Really enjoyed this video Seth! (Coach Nate here). I used to train with a HR monitor extensively as a triathlete 10 + years ago. Esp training for Ironman as a young athleteI found it helpful for pacing purposes, and for helping me better tune in to what my body (and legs) are really saying. Then that moved to training with HR and power on the bike, but eventually I got so focused on it my coach would put a piece of black tape over my bike computer so I stopped staring at numbers and started racing! Now I find the wrist based HR monitors for me to frequently be way off to the point that I barely use it at all and return to feel, and the more I focus on feel, the more accurate it seems to become. Again, enjoyed the video. Good luck with all your training and with a full summit of Mt Evans 💥
Great feedback Nate! I run off feel first, but find that I like seeing the HR number as a means of validating how I feel. While watch based HR monitoring my not be accurate, it seems to be consistent (for me, Suunto 9 Baro) and I have seen over time that my HR has dropped relative to my pace. I feel that same thing happening too. Anyways, cheers! Love your channel along with Seth's!
Disclaimer: This isn't a disagreement with Seth's "running by feel" philosophy. Based on what I've learned about him over the past 2+ years, in his shoes I wouldn't either. But...for me, training with a HR monitor is essential. Note that sentence. I've differentiated between what people call "HR Training" and simply training with a monitor. I've been running for about 20 years and I've used a HR monitor (and satellite watch) for the last 7. Started with the Garmin 610, moved to the 735XT and am now running with the 945. I've always worn a chest strap monitor. (1) What Seth said about comparing one's self to someone else's data is true. NEVER do that. I can't run at Seth's best pace, but even at his 7:30 pace, which I can do, he's usually in the 120's and I'm in the mid 160's. There are a lot of reasons for that. He's an elite athlete. I'm not. He's in his 30's. I'm in my 50's. He weighs less than I do. Etc. Plus, everyone's HR is different--even at similar fitness levels. BUT, what I CAN compare is my HR/Pace numbers on one day vs. another day. I use this to see if my fitness is progressing. If I can run the same pace in similar weather at a lower HR this month vs. last month, my fitness is increasing. Also, there are some days when I get out there for a slow, easy run when I don't even look at the HR or pace during the run and run by feel. It's always interesting to see the numbers afterward and compare them to my perceived effort and pace. (2) In 20 years of running, I've had a lot of (thankfully) minor injuries that have forced me to stop for a week to heal. Heck, this past September I almost had to take the whole month off. So, I've had a lot of "comebacks" over the years. It's useful to me to know where I was before I had to stop so that I (a) have a target to shoot for; (b) don't get discouraged that I can't run the same pace at the same HR; and (3) don't overdo it while coming back. (3) I want to slow down the aging process as much as possible, and SEE it. That just makes me feel good. When I look back at some data from say, 6 years ago and compare it to just last spring, when I was in peak condition, it gives me a great feeling knowing that not only have my times improved, but it's taking me less effort HR-wise to achieve them. I'm battling against time and winning. I wouldn't know that without monitoring my HR. (4) Sometimes, I just don't "have it." When warming up, if I see that my HR is higher than it should be, I either change that day's training (maybe trade with the next day's) by taking an easier day or I run as planned, knowing that my average HR will probably end up higher than usual. Sometimes, I'll run slower at the HR I would've been at for the planned pace and then increase it as the mileage progresses. You know what? It almost turns out that if it's just not my day, it IS going to be harder to complete the run--forgetting about where my HR is--it's just going to be harder to do it. (5) Data nerd. Perhaps because of my job and some other things in my life, I truly believe that having more data is never a bad thing. The key is what you do with it. (6) I love Garmin. Of all the companies I've dealt with in my life, nobody does it better. The folks that field technical calls all use the products. They aren't looking at a script or a computer to give you an answer; they're relying on experience with the product. OK, why is that a reason to use the HR monitor? Because, if I see something anomalous or inconsistent, I can get on the phone with them or email them and ask them to look at my data. Many times over the years, they've been able to provide me with insights that I missed, and yes--they have affected the way I train. I can't envision running without a HR monitor.
Love it Gregg. Brilliant post on behalf of all us 50+ yr olds who still want to train and measure against our own data. Totally get Seth’s position eloquently put at the beginning of your post. I do the same to monitor myself knowing my body and fitness levels. Thanks Gregg.
@@ricjas0170 Thanks Jason. I appreciate it. One thing about Seth and the community he’s formed is that there is room for different views and philosophies. Show me where else on the internet I can find that!
I used to "attempt" to train by HR a year or so ago and went out and bought the Wahoo Ticker X strap etc. Ended up just mentally exhausting me and I enjoy running off feel much better haha. Data analytics in my day job is enough for me :)
As a counterpoint, I recently went for a run where I felt just fine, but my heart rate was acting strangely. It was too elevated for the effort and even when walking in an attempt to manage it I was challenged to do so. Two days later it became clear why. My body was fighting a virus (common cold). Had I listened better I would’ve taken some time off, but I went for a 2 hour cycling ride the following day and basically did myself in. Now I’m laid up waiting to recover.... I couldn’t tell that without the data, but now I’ve learned something that I can hopefully apply in the future. The heart rate says a lot about how your body is responding to stresses.
@@mikewilson0 I absolutely have had the same experience - if you know your own HR data it can be of great use in fine tuning your training or life eg if it is higher because of stress
@@CLARE238 Yup, syncs perfectly with Garmin. Only thing you'll be missing, as compared to say the Garmin HRM-Run strap, is you won't get the additional metrics that Garmin offers (vertical oscillation, stride length, left right balance, etc). Also, for Garmin running power you'll need their strap too. As long as those things don't matter to you, the H10 is great paired with a Garmin.
I think Chest HR is much more accurate and it is a great metric to track progress! I like to see my pace on a specific route overtime and how my HR also changes relative to the pace! It can be a positive way to set goals other than just being faster. 😁
Chest HR monitors the best way to monitor HR. The arm ones are also very good. The wrist monitors tend to not work well for harder intensities for some reason. I think it's because they get bounced around too much on your wrist.
People overestimate the difference in accuracy between chest hrms and watches. Sure, they’re more accurate, but it’s not something that would become functionally useful to the average Joe.
@@mikewilson0 for me the difference between wrist and chest based is huge. Often I see my wrist based HR being at least 20 bpm lower than my chest based.
@@brunobiega Same here I have blown a workout before on the treadmill after getting back to running from taking 6 months off. The chest HR died and watch switched to wrist hr, I was running faster and faster trying to hit my LT and wrist hr because hr was showing about 20bpm lower that what it should have been.
I get your point on Maffetone training, but for a lot of people getting into running, it makes great sense. If you're running 12 min miles, trying to keep your heart rate below 150, that's indicative of a complete lack of an aerobic base / engine and that's what it's most important to focus on. We're not miserable because we're running slow, we're miserable because we're out of shape haha! I have been doing MAF for 6 months and started off at 13 mins/mile (basically brisk walking) and now can run 9 min/mi on cooler days. Definitely worth it and effective for many of us getting back into it! Just my thoughts. Great stuff, Seth!
Garmin 645 here. I use heartrate as a reminder on some runs to keep it slow and easy. I have a preset recovery run range which I can tap on . Mostly I run easy by feel and then to specific paces for my faster work.
No offense, but I’m not sure that Seth can really represent the perspective of a newer runner being as experienced and accomplished as he is. Newer runners will be unable to adequately “listen” to their bodies. They simply don’t have the experience to know what to listen for and what it “sounds” like. Also, he can’t relate to MAF training either. That training is for the vast majority of us who aren’t lifetime athletes and, due to our diets and lifestyles, are physically “sick” in some respects and require a slow entry in order to work on some very basic fundamental conditioning prior to attaining any real speed.
What you're saying is true, but what Seth also said is true? This video is about why HE doesn't train by HR. And honestly, if we weren't so reliant on our crutches, we might be more in tune with our bodies too. (I say this as a newish runner who loves GPS watches and looking to get a HR monitor.)
@@tsubakichan Understood and that’s very true. My intent was only to add to the discussion for those who aren’t elite athletes, but who might accidentally fall into the trap of taking Seth’s commentary as being training advice.
