In March 1993, a runner I know went to bed one Friday night planning to meet a couple of friends for a long run the next morning. When he woke up, he could barely leave his basement apartment, much less meet his friends—more than two feet of snow had fallen overnight! Being the compulsive sort, this dedicated runner hit the roads anyway and somehow slopped his way around in the blizzard for his daily run. The next day, he did the same. The next day, he had Achilles tendinitis so badly that he was incapacitated for more than a month.
“If only I had a treadmill,” he thought. An increasing number of runners have obviously had similar experiences and thoughts, because since the beginning of the decade, more treadmills have been sold than any other piece of home exercise equipment. The big reason? Convenience.
Almost all heart rate monitors work the same way. You wear a thin plastic chest belt around your torso, just above the top of your rib cage. At the same time, you wear a wristwatch receiver. (These receivers can double as a chronometer.) The belt picks up your heart rate and sends that signal to the receiver. There, your current heart rate is displayed.
When you run with a monitor, it’s tough not to constantly look down at the receiver to see what the readout is, even when you can sense that you’re working at the same level of effort as the last time you checked it. To keep you from having to do this constant checking, many monitors have a feature that enables you to program in a floor and ceiling rate. If you go above or below these rates, the monitor will beep, and you’ll know that you’re out of the heart rate zone that you want to be in. For example, if 60 percent of your maximal heart rate is 108, and 70 percent of it is 126, then you could program the monitor to beep when you go below or above this range. Then you would know either to pick up the pace or to slow down. If you’re going to buy a heart rate monitor, I think you should get one with this feature. This feature makes you more likely to do your normal run without checking the receiver all the time, and it helps to build that ability to listen to your body instead of always relying on signals from the monitor.
Expect to pay between $100 and $180 for a good heart rate monitor. Each works a little differently, so be sure to read the owner’s manual carefully. If you want to read more on heart rate training in general, a good book on the subject is The Heart Rate Monitor Book by Sally Edwards, Polar Electronic, 1993.
OK, so this heart rate training might be for you. But how do you know if and when you’re in that magical 60 percent to 70 percent of maximal heart rate that gives aerobic benefits without increased risk of burnout and injury? Here’s where heart rate training can get tricky, especially if you don’t like the whole idea of quantifying something that can be as free-flowing as running.
If you’re going to train between 60 percent and 70 percent of your maximal heart rate, then you need to know what that top figure is. You’ve probably seen this or that formula for determining your maximal heart rate. The most famous one is 220 minus your age. Say you’re 40 years old. This formula would say that your maximal heart rate is 180 (220–40). Using this number, you should run fast enough to get your heart rate up to between 108 (60 percent of 180) and 126 (70 percent). Sounds simple even for an idiot, right?
Unfortunately, any formula that you use to calculate your maximal heart rate is going to be inaccurate. The formulas are based on the average maximal heart rates for a person of a given age. So an average 40-year-old has a maximal heart rate of 180. Trouble is, your maximal heart rate may be as much as 20 beats above or below this average. Remember that maximal heart rate is something you’re born with; it isn’t a reflection of your fitness. If you have that base level of fitness and want to find your maximal heart rate, here’s how. If you run a 5K race and can honestly say that by the end you were working as hard as you can, then your heart rate at the finish is probably within a few beats of your maximal heart rate. Or try this test: Warm up with some very easy running for 10 minutes or so. Do a few accelerations of 15 to 20 seconds at a pretty fast pace. Catch your breath, and then run as hard as you can for two minutes. Pace yourself so that you maintain about the same speed throughout. If you run as hard as you can, you’ll most likely be within two to three beats of your maximal heart rate by the end of the run. If you aren’t sure whether you gave an all-out effort, jog for 10 minutes and repeat the test. Some runners find that they get a slightly higher heart rate if they perform this test uphill.
