quote:<HR>Originally posted by kimber45:
Nobby, thanks for your in-depth explanation. I am a very new runner, having started in July. I'm also a very slow runner. I am trying to work within the framework of LHR and that keeps me even slower.
I am a shuffler. I shuffle my feet when I walk and I tend to shuffle along when I run. I do think about my form as I run - shoulders, hips, hands and how my foot strikes the ground. I think I'm hitting mid-sole. I've wondered about his shuffling when I run. When I lift my knees higher, I tend to bounce and my HR goes higher. And then of course I end up fatigued which leads me to shuffle even worse.
Should I expect to shuffle as long as I'm running at a 14-15 minute pace? <HR>
Just a general comment. IMHO, for new runners esp. those approaching 50 and beyond, I would worry more about good form than heart rate, esp. low heart rate. LHR seems to focus more on fat-burning aspects in base whereas other training deals with many aspects of running in base - the entire aerobic range, strength, etc. Whenever something is new to someone, their heart rate is almost always elevated to some extent. Some people can decrease it by running LHR for awhile (like Jesse - leitner, not runaway) while others can decrease it by working on form and higher effort work (like me) becoming more economical, ie. build a more efficient body biomechanically before worrying about fuel.
You might check your cadence to see if you are running close to 170-180 footfalls/min (85-90 touches by right foot). Many beginners find they have a slower cadence - with the time spent airborne going up and down and adding impact. This is aggravated by trying to keep hr low until they get the hang of it. (been there, done that) Some people do run slower cadence and others faster naturally, but it's surprising how many people are in the 180 range. It will feel awkward when you first try it, but slowly introduce it into your running. All changes should be gradual. I'd worry about that first, since that will reduce a lot of impact.
For some people (like myself (60f) and many older people, but not all) low heart rate training has them training at an effort that's below where they'd get many cardio benefits or negligible muscle stimulation (unless I were to walk, but I do that as part of life). A lot depends on where your normal heart rate training zones (frequently approximated by talk test) would be relative to low heart rate training and where you are with running-specific strength to start.
I think some say you start losing muscle mass after about age 35 and it accelerates around 50-55 or so, esp. for women. For me, I find it critical to keep enough muscle stimulation, including strength xt in early base, to be able to run decently. I'm slow anyway and like to run trails, so need to maintain strength and add power - all the time. Use it or lose it.
Part of those drills that I may do include high knee lift, Lydiard hill drills, plyometrics, etc. While I don't run with that high of a knee lift, I do find it helps with form in general and improves power in legs. If tired, I resort to shuffling (barely clearing the surface), but most of the time I have to lift my feet high enough to clear trail obstacles, leaves, and snow. I do find that if I lift my knees more on flats, I do go faster and hr goes up. I can really feel the faster pendulum swing by not having feet down as far. But there's an energy balance between the effort to pick knees up that far and the speed benefits. I just keep it in aerobic zones. An interesting side light is that if I'm doing high-end aerobic (tempoish) work on trails, I trip less and run much more cleanly.
FWIW, I started structured running when I was 53F (when I first looked at Maffetone, but never followed it for many reasons, which are still valid)) about 6.5 years ago. A couple years ago when we had a lot of ice, I did try to revert to LHR training, since that was all the faster I could negotiate the patches anyway, but that was a major disaster for me. I've had better luck using more general training (Lydiard style) and adding strength and power work as I could handle it, rather than low hr. My PT had also diagnosed several muscle weaknesses and imbalances, so in my case, I definitely need to work at effort levels that make the most sense for my goals and weaknesses. But that's me. I'm just throwing that out for consideration of training approaches. I seldom do much besides base stuff with some minimal race prep work (specific for my trail races, not the traditional peaking).