Best video of 2020! Stunning footage and great background music today and thank you for the insightful knowledge on HR training! I did a couple of training blocks by heart rate and it didn’t really make a large impact on my performance and I enjoyed my training less because I felt boxed in. Haven’t worn my HR strap in 2 years and don’t miss it as all!!
My simple Garmin 35 watch is my only tech source for HR data: I run primarily by feel. I usually check the HR just once within the first 15 min to be sure it reflects what I feel, because on rare occasions it’s way off. That has been invariably due to either not waiting for the heart icon to stop blinking before I start, or my wrist not being clean or the band not secure enough. 99% of the time it accurately reflects my effort. I like the old-fashioned “say a full sentence out loud, aka conversational” test. The times it’s been off it has always displayed much higher than my own finger-on-the-carotid test. I have an outstanding coach who has never asked me about my HR but he does assign me an 80/20 ratio in training. Not MAF, obviously, just conventional wisdom. I do tend to run faster than I should on some of the 80% easy runs, but the training has been working magnificently, as evidenced by dramatic time decreases and PR’s over the last 9 months since working with him--despite being 10 years older than when I started running. That’s good enough for me. Martha
I gotta say, the production quality of your video for a “one man show” is second to none! very well said for the whole HR discussion. Gotta keep the joy of running. I do like to see my HR when I run but I don’t paranoid about it. Have a Garmin watch so use the Garmin HRM chest strap (red trim). It does give some running dynamics data that are somewhat useful when comparing with different paces. Onward and upward
Hey Seth, great video! Funny, I just posted a video yesterday talking a bit about MAF. Totally agree, for someone like you there’s no need, I’d recommend the Polar H10 👌
Seth, thanks for your words...i do the same, i quit being slave of HR rate and started again enjoying the ride and embracing the pain ;) Keep up those videos :) Ciao
I love having my heart rate tracked but almost never look at it whilst running. What I like is comparing my heart rate on similar runs over the last year to see how my body has changed. At the start of the year I was averaging 160+ whilst running 6min/km, now it's more like 150 when running 5min/km or under 130 when running 5:45/km. I use a Garmin Vivoactive 4, probably should have got a forerunner as hardly use any of the features on it
Absolutely spot on Seth & wow fantastic vlog today, really enjoyed watching it. I started Hr training and I enjoyed it to start with because it was a new challenge to try & run slow. It helped me learn my different paces. More so my easy pace. This is where you are spot on. I started to find it soooo boring and was really demotivated to get out and run so slow, I started t pick up injuries, my form decreased and I became lazy when it was time to pick up the pace. I've stopped Hr training and I'm back with a vengeance, love running and chasing them PB's down again and seeing improvements
I use a Garmin-HRM-Run chest strap paired with my Garmin 45 watch. I started running this year, and in being a new runner, I used HR to figure out how to train. I have now found that HR fluctuates too often to be used reliably. I have recently stopped running by HR and now run by feel. As a benefit of running by feel, I am now more in tune with my body and capable of running faster than I would have been if I limited myself to HR. Another great video Seth, cheers!
The key is a powermeter (Stryd preferrably) and training with power. HR is just an output value for the à giver power input. It’s just like in cycling, in 10/15 years from now everyone’s training will be power-based.
At the end of the day, it is always to follow the mind, body and soul. Be it endurance or strength training. Its better to listen to your body than to stick 100% to your "regime"
True that. I had big training plans but my body told me to take a week off and come back running every other day. I had been running 70up to 85mpw and wanted to sustain. Feet were not happy with my heads ideas.
I love your thoughts on running by feel and joy, and listening to your entire body, rather than focusing on wrist-measured HR data which can also be so inaccurate. And your perspective on running your own way - comparison is the thief of joy. And to cap it off, the footage from your run is spectacular. Thank you!
"Be yourself...run like you run" (~SJD) This is the BEST thing I've heard/seen in a while. It justifies everybody's efforts, regardless of age/pace/location/gender/etc. Thanks, Seth! You inspire us!
"Enjoying the moment " Well said, Seth. Most of us forget why we got into running. Your videos of you waking up very early drinking coffee and tea really inspires us to get out the door. Run by feel and forget about the watch. We love your videos.
HR based training has helped me learn how to make my "easy days easy." I have used it for the last year, and now adding in runs that are faster because it is so much more enjoyable.
Seeking beauty in today's vlog! Awesome drone shots. Need to make it to Colorado when all this Covid craziness is behind us. I love all the data! I've used Polar watches forever and currently am running with the GritX and an H10 strap. If you want to save a little money, go for the H7. I think it will be just as accurate.
Hi Seth, I use the Polar H10 and it works really well. I once used it for swimming out of curiosity and it was fun to see afterwards how my body was reacting to different swim-paces
I’ve been training MAF the last 3 months (50 MAF runs) to take down my marathon time to sub 3. Two days ago I went back to “normal” training. My takeaway is I was less sore on MAF, my aerobic development was better but I definitely could feel my fast twitch muscles not firing. Great experience, I could go back to MAF later in life to prevent injuries. Have a good one Seth!
Awesome video, Seth! I started training with a polar heart rate monitor and chest strap way back in 1993, in high school! So, they've been around for at least that long. I was on the Jr. national whitewater canoe team at the time, and a few of the senior athletes were using them, so I started using one myself. I wore it for paddling workouts, and for cross country. I think that having that feedback really motivated me to find out more about the science of aerobic and anaerobic training, which overall, being a history (not a science) guy, like you, has been a big positive for me. That said, your advice to listen to your whole body (not just one metric) is spot on. So grateful for your channel! Best wishes for your upcoming HM...
I Do MAF. I use a Polar heart strap. I have a watch too. The watch was way off until I change the band which kept the watch on my skin and now the watch and strap are within 1 HB of each other. I started MAF because I hit a plateau and I was not seeing any improvement but I was beat because, as I discovered, I was running way too hard, all of the time. MAF slowed me down, kept injuries at bay and indeed helped me get better at my faster runs because I finally knew how I felt at different paces. Most importantly for me, watching my HR has kept me from going out too fast AND to better pace myself.
I use Garmin fenix 6 with garmin HR run. To be honest I don’t use HR for training anymore but when I did it was used to keep me at a slow pace for easy runs. I would recommend using a Polar HR strap if your using a polar watch. Great vlog Seth, I love the look of those mountains I so want to be there.
Glad you don't get on your "high horse" very often, but also glad you do once and awhile because when you do it is usually right on! I don't use heart rate and after 45 years I have found the best approach, not just with running, but with almost ever thing is: KISS.
I appreciate how you mentioned YOUR reasoning and YOUR methodology as it applies to YOU. As for me, I had a heart attack years ago and I use an HR monitor to keep me in a safe zone. While it can be depressing when my HR monitor tells me to slow down, I remind myself that I'm still vertical and HR monitoring helps me improve (albeit painfully slowly) while staying vertical. It's good to be alive!
Thanks for your perspective. I enjoy your videos. As someone who started running in my 30s, I initially ran by feel. I thought I was running easy but in all reality I was running way too hard on every run which resulted in injuries. I started low heart rate training and realized my aerobic system was pretty much non-existant. I have found MAF to be helpful in learning what an easy run was actually supposed to feel like and have improved almost 3 min per mile faster at the same low heart rate without injury in the past 10 months. MAF/low heart rate training is not for everyone, but it has worked for me as a beginner.
Love hearing your thoughts on this! I've been training by HR for the past 9 months and it has been a good move for me. I've been running for 30+ years and am prone to injury. It's enabled me to safely double my mileage and rediscover my love of running. I'm not worrying about running with effort until races start up again. I use a polar chest strap paired with a Garmin.
Seth, I am using my chest strap on all my runs and I am using the Garmin HRM chest strap which works fine and is a bit more accurate than the wrist HR sensor on my Fenix 6 pro (chest strap is showing a few beats lower). I train by heart rate especially on my easy days which helps me stay in zone 2 and make sure that I'm not overreaching on recovery runs. I'm obvioulsy still not sure if this is the best approach and you do have a point in that paying attention to your watch all the time takes the fun out a bit. At this point I'm more envious in your ability to train by feel more than your low HR.