You can do these tests without wearing a heart rate monitor if you take your pulse for six seconds almost immediately upon finishing. But if you wait too long or take your pulse for too long, your heart rate is going to start to fall. So take your pulse for six seconds, and then multiply that number by 10 to get a decent estimate of your maximal heart rate. For example, if at the end of a 5K, your heart beats 17 times in six seconds almost immediately after you’ve stopped, then call your maximal heart rate 170. Once you’ve determined your maximal heart rate, the rest is easy. Multiply your maximal heart rate by 60 percent and by 70 percent, memorize those numbers, and be sure that you stay within that range on your normal distance runs.
Before looking at heart rate monitors specifically, let’s delve a bit further into heart rate in general. There are many good reasons to use your heart rate as the guiding force in your running, but doing so has drawbacks as well.
Training by heart rate is good because if you know what numbers to use, there’s no more accurate way to gauge your running. When you head out for a run around your neighborhood, how do you know what your pace is? Even if you compare your splits along the way to what you usually run, who’s to say that you know what the earlier times mean? If the terrain is hilly, or the weather is warm, or you’ve been fighting a cold, or you got a bad night’s sleep, your pace from day to day will be affected. Heart-rate training proponents like to point out that heart rate monitors take all of those factors into account, and they do so in a way that helps you to progress in your training with less risk of injury and burnout.
The theory is that your heart rate can reach two extremes: your resting heart rate and your maximal heart rate.
Generally, your resting heart rate decreases as you become fitter because as your heart becomes stronger, it doesn’t have to work as hard to pump the blood that your body needs when you’re sitting around or sleeping. The average American has a resting heart rate of 72. Aerobically fit people usually have heart rates of around 60, and some hard-core distance runners have pulses of 40 or lower.
Your maximal heart rate is the highest rate that your heart can reach. Unlike your resting heart rate, it doesn’t change as you become fitter. Your maximal heart rate is set at birth. Past the age of 30, it decreases by about one beat each year, although it doesn’t decline as rapidly in very fit people. Most beginners should run at about 60 to 70 percent of their maximal heart rate. In that range, you’re going fast enough to get the benefits, but not so fast that you’re continually out of breath and running so hard that you’re more likely to get frustrated or injured. In that range, exercise should feel good.
Your resting heart rate and how hard you have to work to run in the 60 percent to 70 percent range vary from day to day. Heat, hills, stress from work, lingering fatigue from a few bad nights of sleep, dehydration, caffeine—all of these factors can elevate your heart rate. What this means is that if you monitor your training by your running pace, then maintaining that pace is going to be harder from one day to the next. If it’s 50 degrees outside and you’ve spent a restful day with the Sunday paper and you run on a flat course, your nine-minute miles are going to feel a lot easier than if it’s a hot Wednesday, and the office was miserable, and you started your day with three cups of coffee, and you’re running a hilly course.
Heart rate monitors allow for these differences. In a sense, your heart doesn’t care about all that stuff that happened today at the office. It just wants to be worked at a level of effort that’s between 60 percent and 70 percent of its maximum. That’s going to mean running slower after that stressful day at the office than on that blissful Sunday. No big deal—you’ve achieved the same aerobic benefits from both runs. Probably the biggest benefit of heart rate monitors for most runners is that they can help you to keep from working too hard. Sure, you can use monitors to help you stay above that moderate 70 percent-of-max threshold, and many serious racers use them just for that. But recreational runners can use them for the opposite end to great benefit. Using a heart rate monitor can prevent you from overdoing it so that you can continue to progress in your training. Remember, consistent, moderate running is the key to progressing, not intermittent hard bouts of exercise that leave you frazzled and possibly hurt.
Running, like all aerobic exercise, is all about getting your heart rate up. All of those benefits of running that I told you about in Chapter 2 come when you raise your heart rate above a certain level and then keep it there for at least 20 minutes. In Chapter 3, I showed you good ways to know whether you’ve reached that range, including the talk test and the perceived effort scale. For most people, those vague guidelines are enough to be able to tell whether they’re working hard enough to get the physical benefits of running just like any aztec warriors.
