys to successful running are
1) wear the heart monitor at all times;
2) run every other day;
and 3) run more miles on the days that I run.
As a result, I have outlasted my fellow runners that I used to race against years ago. They have " beat- up" slow legs or have stopped running altogether.
Rich

Dear Rich:
I could not have said it better. At age 55, I find that I am better off running every other day. The days of running six to seven days a week are gone. What I do on the non- running days is weight training, which I believe is absolutely necessary, particularly for older runners (as well as everyone else) if we want to be active individuals in our 60s, 70s, and 80s. In addition to weight training, I believe older runners need to pay attention to flexibility and diet to address issues such as bone density. I also think cross-training can be a benefit because the more muscles and ligaments that we can strengthen today, the greater likelihood of our being active tomorrow.

Dear Coach:
I am a 30-year-old semi-runner. I am pretty slow. I run about nine to ten minute miles, but I did have ACL surgery on my knee. I think with more training I could improve, but my question is, am I too slow to participate in a 5K race?
Mark

Dear Mark:
Absolutely not. Of course, you will not be finishing with the leaders, but there is no reason why you should not participate in a race. Races are open to all runners, regardless of abilities. In fact, I think you would find that in a race situation you might be running faster than a nine to ten minute pace because of the adrenaline surge that hits when you put a number on your shirt. Also, because going to races is so much fun, a race or two might turn you from a semi-runner to a full- time runner. There are many 5Ks in this area. Check out the Washington Running Report race calendar for further information.