Frankly I have ever paid attention to ur HR before. But I really agree with you that much more important thing is enjoy running. That is true. Keep going and enjoy running！Thank you.
Hey Seth, once again you have sought out beauty and showcased it to us - thank you. QD: I have recently purchased the Garmin HRM-Pro. As a relatively new/intermediate runner I wanted to ensure that I was working or performing at the correct effort level. Yes, I concur with you that you need to listen your body and understand what you are feeling in that moment in time. However with a bit more accurate heart rate readings - I have been able to ensure that I am actually keeping it "easy" and not turning my easy days into a tempo or near threshold day. The data provides another layer or tool to ensure that I am aligning the right amount of effort to that specific training session. Extra features and marketing aside it, the HRM-Pro will pair with your Polar watch but you unfortunately won't receive those nuance details such as Ground Contact Time etc due to your watches not being Garmin.
QOD: Polar H10 but honestly I don’t think HRMs are worth the price because they seem to like to fail (and it’s not just a battery issue!) way too soon. I went back to just using the HR on my Apple Watch, but am more interested in running by Power than HR or Pace to be honest.
I started training by HR about a year ago and I have to say that it improved my fitness and approach to running massively. I went from a 1:55 Half Marathon to a 1:25 within this year. My problem before using a HR monitor was that I was almost always running to fast which led to injuries and exhaustion and a therefore inconsistent training. Whit the HR training I was able to increase my weekly mileage by a lot and I did not encounter any injury thus far. Hopefully it stays that way!
I was overcoming an injury and gave MAF a try for a month, mainly to keep my pace slow. You are right, Seth, I was miserable running at such a slow pace! However, I was able to recover from the injury and still log some miles.
Polar H10 if you want something polar. I don't use HR to train exclusively, HR is definitely not influencing how hard I run. But I do use it to analyse my runs together with pace and perceived effort. HR itself would mean nothing without pace because you need to match body output with mechanical work. With that I can get signs of how my training is going, if I'm pushing too hard or not rested enough. A good sign would be a faster pace for same HR. I use the optical HR on my garmin 945 but use the garmin HRM tri strap once or twice a week when picking up the pace because the strap can pick up the sudden increase in HR during intervals while optical is good enough for steady state HR runs.
Great video!!! Most heart rate straps will connect with any watch. It's not about the name on the front of the device, its how its information is transmitted. Any heart rate strap the transmits in both ANT+ and BlueTooth will work as long as the watch receives both. Also HRV training is really beneficial to someone who is building their ability to run farther, like .
I train with a chest strap and follow the Maffetone method and I love it. I also understand that Seth is been doing this for a long time and he knows his body 10 times better than I know mine. Good for him for knowing how judge how his body is working. Maybe in a few years I will be in a different place but for now I use a Polar H9 chest strap and the Polar App. Love you channel Seth!
Ok Seth, I’m going to challenge you here. As a runner and a coach forget the fact that it’s heart rate or not, would you advocate utilising all of the tools at your disposal to help rather than hinder your body? You’re saying you want to rely on your body but using a HR monitor is another tool for the tool box. As an athlete you want to learn and improve right? I didn’t train with heart rate as a kid either but I do now because it allows me to be smart about my training. I couldn’t just rely on my body every single session to keep me in the zones I needed to be in to not waste my session. Sometimes I was simply too excited etc to realise I was in zone 3 and not getting as good a training effect from a session. You could potentially run 80 miles rather than 120 and have the same overall training effect for the week if you knew your zones and stuck to them. Obviously, as a highly trained athlete you probably do for the most part, and there’s a lot to be said for the psychology of just enjoying all sessions but I do get a huge kick out of getting out there and knowing I executed a plan not just to run but staying in the right zones. All just food for thought and just an opinion for the discussion from a fellow runner, coach and youtuber. Keep it up, buddy 👍🏻
Amazing, just came back from a « not so good day » run and was thinking that this HR monitoring was such a pain on the a**. I have been thinking about turning it off and go by feel for a few days... sold with your sublime vlog. Very envious about your mountain run, putting apart your HR stats 😂
Absolutely stunning footage. I absolutely love the mountains in winter, and those snowshoes look so much lighter and easier to use, I'll have to check them out. I had to laugh about your misery comment. I realized most of my recent strava posts contained the words 'MAF misery'. Lol I'm headed back to running by feel, and maybe heartrate for my long runs. Yes I'm injury free and can finally run back to back days... but if it kills my motivation so much I'm not looking forward to running, at the end of the day it doesn't help my running.
I use a Polar H10 and Vantage M. Accurate and durable strap. Rinse in fresh water after every use. Garmin straps don't have the same longevity from what I've read online and from my brother's experience. The H10 has two Bluetooth channels and an ANT+ . All channels can transmit simultaneously. Buy the H10 with a bright colour strap if you can....makes it easier to find in a kit bag/cupboard in the dark.
Excellent content Seth with the scenery, music and sharing your philosophy as far as heart rate goes. I use the Polar strap (maybe once or twice per week just to check in with my progress) with the Coros Pace. I use the watch concentrating more on miles and time. I guess you can say it's a modified MAF incorporating the 80/20 method.
Thing is if you are (at worse) a sub elite runner who regularly runs 100+ mpw, then got to hope you have figured out what intensity works best for you "on feel" as, if not, you are going to be get injured and/or exhausted rather quickly. It is probably less clear for "most" runners who are doing nowhere near that level of training or are not at that performance level or have not been running for as long to gauge things. As such I tend to use HR a bit like an "alarm bell" on days when I know I should not be going too fast so can feel fresher for the days when I should be. So if my HR goes up a bit climbing for a few minutes no great issue but if it says high over the top then maybe I am going too fast. You can use other metrics like power in a similar way and still "enjoy" those easy runs. I don't really use HR to gauge harder runs when am actually doing them but can be useful information to analyse later. Low HR when trying usually means am too tired or it is very cold or I am very fit. High HR when trying either means am well rested, it is hot, or am I unfit. As you say though the legs also tell you how hard you are working and the more running you do, the better you will know what means for you.
Great & healthy advice about not competing on Strava stats! I wish we had a better running social network that focused more on participation, inspiration, and local communities. For HR chest straps, get the old Wahoo TICKR. It broadcasts in both Bluetooth and Ant+ so it will work with any modern running watch.
Garmin 925XT with strap. Primarily used to gauge recovery duration during speed workouts. Rather than recover for a certain length of time, when my HR hits the target then it's time for the next repeat, on some days it's longer and on other days it's shorter. I notice how not one sip of tea was taken during the VLOG! Seth was dialed in!
I use a HRM from time to time to gauge my aerobic fitness. I don't use it generally for workout runs. My aerobics are never my limiting factor during high mileage training, it's always about leg muscle condition and power I am able to apply.
That's the very reason I went off Strava over a year ago. I can run free without thinking about splits, HR, Kudos. I even ran for a few months earlier this year without a watch (although i did know the distance /time for my private training log)
Agreed! That's not to say that everyday is equally fun, but running just to run is so much fun! I love running to explore new areas, claim a Strava crown, or to run in different conditions (like fresh snow).
Well said, Seth! ... Listen to you body, your whole body. So many variables in life and training, I’ve found it best to just go with how I feel that day. I’ve been training for over 10 years and only got a watch with HR this year. I find it to be wildly inaccurate anyway, so I should turn it off too to save battery. Nice work on the snowshoe run!
