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Today's reading time is about: ~4-5 minutes.

Now let's welcome February, it is Heart Health Month in the U.S., and fittingly, it begins with Groundhog Day — a reminder that winter isn’t quite done yet… but we’re getting close.

More cold mornings.
More layers.
More treadmill sessions for some.

And for many runners, more frustration with one thing in particular:

heart rate.

Too high.
Too low.
Too confusing.
Too easy to blame.

But heart rate isn’t the problem.
Misunderstanding it is.

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🎯 The Problem With How We Think About Heart Rate

Many athletes see heart rate as:

• a limiter
• a judgment
• a sign of weakness
• something to “beat”

So when heart rate rises faster than expected, the instinct is to push harder — or ignore it altogether.

Physiologically, that’s backwards.

Heart rate is not your enemy.
It’s feedback [1,2].

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Post of the week Northeastern junior Lily Poteet is trying to run six major marathons, beginning with the Tokyo Marathon in March. Read article

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🔬 What the Science Actually Says

1. Heart rate reflects internal load, not fitness alone

Heart rate responds to:

• intensity
• fatigue
• hydration
• sleep
• stress
• temperature

A higher-than-usual heart rate doesn’t mean you’re out of shape.
It means your body is processing more total stress [2,3].

Ignoring that signal doesn’t make you tougher — it makes you less precise.

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2. Training zones protect adaptation

Heart-rate-based training zones exist for a reason.

Low-intensity zones:

• stimulate aerobic adaptations
• support mitochondrial development
• reduce excessive nervous system stress

Most endurance gains happen below threshold, not above it [4,5].

When every run drifts into moderate or hard territory, the system never fully adapts.

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3. HRV shows readiness, not weakness

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) reflects the balance of your autonomic nervous system.

Lower HRV often signals:

• accumulated fatigue
• poor recovery
• elevated life stress

Using HRV to adjust effort improves long-term consistency and reduces injury risk [1,6].

Listening to HRV isn’t backing off.
It’s training with awareness.

Watch shows 55 ms average /month vs. App 59 ms/month.

I do this daily. So, today's was pretty high so I just add a 40min easy pace run.

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🏃 Practical Takeaway (This Week)

As winter drags on and conditions remain imperfect:

• Let heart rate guide easy days, not ego
• Accept higher HR in cold, wind, or indoor settings
• Focus on effort and breathing, not pace
• Use HR trends, not single readings

Training doesn’t get better by fighting your physiology.
It gets better by respecting it.

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🔁 Weekly Challenge

This week, commit to one truly heart-rate-guided easy run:

• Stay in your easy zone
• Ignore pace completely
• Finish feeling like you could keep going

That’s not undertraining.
That’s aerobic development [4,5].

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What's Going On in the World of Running?

It is Tuesday, February 3, 2026, and the running world is moving fast—quite literally, with new records and major race updates coming out of the weekend.

Here is what is worth sharing today:

🏆 Racing & Elite News

• Guinness World Record in Abu Dhabi: this Sunday, the Cancer Run 2026 at Hudayriyat Island set a new world record for the most nationalities in a run, with participants from 71 different countries. This 1k/3k/5k/10k event is part of a massive UAE-wide health initiative.
• London Marathon 2026 Fields: Over the weekend, the elite fields for London (scheduled for April) were finalized. It’s a “clash of the titans” scenario: Tigst Assefa will defend her title against Sifan Hassan and Hellen Obiri. On the men’s side, Tamirat Tola and Yomif Kejelcha are the ones to watch.
• Japan’s Marathon Scene: The Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon took place yesterday. While international elites led the pack, the race remains a key indicator of Japanese domestic depth as they build toward the 2026 world season.
• Millrose Games Hype: The 118th Millrose Games (NYC) are just around the corner. Track enthusiasts are buzzing about a 16-year-old who just clocked a 3:48 mile—keep an eye on the junior results as the “next generation” of middle-distance talent is arriving faster than expected.

👟 Gear & Tech

• Best Shoes of 2026:Runner’s World just released their definitive list of the Best Shoes of 2026 today. A standout mentioned is the Hoka Cielo X1 3.0, which is receiving praise for its refined plate geometry and lighter foam.
• Presidents’ Day Deals: Retailers are starting early this year. If you’re looking to stock up on team gear or rotation trainers, major sales have already gone live for older (but still excellent) models like the Asics Novablast 4 and Saucony Endorphin Speed 3.
• AI Gait Analysis: A new AI-powered gait and form analysis tool has just begun rolling out across major running retail hubs. It uses computer vision to analyze biomechanical efficiency without needing wearable sensors—definitely something to watch for your coaching practice.

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Since we were talking about your 3K race on February 19, you’re now in the final 17 days. Would you like me to look for some peaking workouts or a sharpening schedule specifically for that distance to help you drop those last few seconds?

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What frustrates you most about heart-rate training? 🔘 HR spikes too early 🔘 Pace feels “too slow” 🔘 HR varies day to day 🔘 I don’t trust my zones 🔘 I don’t use HR consistently

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​¡Cuéntanos qué temas te interesan más en el enlace 'Preferencias' al final de este correo!

References

1.​​ Plews, D. J., Laursen, P. B., Stanley, J., Kilding, A. E., & Buchheit, M. (2013). Training adaptation and heart rate variability in elite endurance athletes.European Journal of Applied Physiology, 113(6), 1553–1564.

2. Halson, S. L. (2014). Monitoring training load to understand fatigue in athletes.Sports Medicine, 44(Suppl 2), S139–S147.

3. Achten, J., & Jeukendrup, A. E. (2003). Heart rate monitoring: Applications and limitations.Sports Medicine, 33(7), 517–538.

4. Seiler, S. (2010). What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes?International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 5(3), 276–291.

5. Seiler, S., & Tønnessen, E. (2009). Intervals, thresholds, and long slow distance.Sportscience, 13, 32–53.

6. Buchheit, M. (2014). Monitoring training status with HR measures: Do all roads lead to Rome?Frontiers in Physiology, 5, 73.​

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Check your Heart Rate and Run easy,

Coach Henri.
​Your Endurance Mindset Team

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