are you warming up appropriately before runs?

I've never associated a high HR with someone that is inefficient at running. Chances are you haven't run a lot at low heart rates. It doesn't mean you haven't run a lot, or aren't in good shape.

If a car has bad gas milage, it's inefficient. Unfortunately running isn't nearly that simple. Training your body to use fat burning energy instead of carbs... building aerobic system a different time of year than anaerobic... "run slow to go fast..." It all makes me wonder why I didn't pick woodworking or coin collecting as hobby instead of combining these 3 crazy sports.

Ken's Evolution book and DVD are on my Christmas list. I was convinced to give a shot after reading another thread on Trifuel.

here we go...

i would think that's plenty. a separate warmup's probably only necessary if you're doing a short intense workout.

is this higher HR new or are you asking about something that's always been like this?

if you're not already, training with an HRM could help you bring your HR down and become more efficient. it will slow you down at first, but you will return to your previous speed with a more efficient HR.

My research on thousands of runners of all levels shows just the opposite. Weighting the heel causes far more frequent and severe injuries. Ironically, runners who suffer from injuries to the Plantar Fascia or the Achilles tendon are generally heelstrikers who do not make maximum use of these tissues. A forefoot landing increases and maintains the elasticity of these tissues, which dramtically reduces injury risk.

Efficient runners keep their weight entirely on the forefoot, which increases both shock absorption and efficiency. We have elastic tissues in the arch of our feet, the Achilles tendon, and both calf muscles. With a correct foot-strike, these tissues absorb energy at foot-strike, providing shock absorption, and then release that energy as propulsion for the next stride through what we call elastic recoil. Weighting the heel during foot-strike bypasses our natural shock absorption and prevents the use of elastic recoil. The heel is made of bone, which obviously is not elastic. Bone is designed for support and not shock absorption.

If I took you shoes away and asked you to run just a few meters on pavement, I promise you wouldn’t land on the heel. The most efficient techniques are natural when running barefoot, but not when running in shoes with a huge slab of rubber under the heel. (The Nike Free and Newton running shoes are steps in the right direction.) Learning to incorporate these techniques into your shoe-running stride will make you faster and more injury resistant.

You can learn more about these techniques in my book The Triathlete’s Guide to Run Training or on the DVD that Joe Friel and I produced called Evolution Running: Run Faster with Fewer Injuries. Go to EvolutionRunning.com or write us at for more information.

Ken

This is my thought as well. I think you may want to build your base and slowly increase your run speed as you condition your heart for the gradual speed increases. How to build a proper base is another question indeed.

By the way, I love the Evolution Running DVD. I recommend it to everyone.