I've been maximum aerobic function training for coming up on 3 months, and it's far from miserable buddy! Basically for a guy like me, the MAF training method is a good way to keep my speed in check when my issues stem from constantly running too hard or too fast. I was lucky I never was plagued by the injury bug (not perfect of course) but my heart rate would never be below a certain level, even at easier paces and I was just tired. My resting HR has dropped significantly, I've upped my miles, and overall am generally a happier runner. Yes, it was a challenge going from 8's, to 15's when I first began (which is a good indication of how weak my maximum aerobic function actually was) but now I'm back up to the 12's and actually know what an "easy" run should feel like. I hadn't had a PR (5k,10K,Half) in a year and figured I'd change things up, and the biggest thing I've found in researching online is a lot of runners constantly run too fast, and MAF addresses that issue. For an elite runner such as yourself, I don't think the MAF number (180 subtract your age) would be applicable.....LOL! Have a good one friend
Fantastic video Seth. Really well put together (as usual) and having not be able to get into the mountains this year, very motivating. Interesting chat about Heart Rate Training to give food for thought for the viewer to research more. I've been using it with some of the runners I coach for many years to great effect that's allowed them to enjoy their running / improve massively. It takes buy in from both sides though and if it sucks the enjoyment out of training, then I use another coaching method. There's no right or wrong way as you say as long as it's effective and fun. The talk test with effort and listening to your body is as good as any (my early years were in the 90s with no HRM's either using a Casio). Heart rate training doesn't work for everyone and in particular runners new to the sport developing their fitness from a low level will have a tight HR range to not get benefit from it. They'll need to develop more speed before picking it up. Everyone's HR profile is different as we're all different shapes, sizes etc. If runners are going to train by HR, then the Heart Rate Reserve method is the most effective one I've found as it works off the percentage between one's RHR and MHR (which can be taken from a maximal effort with a little extra on top). The maffetone method throws up issues for a lot of runners (not all) with the deductions or additions being set. Same with 220 minus your age to find max one's MHR. I'm 48 so my max from the formula should be 172 but I often go into the 190s during a hard race. This is where your comment about listening to your body should resonate. It's each to their own and just my take on things. By all means work with data but don't let it be the be all and end all. Keep up the amazing work. Rich from just outside of London
Great video Seth! I am not a fan of HR training either. I understand the science and logic of it but I came to become a runner because I love the freedom it offers. I don't want to be a slave to the data or the science so I much prefer to run by feel
Hi seth! I use the gamin hrm chest strap. As a new runner I have found hr data essential to ensuring I don't overtrain and has aloud me to slowly build my milage appropriately, structure my week effectively and track my progress.. I appreciate though that as a seasoned veteran you don't need that data as you are much more in tune with your speed/milage and are aware of what your body needs/can handle. But for any new runner I think its a great way of figuring out your limitations.
qd: I use the Polar Bluetooth hr strap in combination with the Suunto 9. On the track/race it is for information only but out on the longrun it helps me to avoid overreaching. The easy day pace/heart rate gives me also indication of peak performance (most of the time lack of it). Run by feel is sometimes liberating.
: I often wear my HR belt, but not that often actively use it. At the start I would use it to make sure my easy runs were going easy enough and that was the biggest contribution of the HR monitoring. Also throughout the year I might do parts of a long rung at 150Hr or 160 HR to see what the pace is like compared to earlier. The HR belst has also helped me identify my threshold pace and threshold HR. I do find that as I am more accustomed to running and doing different workouts I need it less and less and can accuratly enough estimate based off feel.
I love the vlogs of you running in the mountains, be that in summer or now in winter. Covered in snow, they are soooo beautiful. We just don't have mountains of that scale over here in the UK. QOTD - I don't train by heart rate; I find it too inaccurate. I prefer to run by feel. Furthermore, there are so many other factors that can influence your heart rate on any given day besides effort and pace.
Polar H10 is the best HR sensor, without any doubt. I have been using mine for 1-1/2 years without any issues. It is extremely reliable and accurate, and its battery easily lasts for more than 100 hours of activity. It is bluetooth-enabled so it will work with any decent watch today, but because it is a Polar, it will also work seamlessly with your V2. One caution is to stay away from straps that use optical sensors.
QD: you talked about 2009. Well, HR monitors have been around much longer, almost forever in my opinion. My dad bought a Polar watch in 1985. That was the first time when I tried to train by HR but decided not to do it because I just couldn't or wanted to keep my HR so low. I agree with you that those watches are dangerous. I never do training by HR but sometimes I monitor HR later on to compare how the fitness develops. As a novice that Maffetone method is crazy because one basically cannot run at all because the HR is higher all the time and as an experienced runner, one would have to run too fast all the time when training by that method. I couldn't do all my runs at the MAF HR that would be something like 6:50 mile pace. Instead, sometimes I like to run really slowly like yesterday when I ran at HR 107 at 8:20 mile pace. Some people think that running at HR 107 is not running at all but sometimes I like to take it easily because then I don't need rest days and am ready to push when needing to do it. Another thing is that HR is not reliable. It varies a lot depending how tired or stressed one is or how warm it is or what time of the day it is. That is the reason why some top athletes do their training by lactates. That is much more accurate than training by HR. To summarize my opinion, I say that the only method that works for me is training by goal pace (getting the training pace ranges from the McMillan Calculater for example) and then adjusting workouts depending on how I feel.
I've been using garmin watches and HR strap, had no problems as far as training and using them for limits. My coach gives me a fairly wide limit in each zone. Therefore I can make it a bit ez, or push it, mentally im totally fine with that. And I don't really care what you're HR is, well kinda, but thats your body speaking not mine. I really enjoy all of your vlogs, keep them coming!
Heart rate training has helped me coming back from injury,keeping to the same effort as I used to,and not chasing the paces i used to run.Polar HR is the best out there,the watch is only a couple of beats different from what the chest monitors show.
I own a Garmin HRM Run, a TomTom, a Suunto, and a Wahoo Tickr X (not the 2020 model). Hands down I like the Wahoo the best: most comfortable, easy battery replacement, Ant & Bluetooth etc.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Really enjoyed this video Seth! (Coach Nate here). I used to train with a HR monitor extensively as a triathlete 10 + years ago. Esp training for Ironman as a young athleteI found it helpful for pacing purposes, and for helping me better tune in to what my body (and legs) are really saying. Then that moved to training with HR and power on the bike, but eventually I got so focused on it my coach would put a piece of black tape over my bike computer so I stopped staring at numbers and started racing! Now I find the wrist based HR monitors for me to frequently be way off to the point that I barely use it at all and return to feel, and the more I focus on feel, the more accurate it seems to become. Again, enjoyed the video. Good luck with all your training and with a full summit of Mt Evans 💥
Great feedback Nate! I run off feel first, but find that I like seeing the HR number as a means of validating how I feel. While watch based HR monitoring my not be accurate, it seems to be consistent (for me, Suunto 9 Baro) and I have seen over time that my HR has dropped relative to my pace. I feel that same thing happening too. Anyways, cheers! Love your channel along with Seth's!
as always words of wisdom from coach nate. lots of love and best wishes to both the running channels. learned a lot from you guys.
Disclaimer: This isn't a disagreement with Seth's "running by feel" philosophy. Based on what I've learned about him over the past 2+ years, in his shoes I wouldn't either. But...for me, training with a HR monitor is essential. Note that sentence. I've differentiated between what people call "HR Training" and simply training with a monitor.
I've been running for about 20 years and I've used a HR monitor (and satellite watch) for the last 7. Started with the Garmin 610, moved to the 735XT and am now running with the 945. I've always worn a chest strap monitor.
(1) What Seth said about comparing one's self to someone else's data is true. NEVER do that. I can't run at Seth's best pace, but even at his 7:30 pace, which I can do, he's usually in the 120's and I'm in the mid 160's. There are a lot of reasons for that. He's an elite athlete. I'm not. He's in his 30's. I'm in my 50's. He weighs less than I do. Etc. Plus, everyone's HR is different--even at similar fitness levels. BUT, what I CAN compare is my HR/Pace numbers on one day vs. another day. I use this to see if my fitness is progressing. If I can run the same pace in similar weather at a lower HR this month vs. last month, my fitness is increasing. Also, there are some days when I get out there for a slow, easy run when I don't even look at the HR or pace during the run and run by feel. It's always interesting to see the numbers afterward and compare them to my perceived effort and pace.