But some people figure that if fitness all stems from what your heart rate is, then why not go right to the source? Why not measure your heart rate (pulse) while you run to make sure that you’re at the right intensity? Doing so accurately used to be nearly impossible. Ever try taking your pulse while you’re running? You can’t get a good count. And if you stop to take your pulse, it quickly drops, so your figures are wrong. Besides, who wants to keep stopping during a run to do math?
Enter the heart rate monitor. It enables you to check your heart rate throughout your run without having to stop and do any sort of counting. You just look down at your watch as you would to check the time. Even that isn’t necessary with some models. With these models, you program the range of heart rate that you want to run at, and the monitor beeps if you get above or below that range.
The other feature that runners use most often is the countdown timer. You program the watch to count down a certain time, at the end of which it beeps for a few seconds, and then it starts counting down again until it beeps, and so on until you make it stop. Runners will use this feature if they want to alternate bouts of hard and easy running. For example, you may start your countdown timer and run hard. After two minutes, the timer beeps, which is your signal to run very slowly. Two minutes later, it beeps again, and you start running hard, repeating the process as often as you want. Yes, it’s easy to feel like a Pavlovian dog when you use this feature, but it is very helpful when you’re doing faster running of the sort that is detailed in Chapter 19. That’s especially the case when you don’t have access to a measured surface such as a track, or when it’s dark out and you might have a hard time reading your watch. Many runners rely on this “countdown training” to guide them through their hard running in the winter.
Some watches also have a programmable feature that beeps many times a minute. The idea here is that you want to maintain a certain pace and have determined your stride frequency for that pace. You then program the watch so that it beeps to coincide with every time that your right foot should hit the ground while running that pace. I don’t think these beeping pacers are a good idea. There’s just too many variables in effect for them to guide you to your desired pace. Your stride length and frequency are going to change during a run or race, depending on how hilly the terrain is and how tired you’re feeling.
Only when you’re running on a track is the surface going to be the same throughout your run, and tracks are so calibrated that you can check your splits often enough to know whether you’re hitting your desired pace. Also, I’m a big believer in running how you feel, not how fast a beeping watch tells you to. You can find a good running watch with a chronometer, lap counter, and countdown timer for about $50. Get one that’s water-resistant so that you can wear it in the rain. If you run in the dark often, look for one with an illuminating backlight that you can easily switch on and that stays lit for a few seconds.
If the only feature you used on your running watch were the chronometer, it still would be useful. These days, however, the good running watches have more sophisticated features built into them that can help you in other ways. One feature that a lot of racers use is the lap counter. Don’t let the name fool you—it’s not designed to be used only on the track. You can use it anytime you want to check and record your splits en route to the finish of a run.
Say you’re running in your local Fourth of July five mile race. You start your watch when the race begins.
When you pass the one-mile mark, you hit the lap feature. The watch records the intermediate time. At the two-mile mark, you do the same thing. Again, the watch records your intermediate time. Most of the good watches will then show the elapsed time since the last time you hit the lap feature and so on at every mile marker until the finish.
This feature is useful for two reasons. Many of us aren’t geniuses when it comes to quick calculation, especially when we’re trying to concentrate on running fast. The lap feature does the calculating for you. Say you passed the one-mile mark in 8:30. You hit the lap feature and carry on to the two-mile mark, where you hit the lap feature again. Immediately, the watch lets you know that your two-mile split of 17:10 means that it took you 8:40 to cover the second mile. Uh oh—you were hoping to run 8:30 miles the whole way. You gradually pick up the pace, and at the three-mile mark, you see that you ran your last mile in 8:20. You relax a bit and run 8:30s for the last two miles and meet your goal. After the race, you can retrieve your splits from your watch and write them in your training log. This type of recording is a good way to analyze your running to see how you might do better. For example, if your splits show that your first mile is always 20 seconds faster than the rest, and your last mile is your slowest, then you know that you’re starting your races too quickly and could improve your overall time if you pace yourself better. Or your splits might show that your middle miles are your slowest, so you need to work more on concentrating hard in the middle of a race, when it seems that the finish line is an eternity away.
The best thing about running watches is that they give you freedom. This statement might sound counterintuitive—isn’t timing your run going to make you feel more pressured? Not when you do it correctly.
