[ryanoelke]

Hey Everyone 🙂 Got a 5k this week, using pace and RPE during the race as my guide, but I am just curious about what kind of HR range is typical for a 5k race. I was assuming something like Zone Y or Zone 4 would be the avg in retrospect. Obviously you have all kinds of factors effecting it, especially in a race, but wondering if that’s generally the ballpark?

[alancraig]

Looking at my last 5K, here’s the heart rate zone breakdown:

Zone 1 – 0% (3 seconds)
Zone 2 – 3%
Zone X – 14%
Zone 3 – 33%
Zone Y – 3%
Zone 4 – 31%
Zone 5 – 15%

The average was high zone 3, just 2 bpm lower than my lactate threshold heart rate. I hope this help!

[ryanoelke]

ah, this is super geeky and helpful! In reading up on how people suggest pacing, this gives me a better sense of how to go into the race. Especially important because the first half is mostly climbing. Think I’m going to go with a steady, but slightly under what I might be able to hold in the climbing, save some energy for the second half, and turbo charge it because it’s all downhill.

Can’t wait to get more 5ks under my belt to get a better sense of pacing. I did a few years of cross country in high school, but I swear, I just went all-out and survived until the end every time lol. No sense of pacing back then, at least not consciously!

[Author]

Posts