%LTHR vs %MaxHR
Hi everyone. I did a treadmill stress test 2 months ago. I just began running March of this year.
The treadmill stress test indicated that my max hr is 210. So I adjusted my zones accordingly:
Zone 1: 105 to 126 bpm
Zone 2: 126 to 147 bpm
Zone 3: 147 to 168 bpm
Zone 4: 168 to 189 bpm
Zone 5: 189 to 210 bpm
However, I noticed that I just felt really slow and even when I'd increase my zone 2 speed, I can still comfortably talk. I searched and people online said to set garmin ti it's %LTHR setting instead of %MaxHR. And the results were different:
Zone 1: 116 to 142 bpm
Zone 2: 142 to 158 bpm
Zone 3: 158 to 169 bpm
Zone 4: 169 to 178 bpm
Zone 5: 178 to 209 bpm
Note: Garmin states that my Running Lactate Threshold is 178 bpm.
Is %LTHR really more reliable than %MaxHR? I feel like I may have wasted my easy running by being "too easy" and I haven't been able to build my aerobic base for the past months due to my setting being %MaxHR.