In the 30th episode of the podcast “The World of Running,” host Aditi Pandya delves into the world of heart rate (HR) training and its effectiveness in endurance training. With guest speaker Anand Hatwalne, an experienced runner and co-founder of ‘Running Potential,’ this episode explores the importance of HR monitoring for effective training and optimizing performance and recovery.
Why does HR have such significance in endurance training? The answer lies in the fundamental principle, that is training at the right intensity to improve aerobic fitness, which is key for long-distance running performance. Traditionally, runners relied on pace and effort to gauge intensity, but the advent of smartwatches and chest straps revolutionized training by introducing real-time HR monitoring as a vital metric.
The episode then dives into the basics of HR training, highlighting the relationship between lower HR and lower effort. Understanding this connection is crucial for effective training..
The episode addresses various methods of monitoring HR, including wrist monitors and chest straps. Current fitness levels and genetics play a significant role in HR levels. Anand explains training zones based on HR, such as maximum HR (Max HR) and lactate threshold HR (LT HR), explaining their relevance and how to personalize the zones using Max HR or lactate threshold.
In addition to training, HR also plays a vital role in recovery. Resting heart rate (RHR) serves as an indicator of recovery status. Time to Recovery is introduced as a metric to guide training that is explained.
The episode delves into the practical application of HR training, discussing the day-to-day variations in HR and the factors that influence RHR, including sleep and infections. Adapting training based on these variations is essential for optimizing performance. The use of HR in racing is also explored, with specific HR zones suggested for different race distances like 10k, half marathon, and marathon.
Finally, the episode introduces heart rate variability (HRV) as a metric gaining importance in running. HRV refers to the differences between consecutive heartbeats and can provide valuable insights into recovery and overall training adaptation. Different methods of measuring HRV are discussed.
Anand has been running for close to 2 decades. In 2013, he co-founded ‘Running Potential’, through which he has been helping fellow runners and friends get better at this sport. He has a couple of ultras and a few marathons under his belt. Anand is especially drawn to the physiological aspects of running and exercise science.
He is a public speaker and has delivered many talks related to Running in the public domain. Anand was also invited multiple times by Indian Army establishments such as the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the College of Military Engineering (CME) in Pune, the Army War College (AWC) in Mhow, and an army camp in Missamari, Assam, to talk about these topics. In 2019, owing to his work in spreading awareness about HRV for endurance sports, the training platform HRV4Training chose Anand as one of its mentors.
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