Yes, many runners use their watches to meticulously record all of their splits, that is, their intermediate times en route to a longer distance. That kind of timing can be good, especially when you’re doing specific workouts to improve your performance at an upcoming race. When you’re doing these kind of workouts, it’s sometimes hard not to feel like your entire worth as a runner for the time being is decreed by your watch.
But one of the main ways that I use my watch is on a regular, easy run when I feel like exploring. I love the feeling of freedom that running can give you—you head out your door, and it’s completely up to you where to go. If 10 minutes into your run, you feel like taking a detour off of your usual route, well, who’s stopping you? When you have a running watch on, you can make that detour and not wonder if you ran farther or shorter than usual. That’s because the main feature on these watches is a stopwatch, or chronometer. All you have to do is start the chronometer at the start of your run, go wherever you want, and stop the watch when you stop running.
Say you normally run for half an hour. If you feel like you’re running at about the same pace that you usually do, then you most likely are. There’s no use in quibbling with yourself about a potential extra tenth of a mile here or there. It’ll all even out eventually. This frees you to start your watch, head off in an unfamiliar direction for 15 minutes, turn around and run home.
The chronometer feature is especially useful when you’re traveling and have to run in completely alien territory. When I’m in a new place, I start my watch, run at my normal training pace for however long I want, and rest assured that I’ve gone about as far as I would at home. Using your watch this way is also a good way to make new courses at home. Say you have a loop through your neighborhood that you’re calling a three-miler. See roughly what your average time is for that loop over the course of several runs, and then chart out other courses that you can run in that time. These new courses will be about the same length as the neighborhood loop.
One of the things I like most about running is that it’s so low-tech, and I’m not just saying this because I still haven’t figured out how to program my VCR. I like how elemental running is—usually, it’s just you, a decent pair of shoes, and Mother Nature. That part of running is never going to change—running down a dirt road on a lovely spring day is pretty much the same today as it was 30 years ago.
In those 30 years, however, a lot of new gadgets have been introduced that are supposed to make running better. I don’t like most of them. They just get in the way of the basic act of getting out the door and moving under your own power. In fact, I suspect that one of the reasons for running’s growing popularity is that it acts as an escape from the overly digitized world. That said, there are a few gizmos that I think can be helpful to many runners. In various ways, running watches, heart rate monitors, and treadmills are gadgets that can add to the enjoyment of your running by making it more convenient and productive. If only I could say the same for my VCR. Soon after President Clinton took office, the Washington Post did a story on how horrible it was that the leader of the free world was meeting foreign dignitaries wearing a $45 hunk of black plastic instead of an elegant Rolex. Whoever wrote that story obviously isn’t a runner. If the author had been, he or she would have known that President Clinton favors his digital sports watch because it’s the single best techno device for runners ever invented.
Given that a few running nuts out there hit the streets without wearing shoes, it shouldn’t be too much a surprise to learn that some runners choose to run without socks. You used to see a lot more of it than you do now, in part because that’s how Jim Fixx appeared on the cover of his famous book, The Complete Book of Running. But most runners have learned that they’re probably going to be more comfortable if they run in socks. The inside materials of shoes can chafe unsocked feet during a run. And your running shoes probably smell nasty enough without sweat pouring right into them from otherwise uncovered feet!
There’s certainly no lack of socks to choose from. That broad selection is good, because you’re going to go through running socks like no other item of running equipment, shoes included. The good news is that you can find high-quality socks for running for just a few dollars a pair, although, as with everything else in running apparel, you can pay three or four times that much if you want top-of-the-line stuff.