(2) In 20 years of running, I've had a lot of (thankfully) minor injuries that have forced me to stop for a week to heal. Heck, this past September I almost had to take the whole month off. So, I've had a lot of "comebacks" over the years. It's useful to me to know where I was before I had to stop so that I (a) have a target to shoot for; (b) don't get discouraged that I can't run the same pace at the same HR; and (3) don't overdo it while coming back.
(3) I want to slow down the aging process as much as possible, and SEE it. That just makes me feel good. When I look back at some data from say, 6 years ago and compare it to just last spring, when I was in peak condition, it gives me a great feeling knowing that not only have my times improved, but it's taking me less effort HR-wise to achieve them. I'm battling against time and winning. I wouldn't know that without monitoring my HR.
(4) Sometimes, I just don't "have it." When warming up, if I see that my HR is higher than it should be, I either change that day's training (maybe trade with the next day's) by taking an easier day or I run as planned, knowing that my average HR will probably end up higher than usual. Sometimes, I'll run slower at the HR I would've been at for the planned pace and then increase it as the mileage progresses. You know what? It almost turns out that if it's just not my day, it IS going to be harder to complete the run--forgetting about where my HR is--it's just going to be harder to do it.
(5) Data nerd. Perhaps because of my job and some other things in my life, I truly believe that having more data is never a bad thing. The key is what you do with it.
(6) I love Garmin. Of all the companies I've dealt with in my life, nobody does it better. The folks that field technical calls all use the products. They aren't looking at a script or a computer to give you an answer; they're relying on experience with the product. OK, why is that a reason to use the HR monitor? Because, if I see something anomalous or inconsistent, I can get on the phone with them or email them and ask them to look at my data. Many times over the years, they've been able to provide me with insights that I missed, and yes--they have affected the way I train.
I can't envision running without a HR monitor.
Great post. Thanks for sharing
Wow! Love all of this! Great feedback Gregg!
Great post Gregg. I agree with you.
Love it Gregg. Brilliant post on behalf of all us 50+ yr olds who still want to train and measure against our own data. Totally get Seth’s position eloquently put at the beginning of your post. I do the same to monitor myself knowing my body and fitness levels. Thanks Gregg.
@@ricjas0170 Thanks Jason. I appreciate it.
One thing about Seth and the community he’s formed is that there is room for different views and philosophies. Show me where else on the internet I can find that!
Absolute banger of a video today Seth. Music, landscape, info, editing, just everything really was bang on the money. Love it.
🙏🏻
Seth never change your music choice for the vlogs, it always makes me giggle and smile :)
That tuba at the beginning is awesome!!
Do you know what the song is at 4:00??
@@nathanvanderpool1175 good question... Not sure 🤔
@@ryancorm it’s Shelby park, vern matz
@@nathanvanderpool1175 Shelby Park, Vern Matz
Stunning visuals. Seeking Beauty for sure. Makes me want to travel to the US and hit the Colorado mountains
Right! Makes me wish I could get up into the mountains more myself (and record epic videos like Seth).
The Rockies
I used to "attempt" to train by HR a year or so ago and went out and bought the Wahoo Ticker X strap etc. Ended up just mentally exhausting me and I enjoy running off feel much better haha. Data analytics in my day job is enough for me :)
As a counterpoint, I recently went for a run where I felt just fine, but my heart rate was acting strangely. It was too elevated for the effort and even when walking in an attempt to manage it I was challenged to do so. Two days later it became clear why. My body was fighting a virus (common cold). Had I listened better I would’ve taken some time off, but I went for a 2 hour cycling ride the following day and basically did myself in. Now I’m laid up waiting to recover.... I couldn’t tell that without the data, but now I’ve learned something that I can hopefully apply in the future. The heart rate says a lot about how your body is responding to stresses.
@@mikewilson0 I absolutely have had the same experience - if you know your own HR data it can be of great use in fine tuning your training or life eg if it is higher because of stress
Easy one. Polar H10 strap. Syncs to everything, most accurate, and most comfortable strap I've ever worn
Thanks!!
I second this recommendation!
Even with a garmin ?
@@CLARE238 Yup, syncs perfectly with Garmin. Only thing you'll be missing, as compared to say the Garmin HRM-Run strap, is you won't get the additional metrics that Garmin offers (vertical oscillation, stride length, left right balance, etc). Also, for Garmin running power you'll need their strap too. As long as those things don't matter to you, the H10 is great paired with a Garmin.
I use the Polar H10 with my Vantage V. Readings are very accurate. You can also use the H10 with Suunto.
You’re so inspiring Seth, thank you for sticking to this work.
I think Chest HR is much more accurate and it is a great metric to track progress! I like to see my pace on a specific route overtime and how my HR also changes relative to the pace! It can be a positive way to set goals other than just being faster. 😁
Chest HR monitors the best way to monitor HR. The arm ones are also very good. The wrist monitors tend to not work well for harder intensities for some reason. I think it's because they get bounced around too much on your wrist.
People overestimate the difference in accuracy between chest hrms and watches. Sure, they’re more accurate, but it’s not something that would become functionally useful to the average Joe.
@@mikewilson0 for me the difference between wrist and chest based is huge. Often I see my wrist based HR being at least 20 bpm lower than my chest based.
@@deepakvrao same for me. Often times my watch would show my avg hr at a cerrain pace run to be at 130-140, when with chest strap it is at 160-170
@@brunobiega Same here I have blown a workout before on the treadmill after getting back to running from taking 6 months off. The chest HR died and watch switched to wrist hr, I was running faster and faster trying to hit my LT and wrist hr because hr was showing about 20bpm lower that what it should have been.
I get your point on Maffetone training, but for a lot of people getting into running, it makes great sense. If you're running 12 min miles, trying to keep your heart rate below 150, that's indicative of a complete lack of an aerobic base / engine and that's what it's most important to focus on. We're not miserable because we're running slow, we're miserable because we're out of shape haha! I have been doing MAF for 6 months and started off at 13 mins/mile (basically brisk walking) and now can run 9 min/mi on cooler days. Definitely worth it and effective for many of us getting back into it! Just my thoughts. Great stuff, Seth!
QD: Polar H10 - accurate and works with via bluetooth (iOS, Android) or ANT+ (COROS, Garmin, Suunto).
Agree also. Like how H10 has a training memory too for those ‘no watch/device’ sessions.
Garmin 645 here. I use heartrate as a reminder on some runs to keep it slow and easy. I have a preset recovery run range which I can tap on .
Mostly I run easy by feel and then to specific paces for my faster work.
No offense, but I’m not sure that Seth can really represent the perspective of a newer runner being as experienced and accomplished as he is. Newer runners will be unable to adequately “listen” to their bodies. They simply don’t have the experience to know what to listen for and what it “sounds” like. Also, he can’t relate to MAF training either. That training is for the vast majority of us who aren’t lifetime athletes and, due to our diets and lifestyles, are physically “sick” in some respects and require a slow entry in order to work on some very basic fundamental conditioning prior to attaining any real speed.
What you're saying is true, but what Seth also said is true? This video is about why HE doesn't train by HR. And honestly, if we weren't so reliant on our crutches, we might be more in tune with our bodies too. (I say this as a newish runner who loves GPS watches and looking to get a HR monitor.)
But we as a community can share our thoughts with these comments
It's like listening to a killer whale tell you that you don't need to bother with swimming lessons.
@@tsubakichan Understood and that’s very true. My intent was only to add to the discussion for those who aren’t elite athletes, but who might accidentally fall into the trap of taking Seth’s commentary as being training advice.
New runners can find HRT even harder because as soon as they go past walking their HR goes over. :)
The video is stunning! Got to love those rockies. Thanks for sharing.🙂
Never gets old either!
Best video of 2020! Stunning footage and great background music today and thank you for the insightful knowledge on HR training! I did a couple of training blocks by heart rate and it didn’t really make a large impact on my performance and I enjoyed my training less because I felt boxed in. Haven’t worn my HR strap in 2 years and don’t miss it as all!!
The Polar H10 is the most accurate strap on the market and it is compatible with almost everything. You should look into that.
