[icwill]

I’m excited to jump into a base training season. Over the past year I’ve read Training for the New Alpinism and have learned a lot about low heart rate training. This spring I did a half marathon training plan and focused on slower/low heart rates and saw good results. I’ve recently read up on MAF, and I’d like to lock in my aerobic threshold so I can choose training intensities intelligently (and quantify my probable aerobic deficiency). I recently did the prescribed tests to determine AeT and AnT, but I’m a little confused by the results.

I ran a 5k time trial / anaerobic threshold test this weekend (http://tpks.ws/N37XYX7VDJDAFTI4FEYTRMETSU) and averaged 183 bpm heart rate over 30 minutes. This was all out effort in heat/humidity, ~23 minutes shooting for 5k PR and ~7 minutes trying to maintain that intensity to get a full 30 minutes.

I attempted a heart rate drift test today (http://tpks.ws/ZQJQEFQIKS7JHTI4FEYTRMETSU) and saw a ~16% drift over an hour running slowly / nose breathing / occasionally talking to myself. I tried to start with my HR around my MAF ballpark of 140 (37 yoa = 143 – 5 technically because of mild seasonal allergies), and I set up heart rate alarms to try to keep close to that over the hour. But I couldn’t keep my HR steady without completely walking, which I felt would skew the Pa:Hr ratio for the drift test. By the end of the test, my HR was up around 160. But I was still breathing through my nose and able to speak full sentences.

I looked back at my recent half marathon ~2.5 months ago (http://tpks.ws/HZTKWORXW6EHTTI4FEYTRMETSU) and my average HR there was 170 with a Pa:Hr drift of only 5.17%! Granted this was a couple months ago, and in cooler weather. I have been training regularly in the interim, with less mileage and more speed.

I’m wondering if it’s possible my AeT is really around 150/160, and by starting the drift test too low it skewed results. Should I try again and shoot for the 150/155 range? Or should I just take this as a sign of my aerobic deficiency and train at 140 bpm or less, walking as necessary?

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[Anonymous]

Anonymous on August 18, 2020 at 11:56 am #44383

I ran a 5k time trial / anaerobic threshold test this weekend (http://tpks.ws/N37XYX7VDJDAFTI4FEYTRMETSU) and averaged 183 bpm heart rate over 30 minutes. This was all out effort in heat/humidity, ~23 minutes shooting for 5k PR and ~7 minutes trying to maintain that intensity to get a full 30 minutes.

If the pacing were to vary, it’d be ideal for the last 20′ to be faster than the first ten. However, HR didn’t fall, so the pacing is probably close enough. The average was 183 over the 30′ and 187 over the last 20′. I think you can use 185 as AnT HR.

I’m wondering if it’s possible my AeT is really around 150/160, and by starting the drift test too low it skewed results. Should I try again and shoot for the 150/155 range? Or should I just take this as a sign of my aerobic deficiency and train at 140 bpm or less, walking as necessary?

Starting a drift test too low shouldn’t skew the results. If the load is lower, the drift should be lower. It sounds like you have ADS and your AeT HR is lower than 140. The Pa:HR over the test portion (from 15′ to 1h15′) was just under 10%.

Your half-marathon effort will have less drift because it’s closer to AnT. The difference between the two thresholds is:

* AeT HR could drift but doesn’t.
* AnT HR doesn’t drift because it can’t.