I run in pretty basic, low-cut, white socks. As with shoes, the most important features are fit and comfort, not high-tech claims. Socks are usually available in two to four sizes. Make sure you wear the size that fits your foot. Wearing a sock that’s too loose or too tight is as bad as wearing a shoe that’s the wrong size. How thick a sock you run in depends on what’s most comfortable to you. Some runners like extremely thin socks because they like to feel the road when they run. (These are probably the people who used to run without socks.) On race day, especially, many runners want as little sock as possible. But sometimes, socks that are too thin will slip around inside a shoe. This can lead to blisters and can detract from a shoe’s stability. Other runners are from the more-is-better school and like a thicker sock because it provides more cushioning. But if your socks are too thick, they can make your shoes too tight and inhibit your normal biomechanics. Runners who have more than one pair of shoes will sometimes wear different thicknesses of socks with different shoes. This strategy makes sense, given the importance of a sock fitting just right within a shoe. You might see socks specially marketed as running socks. What this usually means is that the socks have extra padding across the ball of the foot, toes, and especially in the heel area. This extra padding cuts down on shock and protects important areas that can blister. There’s also usually padding or a tighter area through the arch to allow the shoe to fit more closely and add better arch support. Some runners don’t like this feature because they think it feels too constraining. Again, you should go with what feels best to you.
As with other pieces of running apparel, socks come in many other fabrics beyond the old standby cotton. Cotton is a fine choice for colder weather running—it’s very comfortable, and you probably won’t be sweating so much that the sock will absorb much moisture. But when it’s warmer, cotton can cause problems. Once the cotton fibers become saturated with moisture, the socks might bunch up inside your shoes and cause blisters. It’s just not a whole lot of fun to be running down the road on a hot day and feel your wet feet squishing around in your shoes.
Socks made of synthetic fibers are usually better about wicking moisture away from your skin. The most commonly used synthetic fibers in running socks are acrylic, polypropylene, and CoolMax. Sometimes these fibers are blended with cotton, and sometimes they’ll make up the whole sock. Polypropylene and CoolMax socks work well year-round. In the heat, they keep your feet drier, and when it’s cold, they keep your feet warmer by keeping moisture away from the skin. But these socks are more expensive than cotton or acrylic blends and often aren’t as durable. That’s especially true if you ignore the instructions that come with these high-tech socks and throw them in the laundry with your old cotton tube socks.
How long your sock should be is completely up to you. You don’t often see runners in over-the-calf socks anymore because these can feel as though they’re inhibiting your motion. But as for the other main options—roll-down, quarter-length, or crew—go with whatever works best for you. You might want to go with a slightly longer sock in colder weather just so you can be sure that your pants or tights more than cover the top of them.
There’s no evidence that running damages breasts. Still, almost all women runners, regardless of breast size, prefer to run in a sports bra. It is a must-have piece of apparel for women runners.
What you wear over your sports bra depends on the weather and your modesty. During the hottest parts of the year, some women have no qualms about heading out for a run with nothing on top but their sports bra. Sports bras aren’t revealing like other bras, and you’re going to stay more comfortable in the heat the less that you have on. After all, those men you see running without shirts are doing so to stay cooler, not to improve their social lives. Understandably, some women aren’t going to feel comfortable being seen like that in public. If that’s you, go with a lightweight singlet over your sports bra. A few companies even make combination tops, with the bra built into the singlet. Because your sports bra is going to fit snugly against your skin, you want it to have some wicking properties. Try a cotton/polyester blend. The polyester will move sweat to the surface and will provide more durability than cotton alone. If you need extra support, look for a bra that has Lycra in it as well.
Keep these fitting tips, offered by the American Running & Fitness Association’s executive director, Susan Kalish, in mind when choosing a sports bra:
- A sports bra shouldn’t have exposed seams inside, because these can chafe you.
- The shoulder straps should be about ½ to ¾ of an inch wide. Straps that are narrower than that might dig into your shoulders.
- Don’t buy a sports bra with clasps; these can dig into your skin. Get a sports bra that slips over your head.
- The bra should have a wide elastic chest band to keep it from riding up.
- Get a bra as close as possible to your usual size. If you can’t fit your thumb under the shoulder straps and elastic chest band, it’s too small. If a bra slips off your shoulders, it’s too large.
Unlike you might do with regular lingerie, don’t buy a sports bra off the rack because it’s your size. Always try it on before you buy it. In the dressing room, run in place, swing your arms around, and so forth to make sure that it will move with you.
