[jthedges93]

Hi all,

I’m doing the beginner marathon plan and I’m trying to find a way to add in some steeper hikes to replace the monotony of running laps around a flat park where I live. If I were to go on hikes for the prescribed time (e.g., 30 min.) and keep my heart rate just below AeT, would this be the same as running on flat ground as far as my body/aerobic capacity is concerned?

Background: I have aerobic deficiency syndrome after years of CrossFit and short (<3 mi), fast runs. My AeT is 163 bpm at ~10 min/mile pace and my AnT is 183 bpm at ~7:39min/mile pace.

Thank you!
Jared

Topic

[Jane Mackay]

Jane Mackay on February 19, 2023 at 3:16 am #75761

Hi Jared, yes, you can substitute an uphill hike for a run, and you can make the hike a bit longer if you want, e.g. 45-60 mins to replace a 30-min run. Just be sure to stay slow and easy — including on the downhill — and make sure you’re recovering well.

By the way, that’s a pretty high AeT, so you might want to mix in zone 1 with your zone 2.

[jthedges93]

jthedges93 on February 19, 2023 at 8:10 am #75765

Thanks Jane! I was thinking the same thing about my AeT – it’s higher than most I’ve seen mentioned on here. In order to get to zone 1 I’ll have to do more walking rather than jogging. It’s funny because I’ve always considered myself to be in pretty good shape, then to find out I can’t even jog without exceeding my AeT. Talk about a slice of humble pie! Thanks again for your feedback.
– Jared

[Muz]

Muz on March 8, 2023 at 10:12 am #76191

I have a similar problem. I was completely sold on the MAF method but had a bad spell of heart rate monitors being erratic and breaking and gave up with them just over a year ago. I spent a year running faster and not bothering with the HR monitor until the last few weeks when I have started suffering from overtraining symptoms (I was ramping up training for an event) I did the test and found out I can’t even run Aerobically anymore! It’s so frustrating. I know I should have known better! If I am walking Aerobically will this ever get me back to running Aerobically? Should I try to run until my heart rate climbs hen walk until it drops or just walk? Thanks