My simple Garmin 35 watch is my only tech source for HR data: I run primarily by feel. I usually check the HR just once within the first 15 min to be sure it reflects what I feel, because on rare occasions it’s way off. That has been invariably due to either not waiting for the heart icon to stop blinking before I start, or my wrist not being clean or the band not secure enough. 99% of the time it accurately reflects my effort. I like the old-fashioned “say a full sentence out loud, aka conversational” test. The times it’s been off it has always displayed much higher than my own finger-on-the-carotid test. I have an outstanding coach who has never asked me about my HR but he does assign me an 80/20 ratio in training. Not MAF, obviously, just conventional wisdom. I do tend to run faster than I should on some of the 80% easy runs, but the training has been working magnificently, as evidenced by dramatic time decreases and PR’s over the last 9 months since working with him--despite being 10 years older than when I started running. That’s good enough for me. Martha
I gotta say, the production quality of your video for a “one man show” is second to none! very well said for the whole HR discussion. Gotta keep the joy of running. I do like to see my HR when I run but I don’t paranoid about it. Have a Garmin watch so use the Garmin HRM chest strap (red trim). It does give some running dynamics data that are somewhat useful when comparing with different paces. Onward and upward
Hey Seth, great video! Funny, I just posted a video yesterday talking a bit about MAF. Totally agree, for someone like you there’s no need, I’d recommend the Polar H10 👌
I'm heading to your channel next to watch "Adding another 100 Mile Race to the 2021 Calendar"!
Seth, thanks for your words...i do the same, i quit being slave of HR rate and started again enjoying the ride and embracing the pain ;) Keep up those videos :) Ciao
I love having my heart rate tracked but almost never look at it whilst running. What I like is comparing my heart rate on similar runs over the last year to see how my body has changed. At the start of the year I was averaging 160+ whilst running 6min/km, now it's more like 150 when running 5min/km or under 130 when running 5:45/km.
I use a Garmin Vivoactive 4, probably should have got a forerunner as hardly use any of the features on it
I cosign this comment!
share your tips please!!!
So EPIC ! That's why we love this channel ! This winter bloc is just "Welcome to the Next Level" Thx Seth ! (et vive la France ! 🇫🇷)
France 🇫🇷
Absolutely spot on Seth & wow fantastic vlog today, really enjoyed watching it. I started Hr training and I enjoyed it to start with because it was a new challenge to try & run slow. It helped me learn my different paces. More so my easy pace. This is where you are spot on. I started to find it soooo boring and was really demotivated to get out and run so slow, I started t pick up injuries, my form decreased and I became lazy when it was time to pick up the pace. I've stopped Hr training and I'm back with a vengeance, love running and chasing them PB's down again and seeing improvements
I use a Garmin-HRM-Run chest strap paired with my Garmin 45 watch. I started running this year, and in being a new runner, I used HR to figure out how to train. I have now found that HR fluctuates too often to be used reliably. I have recently stopped running by HR and now run by feel. As a benefit of running by feel, I am now more in tune with my body and capable of running faster than I would have been if I limited myself to HR. Another great video Seth, cheers!
The key is a powermeter (Stryd preferrably) and training with power. HR is just an output value for the à giver power input. It’s just like in cycling, in 10/15 years from now everyone’s training will be power-based.
At the end of the day, it is always to follow the mind, body and soul. Be it endurance or strength training. Its better to listen to your body than to stick 100% to your "regime"
True that.
I had big training plans but my body told me to take a week off and come back running every other day.
I had been running 70up to 85mpw and wanted to sustain.
Feet were not happy with my heads ideas.
I love your thoughts on running by feel and joy, and listening to your entire body, rather than focusing on wrist-measured HR data which can also be so inaccurate. And your perspective on running your own way - comparison is the thief of joy. And to cap it off, the footage from your run is spectacular. Thank you!
"Be yourself...run like you run" (~SJD) This is the BEST thing I've heard/seen in a while. It justifies everybody's efforts, regardless of age/pace/location/gender/etc. Thanks, Seth! You inspire us!
"Enjoying the moment " Well said, Seth. Most of us forget why we got into running. Your videos of you waking up very early drinking coffee and tea really inspires us to get out the door. Run by feel and forget about the watch. We love your videos.
HR based training has helped me learn how to make my "easy days easy." I have used it for the last year, and now adding in runs that are faster because it is so much more enjoyable.
Seeking beauty in today's vlog! Awesome drone shots. Need to make it to Colorado when all this Covid craziness is behind us.
I love all the data! I've used Polar watches forever and currently am running with the GritX and an H10 strap. If you want to save a little money, go for the H7. I think it will be just as accurate.
Hi Seth, I use the Polar H10 and it works really well. I once used it for swimming out of curiosity and it was fun to see afterwards how my body was reacting to different swim-paces
I’ve been training MAF the last 3 months (50 MAF runs) to take down my marathon time to sub 3. Two days ago I went back to “normal” training. My takeaway is I was less sore on MAF, my aerobic development was better but I definitely could feel my fast twitch muscles not firing. Great experience, I could go back to MAF later in life to prevent injuries. Have a good one Seth!
I agree. After only a month I definitely felt rested, but it was difficult getting back to my normal pace.
@@andrewnewman3137 Yeah, I use the elevate app from strava and my fitness also dropped a ton. Its taking a bit to get back into my previous paces.
Awesome video, Seth! I started training with a polar heart rate monitor and chest strap way back in 1993, in high school! So, they've been around for at least that long. I was on the Jr. national whitewater canoe team at the time, and a few of the senior athletes were using them, so I started using one myself. I wore it for paddling workouts, and for cross country. I think that having that feedback really motivated me to find out more about the science of aerobic and anaerobic training, which overall, being a history (not a science) guy, like you, has been a big positive for me. That said, your advice to listen to your whole body (not just one metric) is spot on. So grateful for your channel! Best wishes for your upcoming HM...
Dude , Great advice ! I will use the "enjoy the moment while training" with my son, Thanks !
That climbing broll music plays soooo hard on the nostalgia of “where is my mind” by the pixies 🤙🏼
I hear it too
I Do MAF. I use a Polar heart strap. I have a watch too. The watch was way off until I change the band which kept the watch on my skin and now the watch and strap are within 1 HB of each other.
I started MAF because I hit a plateau and I was not seeing any improvement but I was beat because, as I discovered, I was running way too hard, all of the time. MAF slowed me down, kept injuries at bay and indeed helped me get better at my faster runs because I finally knew how I felt at different paces. Most importantly for me, watching my HR has kept me from going out too fast AND to better pace myself.
I use Garmin fenix 6 with garmin HR run. To be honest I don’t use HR for training anymore but when I did it was used to keep me at a slow pace for easy runs.
I would recommend using a Polar HR strap if your using a polar watch. Great vlog Seth, I love the look of those mountains I so want to be there.
That sunset! Are you kidding me? Just wow. Really enjoyed the videography coupled with a great accompanying song. Good job.
Good Morning!
Glad you don't get on your "high horse" very often, but also glad you do once and awhile because when you do it is usually right on! I don't use heart rate and after 45 years I have found the best approach, not just with running, but with almost ever thing is: KISS.
Wow,, could this be the best Demoor Vlog for the year!?/? Beauty shots with beautiful message! xx
I appreciate how you mentioned YOUR reasoning and YOUR methodology as it applies to YOU. As for me, I had a heart attack years ago and I use an HR monitor to keep me in a safe zone. While it can be depressing when my HR monitor tells me to slow down, I remind myself that I'm still vertical and HR monitoring helps me improve (albeit painfully slowly) while staying vertical. It's good to be alive!
Thanks for your perspective. I enjoy your videos. As someone who started running in my 30s, I initially ran by feel. I thought I was running easy but in all reality I was running way too hard on every run which resulted in injuries. I started low heart rate training and realized my aerobic system was pretty much non-existant. I have found MAF to be helpful in learning what an easy run was actually supposed to feel like and have improved almost 3 min per mile faster at the same low heart rate without injury in the past 10 months. MAF/low heart rate training is not for everyone, but it has worked for me as a beginner.
