I did a running heart rate test on the treadmill today. I plotted the data using excel with my prior two tests. The x-axis is speed cubed (cubed just to stretch out the data points). The y-axis is heart rate. If your running fitness gets better, you can run at the same speed with a lower heart rate. This would be shown by a lowering of the plotted line.
Click image to enlarge:
The blue line is the first test done in November 07. It's not much different than the pink line, which represents the test from Feb 08. The yellow line is from today, June 9, and it's quite a bit lower :-) So my fitness got a little better. I guess this is due to my efforts at improving my running form, and I have become more efficient. Possibly also because I've lost 4 lbs. Ah, if only that translated into faster run splits!
The dip followed by a sharp rise in the line represents my lactate threshold (LT) heart rate. And from there, I can figure out training zones. Still around 160-165. You want that number to go higher so that you can maintain a harder effort without lactic acid building up and causing muscle fatigue.
BTW, I created an i2workout file for the test, so my laptop computer could control the treadmill. That worked out great…all I had to do was hit the lap timer on my HR watch each time the program delivered a beep code to my treadmill. Yeah, I love that treadmill!
