Key indicators for improving your running training

Heart rate

Heart rate (HR) corresponds to the number of heartbeats per minute (bpm). It increases with the intensity of effort. It is an indicator for runners seeking to optimize their training. It enables effort to be measured and intensity to be managed during sessions. In trail running, for example, where conditions vary (gradient, terrain, fatigue), you can’t rely on speed alone. HR is necessary to reflect the real intensity of the effort.

How do I use it?

Trainers often divide effort into heart rate zones, also known as training zones, as a percentage of this value. These zones are calculated from the maximum heart rate, FCmax, (see article: Understanding the usefulness of FCmax, VO2, VMA and VFC).

This FCmax allows us to define a model with 5 cardiac zones corresponding to 5 running training zones:

• Zone 1 for fundamental endurance
• Zone 2 for active endurance
• Zone 3 for tempo sessions (higher intensities)
• Zone 4 for thresholds (intense exercise)
• Zone 5 for very intense sessions.

There are several ways to estimate your maximum heart rate. Here are the main methods:

• Analysis of your intensity sessions. During very high-intensity training (split, hill, final sprint). The highest value recorded may be close to your FCmax.
• On the run. You can also record the maximum heart rate reached during a competition. (Note that in long-distance or ultra trail running, you generally don’t reach your maximum heart rate).
• Results of a physical test. Certain field tests such as the VAMEVAL or progressive VMA sessions can be used to approach your FCmax.
• Laboratory stress test. It’s the most accurate. Carried out by a healthcare professional (cardiologist, sports doctor, physiotherapist), this test measures your FCmax in controlled, safe conditions.

Maximum heart rate varies from one individual to another, making theoretical formulas imprecise. Only measurements in the field (with real maximum effort) or in the laboratory can provide a reliable FCmax.

CF limits

Here are the limits of heart rate as an indicator:

• Heart rate drift: During prolonged effort, even at constant intensity, the heart rate tends to increase progressively. This can distort actual intensity, especially on long outings. It’s important to correlate the analysis with the sensations of perceived effort.
• Cardiac reactivity: Your heart rate may take some time to reach the heart rate for the intensity of the effort being made. It doesn’t always immediately reflect the effort involved. It’s important to listen to your sensations too, to adjust your effort.
• The impact of fatigue and physical condition: When you’re tired, sleep-deprived or during a period of intense training, your heart rate may be lower than usual, even for the same effort. This can give the impression that you’re “in shape”, when your body is actually overloaded.

Heart rate is a good benchmark. But it must be related to how you feel, your level of fatigue and your experience. It’s by combining these elements that you can optimize your training.

Pace and speed: adapt to the terrain

Speed is an important indicator in running, as it enables us to measure a runner’s progress. It shows the evolution of performance over different distances, from cross-country to marathon. It’s a concrete indicator for measuring the effectiveness of a training plan.

Speed is also used to determine precise training zones. These zones are established on the basis of speeds achieved during specific tests. They are used to plan appropriate sessions, ranging from recovery to endurance work, or to target specific paces.

Adapting speed to the target

Adapting your training speed is essential, and must be done precisely according to your objective. Whether you’re looking to increase your distance, improve your endurance or prepare for a particular competition, training speed plays a role in the quality of your preparation. This requires following a structured plan, but also knowing how to vary your pace according to the different phases of training: recovery, speed work or sessions at a pace specific to the race objective.

Adapting speed to the environment

In trail running, where the terrain is irregular and technical, speed is less representative of the intensity of effort than in road running. Variations in terrain mean you have to constantly adapt your pace. This makes speed less reliable as an indicator of performance.

For female trail runners, it’s more relevant to use heart rate zones to manage their effort. Using heart rate as a benchmark enables you to better adjust intensity.

Feelings of effort (RPE)

Learning to listen to your sensations is an invaluable tool for any runner. The Ratingof Perceived Exertion (RPE ) enables you to assess how easy or difficult an exercise seems. It helps you to adapt and personalize your training according to how you feel, to avoid pushing yourself too hard or, on the contrary, not doing enough.

The RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion), is a method based on Borg’s research. It has been adjusted to give an accurate estimate of training load. It is used in various sports and applies to athletes of all levels.

Ideally, the RPE should be recorded within 30 minutes of exercise , to prevent the end of the session and post-workout recovery from having too much influence on the overall perception of effort.

You don’t need any special equipment except a notebook to record your session. This makes it a simple and practical tool to use in the field.

By combining RPE with other indicators, athletes can better target their goals and optimize their training with greater precision and efficiency.

RPE is, of course, unique to each individual. In other words, from one person to another, for the same session, the RPE score may be different.

Feelings during exercise

There’s also another indicator, often represented by smileys, which can be found on certain training tracking platforms such as Nolio. This indicator is independent of the RPE, but effectively complements it.

For example, during an intense session such as 10 x 30 seconds at maximum pace, the RPE will generally be high, around 9 or 10 on the Borg scale. However, if the sensations were good during the effort, we can indicate an overall positive feeling with a “super” or “bien” smiley.

Conclusion

We’ve looked at the three main methods of evaluating running training: heart rate, speed and perceived exertion (RPE). Here’s a summary table to help you find your way around 🙂