Heart Rate Movements.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Shibumi
For those of us who monitor our heart rates (HRs) during training and in races, I assume we have all established a certain heart rate range for different types of events? EG on a club run I'll be at 130-150, 170+ on a tough hill, 170-175 in a '10', and '168-173' in a '25'. So what do you think happens when we get those days where we can't operate in those ranges?

eg, on a 25 last week, I averaged 10 beats/min less. I think I had been doing too much in the days prior to the race.

On another 25, I was probably pushing it a bit too hard, my HR shot up to 180, I had to slow to allow it to come down again, but then the slightest bit of exertion pushed it right up there again.

Please tell me I'm not unique here! If anyone can explain why the heart does this, I'd appreciate it.

If you read your post again I think you'll find you answered your own question about why your HR responded in a certain way!

Sorry, but your not unique and I think this happens to everyone.

I only use HR when training to HR for a session. During TT's I sometimes record my HR so that I can view it after the race. I have found that in a club run and TT, HR can be distracting and too easy to use as an excuse for not working harder.

During training sessions where I can't get my HR up I simply turn round and go home using the rest of the ride as active recovery. I like to make sure the quality is there.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Shibumi
For those of us who monitor our heart rates (HRs) during training and in races, I assume we have all established a certain heart rate range for different types of events? EG on a club run I'll be at 130-150, 170+ on a tough hill, 170-175 in a '10', and '168-173' in a '25'. So what do you think happens when we get those days where we can't operate in those ranges?

eg, on a 25 last week, I averaged 10 beats/min less. I think I had been doing too much in the days prior to the race.

On another 25, I was probably pushing it a bit too hard, my HR shot up to 180, I had to slow to allow it to come down again, but then the slightest bit of exertion pushed it right up there again.

Please tell me I'm not unique here! If anyone can explain why the heart does this, I'd appreciate it.

On your TT last week it's difficult to interpret exactly what happened. There's a relationship between VO2 and power and between HR and VO2, such that as power increases so does HR.

This relationship does however change, under varying conditions, which is why i'm not particularly enamoured with using HR, and prefer power output.

As you fatigue with training (such as during a heavy week), your HR can be depressed, even though your power output is exactly the same. For example, depending on my fatigue levels when i complete my TT training, at the same absolute power output my HR can vary by ~ 15 - 20 b/min (i.e., at the same level when fresh it can be ~ 175 b/min, and when i feel a little tired it can be ~ 160 b/min -- even though that's the HR associated with my endurance work).

On top of that, as you increase your fitness (i.e., power at VO2 max / LT / TT) at a given power output your HR will tend to decrease.

As speed can vary at a given power output, due to e.g., environmental and topographical conditions, there's a poor relationship between speed and power.

Therefore, with your recent TT effort it'd be impossible to say whether your power was down (due to heavy fatigue or other factors), your HR was depressed. it's also difficult to compare times from one circuit to another.

Ric