Totally makes sense
It’s about how it makes you feel
It’s a feeling
It’s a passion
It’s life
The earth
Trees
Snow
It’s about you & where you are
Love hearing your thoughts on this! I've been training by HR for the past 9 months and it has been a good move for me. I've been running for 30+ years and am prone to injury. It's enabled me to safely double my mileage and rediscover my love of running. I'm not worrying about running with effort until races start up again. I use a polar chest strap paired with a Garmin.
Seth, I am using my chest strap on all my runs and I am using the Garmin HRM chest strap which works fine and is a bit more accurate than the wrist HR sensor on my Fenix 6 pro (chest strap is showing a few beats lower). I train by heart rate especially on my easy days which helps me stay in zone 2 and make sure that I'm not overreaching on recovery runs. I'm obvioulsy still not sure if this is the best approach and you do have a point in that paying attention to your watch all the time takes the fun out a bit. At this point I'm more envious in your ability to train by feel more than your low HR.
Frankly I have ever paid attention to ur HR before. But I really agree with you that much more important thing is enjoy running. That is true. Keep going and enjoy running！Thank you.
Hey Seth, once again you have sought out beauty and showcased it to us - thank you.
QD:
I have recently purchased the Garmin HRM-Pro. As a relatively new/intermediate runner I wanted to ensure that I was working or performing at the correct effort level. Yes, I concur with you that you need to listen your body and understand what you are feeling in that moment in time.
However with a bit more accurate heart rate readings - I have been able to ensure that I am actually keeping it "easy" and not turning my easy days into a tempo or near threshold day. The data provides another layer or tool to ensure that I am aligning the right amount of effort to that specific training session.
Extra features and marketing aside it, the HRM-Pro will pair with your Polar watch but you unfortunately won't receive those nuance details such as Ground Contact Time etc due to your watches not being Garmin.
QOD: Polar H10 but honestly I don’t think HRMs are worth the price because they seem to like to fail (and it’s not just a battery issue!) way too soon. I went back to just using the HR on my Apple Watch, but am more interested in running by Power than HR or Pace to be honest.
I'm vicariously living this cold steep adventure with a nice warm ☕. Thank you Seth
Stunning drone images and beautiful music
I started training by HR about a year ago and I have to say that it improved my fitness and approach to running massively. I went from a 1:55 Half Marathon to a 1:25 within this year. My problem before using a HR monitor was that I was almost always running to fast which led to injuries and exhaustion and a therefore inconsistent training. Whit the HR training I was able to increase my weekly mileage by a lot and I did not encounter any injury thus far. Hopefully it stays that way!
Sunrise shot at 3:20 was awesome!
I was overcoming an injury and gave MAF a try for a month, mainly to keep my pace slow. You are right, Seth, I was miserable running at such a slow pace! However, I was able to recover from the injury and still log some miles.
Even at a slow pace, your body will see adaptations that make you a better, more efficient, more resilient runner.
Polar H10 if you want something polar.
I don't use HR to train exclusively, HR is definitely not influencing how hard I run. But I do use it to analyse my runs together with pace and perceived effort. HR itself would mean nothing without pace because you need to match body output with mechanical work. With that I can get signs of how my training is going, if I'm pushing too hard or not rested enough. A good sign would be a faster pace for same HR. I use the optical HR on my garmin 945 but use the garmin HRM tri strap once or twice a week when picking up the pace because the strap can pick up the sudden increase in HR during intervals while optical is good enough for steady state HR runs.
Great video!!! Most heart rate straps will connect with any watch. It's not about the name on the front of the device, its how its information is transmitted. Any heart rate strap the transmits in both ANT+ and BlueTooth will work as long as the watch receives both. Also HRV training is really beneficial to someone who is building their ability to run farther, like .
Seth your content is awesome but your music taste is on point too. Loving discovering new music through your vlogs 👏🏻👏🏻
I train with a chest strap and follow the Maffetone method and I love it. I also understand that Seth is been doing this for a long time and he knows his body 10 times better than I know mine. Good for him for knowing how judge how his body is working. Maybe in a few years I will be in a different place but for now I use a Polar H9 chest strap and the Polar App. Love you channel Seth!
Ok Seth, I’m going to challenge you here. As a runner and a coach forget the fact that it’s heart rate or not, would you advocate utilising all of the tools at your disposal to help rather than hinder your body? You’re saying you want to rely on your body but using a HR monitor is another tool for the tool box. As an athlete you want to learn and improve right? I didn’t train with heart rate as a kid either but I do now because it allows me to be smart about my training. I couldn’t just rely on my body every single session to keep me in the zones I needed to be in to not waste my session. Sometimes I was simply too excited etc to realise I was in zone 3 and not getting as good a training effect from a session. You could potentially run 80 miles rather than 120 and have the same overall training effect for the week if you knew your zones and stuck to them. Obviously, as a highly trained athlete you probably do for the most part, and there’s a lot to be said for the psychology of just enjoying all sessions but I do get a huge kick out of getting out there and knowing I executed a plan not just to run but staying in the right zones. All just food for thought and just an opinion for the discussion from a fellow runner, coach and youtuber. Keep it up, buddy 👍🏻
Amazing, just came back from a « not so good day » run and was thinking that this HR monitoring was such a pain on the a**. I have been thinking about turning it off and go by feel for a few days... sold with your sublime vlog. Very envious about your mountain run, putting apart your HR stats 😂
Polar H10. It is ANT+ and Bluetooth compatible. Super comfortable. Easy to change batteries. Strap comes in multiple colors.
Absolutely stunning footage. I absolutely love the mountains in winter, and those snowshoes look so much lighter and easier to use, I'll have to check them out.
I had to laugh about your misery comment. I realized most of my recent strava posts contained the words 'MAF misery'. Lol I'm headed back to running by feel, and maybe heartrate for my long runs. Yes I'm injury free and can finally run back to back days... but if it kills my motivation so much I'm not looking forward to running, at the end of the day it doesn't help my running.
I use a Polar H10 and Vantage M.
Accurate and durable strap.
Rinse in fresh water after every use.
Garmin straps don't have the same longevity from what I've read online and from my brother's experience.
The H10 has two Bluetooth channels and an ANT+ . All channels can transmit simultaneously.
Buy the H10 with a bright colour strap if you can....makes it easier to find in a kit bag/cupboard in the dark.
Excellent content Seth with the scenery, music and sharing your philosophy as far as heart rate goes. I use the Polar strap (maybe once or twice per week just to check in with my progress) with the Coros Pace. I use the watch concentrating more on miles and time. I guess you can say it's a modified MAF incorporating the 80/20 method.
One day you should definitely write a book about running.. discipline, work ethic, personal stories, would be really cool!
Thing is if you are (at worse) a sub elite runner who regularly runs 100+ mpw, then got to hope you have figured out what intensity works best for you "on feel" as, if not, you are going to be get injured and/or exhausted rather quickly. It is probably less clear for "most" runners who are doing nowhere near that level of training or are not at that performance level or have not been running for as long to gauge things. As such I tend to use HR a bit like an "alarm bell" on days when I know I should not be going too fast so can feel fresher for the days when I should be. So if my HR goes up a bit climbing for a few minutes no great issue but if it says high over the top then maybe I am going too fast. You can use other metrics like power in a similar way and still "enjoy" those easy runs. I don't really use HR to gauge harder runs when am actually doing them but can be useful information to analyse later. Low HR when trying usually means am too tired or it is very cold or I am very fit. High HR when trying either means am well rested, it is hot, or am I unfit. As you say though the legs also tell you how hard you are working and the more running you do, the better you will know what means for you.
Wow!!! I LOVED the music in the beginning while getting out of the house!! HAHA!
The early crew are here! Happy Friday!
Great & healthy advice about not competing on Strava stats! I wish we had a better running social network that focused more on participation, inspiration, and local communities. For HR chest straps, get the old Wahoo TICKR. It broadcasts in both Bluetooth and Ant+ so it will work with any modern running watch.
Polar H10 hr strap. Works great and is ANT+ and Bluetooth.
Garmin 925XT with strap. Primarily used to gauge recovery duration during speed workouts. Rather than recover for a certain length of time, when my HR hits the target then it's time for the next repeat, on some days it's longer and on other days it's shorter.
