Dear Coach: I am relatively new to the sport of running. Until recently, most of my running was sprinting when I played soccer and ultimate frisbee. I ran my first 10K in 57 minutes. Then I bought a heart monitor and three months later ran 40:29 at the St. Patrick's Day race. I had 36 minutes at greater than 90% of my maximum heart rate (195). I run most of the time at greater than 85% and try to train as much as possible at 90%. Am I training properly? Chris

Dear Chris: You should only be doing one or two runs per week at greater than 70% of maximum heart rate. All other days including your long run should be below 70%. Running consistently over 85% will result in short-term improvement with a very high risk of injury. As a new runner, I think you would be better off by first concentrating on building an aerobic base by doing all of your training at or below 70%. I suggest that you build up to running 40-50 miles per week, including a weekly long run of 12- 15 miles. However, do not increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% per week. Once you have built up your base, do a couple of anaerobic threshold runs at 80-85% of maximum heart rate. For instance, do a track workout consisting of three times one mile at 80-85% with recovery to 70% between miles. On the roads, run for 20 minutes at 80-85%. After a few weeks of this training, you will have a proper base and should run some really fast race times without risking injury.

Dear Coach: What kind of heart monitor would you recommend that I buy? Tim

Dear Tim: My own bias is toward Polar (for the record I have no relationship with Polar and have always paid at least dealer's price for their equipment), although I am sure that there are other brands with a better price for the same features. Regardless of what brand you buy, look for these features at a minimum: the ability to set an upper and lower zone on the monitor, and a beeper that goes on whenever you are above or below your training zone. This type of monitor will cost about $130. Make sure it has at least a two-year warranty. The models with night lights, lap splits, and heart rate averages are nice but unnecessary. It depends upon your budget. If you are a computer geek, the models with software interface can cost up to $500, but have many neat features.

Dear Coach: I am a going to run my first half marathon and wonder what I need to eat before and during the race to maintain energy. Cecil

Dear Cecil: You do not have to be too concerned about "carbo loading" before a half marathon. It is much more important to load before a marathon because, chances are, your body can store only enough glycogen to get you through the first 20 miles of a marathon. However, to be on the safe side, in the last couple of days before your half marathon, you should do two things. First, and probably most important, is to hydrate. This means sipping, not chugging, a lot of water in the few days before the race. The biggest danger in your race is dehydration. Secondly, you should eat a lot of carbohydrates--fruits, vegetables, pasta. Stay away from heavy sauces the night before the race or you might be making some unwanted pit stops. During the race itself, you should take a sports drink as soon as it is offered, optimally, every two to three miles. If there is no sports drink on the course, carry GU or its equivalent and mix well with water as you are racing. However, don't take GU and a sports drink. The sugar concentration will be too high and may upset your stomach.

Coach Kirt West is a private running coach for motivated adult runners. Questions for the Coach can be sent to him at Kirt West or c/o the Washington Running Report, (301) 871-0005.