One of the parameters widely used in everyday life to measure training intensity is the maximum heart rate. This means that the higher the frequency, the higher the intensity and vice versa. For this, it is understood that there is a safety “ceiling” of training intensity so that there is no more significant effort than can be done.
There are specific tests to assess maximum heart rate done by professionals, but they can be safely measured by anyone using a formula that estimates maximum heart rate. The formula consists of subtracting from 220 the age of the subject who will practice the exercise. It is not the best way to get maximum heart rate data, but it is a scientifically valid formula.
With the number X obtained, you will have the maximum of your heart rate, and from there, you can calculate the intensity of the training session by that frequency, for example, 60, 70, or 80% of the HRMax.
For longer workouts of 10km and 21km, the periodization reasoning is very similar. However, as they are more significant challenges, the training will have to be done more times, reaching up to 5 times a week. They are constantly interspersing trots with light and moderate running, as the goal is to achieve mileage. When the objective is performance (to reduce race time), the training tends to become more intense, always leaning towards moderate and intense running, using trots for a warm-up and calm back down.
Plan Your Sessions
Before putting on your best fitness outfit and sneakers and simply running around, plan your workout sessions! As much as you, for whatever reason, still don’t have a professional to prescribe your workout and schedule it in the best way possible, we have previously shown you how to divide your workouts according to your goal with safe volumes and intensities. So first, have a short-, medium- and long-term goal. Then organize your sessions according to each goal by planning the training intensity (you can use the maximum heart rate, as we have already taught in this guide) and the volume (how long you train, days of the week you will train, and days you will REST).
So finally, it’s time to run. Whether on the street or the treadmill, the most important thing is to follow the plan. One of the great qualities a runner must have above all else is determination. Without it, it is not possible to fulfill one hundred percent of the plan. So, if you follow more or less what was planned, your results will also be more or less.
