I was guessing based on the Garmin zones that “easy” was zone 2, but in doing my third scheduled run at the above pace, I would estimate if I stay within zone 2 I am only running 5-10% of the workout. After reviewing the Athlete’s Guide, it looks like easy is in zone 2.
I did the LT tests. For the bike, I felt comfortable that it was a fairly accurate assessment. For the run, I don’t think my first attempt went well. Running is my weakest discipline of the 3, and I was concerned about consistent pacing for 20 minutes. About 5 minutes in I increased my speed. While during the bike LT test I felt like I could not go another minute, I took the advice in TrainingPeaks description that the run should be at an 8-9 and a common mistake is that people run it too hard. In addition to the pacing issues I had with the run, I also know it’s inaccurate because it’s 3 bpm lower than my bike LT.
With that being said, I just remembered that I couldn’t find a place to enter my run LT on TrainingPeaks. I entered my bike LT and I didn’t adjust it with my run LT for this easy workout. (Do people just switch their numbers out based on the workout they’re completing?) So my heart rate zones were actually slightly higher at my bike LT numbers.
Do you recommend doing another LT test before it is scheduled to try to get my zones right, or will that throw off my recovery by pushing too hard on what is scheduled to be an easier workout? Should I run that 20 minutes at a 10 or an 8-9?
Using perceived exertion on the easy run, I was in between able to speak full sentences and difficult to have a conversation. This is my first time using heart rate training. I bought my Garmin watch after the HIP kickoff meeting and have used the last couple of months trying to become familiar with it, remembering to log workouts, and getting all apps synced up together. So while I’m practicing and working on lowering my heart rate, would I be correct to assume heart rate is paramount regardless of the walk/run ratio?
Thanks for the feedback!
