Today's workout was written for me...
(But it really is the case that my HR in the pool does not go up higher than the mid- to high 140s! Even when I am working very very hard and am quite breathless, like after a 50 fly or a hard 100 free. That is just the way it is... it may be that when my technique and conditioning both get better, I will be able to get it up higher? But my guess is that the highest possible would still be more like 160.)
Warmup: 500 free, 4 x 50 choice, 4 x 75 kick-drill-swim choice (I did IM order for both of these)
Main set was all freestyle, though I am not sure I am getting the details exactly right--but something like this:
50 at 90% effort and check heartrate (goal HR: 180-190--that is just not where mine falls!)
2 x 100 build
2 x 150 uneven pacing (basically, every 50 as 12.5 slow, 12.5 build, turn, 12.5 further build and 12.5 sprint, with no rest between 50s--this is a good exercise)
2 x 200 cruise free
2 x 150 build by 50
100 at 90% effort and check HR
Cooldown: 200 choice (I did 100 IM with fly drill, 100 back)
2550 yards total
Coach says that HR should be same for running and swimming at same effort level, i.e. she swims 4 x 100 IM clocking in at HR180 after each hundred (steady rather than hard effort), ditto for running 10K at 7:30 pace. I think all this says is that she is a faster runner and far better swimmer than I am!
4 comments:
I feel sure you will be able to get your heartrate higher as you progress.
For the time being if I were you I would just go with perceived effort. And really, it's not a big deal as you are really training for distance swimming as part of a triathlon.
A counterintuitive thing is that breathlessness does not necessarily indicate higher heartrate.
I had a conversation with a teammate who was coaching our last swim before Nationals. He felt I needed to do a long cooldown, because he thought I had been sprinting the assigned sprint set (although I told him I wouldn't). His cues were I was red in the face and breathless. The reality is, I burn hot, and can be red in the face after warm-up (which I guarantee I don't work too hard in). And I was doing the 25's fly as one breath lengths. So really, my heartrate was much lower than he would have guessed.
I always struggle with the whole swimming heartrate thing. Mine is always really low as well, even when gasping for air (like Wendy said). The funny thing to me is that when I race, my heart rate during the swim is up in my Zone 4 run range, so I obviously know I can get it up there! But it seems like an elusive goal when practicing... (the same goes for the bike for me - racing it is as high as my run rate but on my own I am lucky if I am in Zone 2 and I am not necessarily going slower!)
Well, I have only done 1 triathlon, Danielle, but it seems like that's exactly the situation I'm in too--though I was going at very easy pace on swim and bike, I saw higher HRs than I had ever seen in practice?!? ARGHHHHH, the mysteries--Wendy, thank you as always for clarifying various matters....
It IS maddening. And I don't think you can compare one person's heartrate levels to another's. Or compare HR during race efforts to practices. There are so many other factors!
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