Give Your Runs a Proficiency Rating

Original url and discussion:
http://www.yourrunning.com/blog-give_your_runs_a_proficiency_rating

I've finally found a way that I think will let me get an objective comparison of training runs and races so that i can see if I'm really making progress or not.

Comparing runs is difficult. Even when they are on the same route in much the same weather conditions at the same time of day. Time isn't enough. Time and heart rate is better. But how about heart rate and distance -- as in beats per yard?

It sounds a bit odd, but I've started using it and am finding it useful. I got the idea from Hawaii-based coach Brian Clarke, who writes about it in his book "5k and 10k Training" (Human Kinetics 2006).

What you do is get your pace per mile and multiply it by your average heart rate (beats per minute) from the run. That gives you the number of heartbeats per mile. Divide beats per mile by 1,760 (yards in a mile) and you get a Proficiency Rating for the run in beats per yard.

As an example, comparing the two "Fence" runs I've just been talking about in my previous blog "Where did the hills go?, the first run got a rating of 1.481 and today's gets 1.527.

Brian explains in his book how he even uses the proficiency rating during an interval session, "looking for signs of adaptation", as he puts it, and knowing when to stop.

Not being mathematically inclined, I got Abby to set up an Excel spreadsheet for me with all the equations embedded. All I have to do is type in the time, distance and average heart rate for each run and it gives me a "PR".

"A typical proficiency rating is 1.123 yards per heartbeat" says Brian. "Since heart rates differ from person to person, proficiency values are not directly comparable among different athletes"> However, he says 5-6-hour marathoners usually have PVs around 0.850-0.950 range, while "the fastest Hawaii athletes I've assessed are about 2.150".

* Check out Brian's website, which has a lot of useful articles, at BC Endurance Trainings.