I notice how not one sip of tea was taken during the VLOG! Seth was dialed in!
I use a HRM from time to time to gauge my aerobic fitness. I don't use it generally for workout runs. My aerobics are never my limiting factor during high mileage training, it's always about leg muscle condition and power I am able to apply.
Great video, thank you! Makes total sense regarding HR. Effort awareness when training.
That's the very reason I went off Strava over a year ago. I can run free without thinking about splits, HR, Kudos. I even ran for a few months earlier this year without a watch (although i did know the distance /time for my private training log)
Polar 0H-1 arm strap. I’ve been using it since January, and it’s amazing. Way better than wrist-based heart rate
Wow that scenery! Absolutely gorgeous! ❄️ 🥶 ⛄️ I just love to run 🏃♀️ if it’s not fun I’m not doing it!
Agreed! That's not to say that everyday is equally fun, but running just to run is so much fun! I love running to explore new areas, claim a Strava crown, or to run in different conditions (like fresh snow).
Well said, Seth! ... Listen to you body, your whole body. So many variables in life and training, I’ve found it best to just go with how I feel that day. I’ve been training for over 10 years and only got a watch with HR this year. I find it to be wildly inaccurate anyway, so I should turn it off too to save battery. Nice work on the snowshoe run!
Bravo Champion, superbes images du Colorado, merci pour tes vidéos, motivantes et inspirantes.
Such a nice video and music. Love to see you running the mountains
I second this! Also, makes me jealous. Haha!
I ware a heart rate monitor but don’t really look at it during the un, I go by feel, I would suggest the polar hr strap or garmin
QD: Polar H10 is probably the best for you. Personally I use the Garmin HRM Run. The more stats tbe better for me.
I've been maximum aerobic function training for coming up on 3 months, and it's far from miserable buddy! Basically for a guy like me, the MAF training method is a good way to keep my speed in check when my issues stem from constantly running too hard or too fast. I was lucky I never was plagued by the injury bug (not perfect of course) but my heart rate would never be below a certain level, even at easier paces and I was just tired. My resting HR has dropped significantly, I've upped my miles, and overall am generally a happier runner. Yes, it was a challenge going from 8's, to 15's when I first began (which is a good indication of how weak my maximum aerobic function actually was) but now I'm back up to the 12's and actually know what an "easy" run should feel like. I hadn't had a PR (5k,10K,Half) in a year and figured I'd change things up, and the biggest thing I've found in researching online is a lot of runners constantly run too fast, and MAF addresses that issue. For an elite runner such as yourself, I don't think the MAF number (180 subtract your age) would be applicable.....LOL! Have a good one friend
Fantastic video Seth. Really well put together (as usual) and having not be able to get into the mountains this year, very motivating. Interesting chat about Heart Rate Training to give food for thought for the viewer to research more. I've been using it with some of the runners I coach for many years to great effect that's allowed them to enjoy their running / improve massively. It takes buy in from both sides though and if it sucks the enjoyment out of training, then I use another coaching method. There's no right or wrong way as you say as long as it's effective and fun. The talk test with effort and listening to your body is as good as any (my early years were in the 90s with no HRM's either using a Casio). Heart rate training doesn't work for everyone and in particular runners new to the sport developing their fitness from a low level will have a tight HR range to not get benefit from it. They'll need to develop more speed before picking it up. Everyone's HR profile is different as we're all different shapes, sizes etc. If runners are going to train by HR, then the Heart Rate Reserve method is the most effective one I've found as it works off the percentage between one's RHR and MHR (which can be taken from a maximal effort with a little extra on top). The maffetone method throws up issues for a lot of runners (not all) with the deductions or additions being set. Same with 220 minus your age to find max one's MHR. I'm 48 so my max from the formula should be 172 but I often go into the 190s during a hard race. This is where your comment about listening to your body should resonate. It's each to their own and just my take on things. By all means work with data but don't let it be the be all and end all. Keep up the amazing work. Rich from just outside of London
Great video Seth! I am not a fan of HR training either. I understand the science and logic of it but I came to become a runner because I love the freedom it offers. I don't want to be a slave to the data or the science so I much prefer to run by feel
Hi seth! I use the gamin hrm chest strap. As a new runner I have found hr data essential to ensuring I don't overtrain and has aloud me to slowly build my milage appropriately, structure my week effectively and track my progress.. I appreciate though that as a seasoned veteran you don't need that data as you are much more in tune with your speed/milage and are aware of what your body needs/can handle. But for any new runner I think its a great way of figuring out your limitations.
qd: I use the Polar Bluetooth hr strap in combination with the Suunto 9. On the track/race it is for information only but out on the longrun it helps me to avoid overreaching. The easy day pace/heart rate gives me also indication of peak performance (most of the time lack of it). Run by feel is sometimes liberating.
Thank you Seth! I needed to hear this.
: I often wear my HR belt, but not that often actively use it. At the start I would use it to make sure my easy runs were going easy enough and that was the biggest contribution of the HR monitoring. Also throughout the year I might do parts of a long rung at 150Hr or 160 HR to see what the pace is like compared to earlier.
The HR belst has also helped me identify my threshold pace and threshold HR. I do find that as I am more accustomed to running and doing different workouts I need it less and less and can accuratly enough estimate based off feel.
Wow ! That song was perfect fot your footage! I also think you might need to make a " high horse" emojii . 😁
I love the vlogs of you running in the mountains, be that in summer or now in winter. Covered in snow, they are soooo beautiful. We just don't have mountains of that scale over here in the UK.
QOTD - I don't train by heart rate; I find it too inaccurate. I prefer to run by feel. Furthermore, there are so many other factors that can influence your heart rate on any given day besides effort and pace.
Polar H10 is the best HR sensor, without any doubt. I have been using mine for 1-1/2 years without any issues. It is extremely reliable and accurate, and its battery easily lasts for more than 100 hours of activity. It is bluetooth-enabled so it will work with any decent watch today, but because it is a Polar, it will also work seamlessly with your V2. One caution is to stay away from straps that use optical sensors.
QD: you talked about 2009. Well, HR monitors have been around much longer, almost forever in my opinion. My dad bought a Polar watch in 1985. That was the first time when I tried to train by HR but decided not to do it because I just couldn't or wanted to keep my HR so low. I agree with you that those watches are dangerous. I never do training by HR but sometimes I monitor HR later on to compare how the fitness develops. As a novice that Maffetone method is crazy because one basically cannot run at all because the HR is higher all the time and as an experienced runner, one would have to run too fast all the time when training by that method. I couldn't do all my runs at the MAF HR that would be something like 6:50 mile pace. Instead, sometimes I like to run really slowly like yesterday when I ran at HR 107 at 8:20 mile pace. Some people think that running at HR 107 is not running at all but sometimes I like to take it easily because then I don't need rest days and am ready to push when needing to do it. Another thing is that HR is not reliable. It varies a lot depending how tired or stressed one is or how warm it is or what time of the day it is. That is the reason why some top athletes do their training by lactates. That is much more accurate than training by HR. To summarize my opinion, I say that the only method that works for me is training by goal pace (getting the training pace ranges from the McMillan Calculater for example) and then adjusting workouts depending on how I feel.
I've been using garmin watches and HR strap, had no problems as far as training and using them for limits. My coach gives me a fairly wide limit in each zone. Therefore I can make it a bit ez, or push it, mentally im totally fine with that. And I don't really care what you're HR is, well kinda, but thats your body speaking not mine. I really enjoy all of your vlogs, keep them coming!
Amazing photos / video liked it a lot thanks
Heart rate training has helped me coming back from injury,keeping to the same effort as I used to,and not chasing the paces i used to run.Polar HR is the best out there,the watch is only a couple of beats different from what the chest monitors show.
NO WAY! TSL outdoor sponsored my team for the national snowshoe racing championships. I loved running in them, paired with some zoom flys. Great race.
Beautiful blog seth thank you
I own a Garmin HRM Run, a TomTom, a Suunto, and a Wahoo Tickr X (not the 2020 model). Hands down I like the Wahoo the best: most comfortable, easy battery replacement, Ant & Bluetooth etc.