Help me overcome my high heart rate hurdle!

I too am having problems with a high heart rate..even at rest it is high.  I know that when I run I am running too fast for my conditioning and need to slow down..but mentally I feel as though I am not getting a workout going as slow as necessary.  I know for me the key will probably be..more..longer..but slower runs.  K

Good question with a miltifaceted answer. I'll summarize here, but I have articles on hill running and climbing on the bike, written for Inside Triathlon and Velo News, that I'll send to anyone who emails me at [email protected]

Keeping cadence hihg on the bike is important, but keeping turinover on the run high is even more important. Drive your knees up the hill and take quick, tiny strides. Watch fast runners and cyclists and they aren't muscling up the hills. Arnold wouldn't make a good climber.

Pedal stroke - on the flts you can have big dead spots at 6 and 12. If you produce high peak power, you can coast through dead spots no problem. On climbs, you can't coast through anything. Good climbers initiate the downstroke at top dead center, 12 o'clock, and drivbe diagonally forward-down. They also initiate the backstroke earlier - try to pull your heel straight back through the bottom bracket when the pedal reached 3 o'clock. Generating jsut a little power at 6 and 12 carries momentum through to the next downstroke better.

Climbing is about power to weight ratio, so getting lean is important. That's another discussion of its own.

Strength train all winter. Use heavy weights and extremely slow, controlled movements. The sustained contractioins more effectively work the endurance fibers.

After all that ... climb. Preparing your body is one thing, but the only way to reaslly learn to climb is to climnb. Climds hurt, but learn to love them. Attitude is everything. For triathletes, who all have twisted minds, "enjoyable suffering" isn't an oxymoron.

Good luck, Ken