The greatest single thing about the heart is that it can tell us how fit we are. Fitness has many interpretations and definitions and can be measured in many ways. No single measure can tell us we have good overall fitness, but a good indicator is our Resting Heart Rate (RHR). This is because our heart rate is an objective measure - it's not how we think we feel. I advise all beginners to take their heart rate before they begin a training program because the improvements can be a great motivator.

To measure your heart rate, find your pulse on either your wrist or neck with any finger (not the thumb - which has a pulse of it's own) and count the beats for 15 seconds, then multiply this by 4. This sum will give you your RHR. The average male adult has a heart rate of 60-80 at rest, females 70-90. Most runners will have heart rates below this and age will greatly affect your RHR, the older you are, the higher it will be.

Heart rates can be very useful to runners. For instance, they can ensure you are running at the right pace or that you have fully recovered on a rest day. A RHR of 10 beats a minute (BPM) more than usual can indicate you are becoming ill, are dehydrated, or not fully recovered. Some people take heart rates during training with their fingers to ensure they aren't working too easy or hard, but I advise against this method as it is generally inaccurate. If you are this serious about your training, I recommended that you buy a Heart Rate Monitor.

Your Training Heart Rate (THR) is between 60-80% of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). To obtain your MHR, you need to run as fast as you can for at least a minute and then take your pulse, do this a few times and average the results out. Or, if you don't fancy the hard work, you can subtract your age from 220, although many runners will testify to how inaccurate this method can be.

You should run at this pace to promote 'the training effect' and to not overstress the body. Whatever training pace you come to run at, you should be able to talk without becoming short of breath. I personally train at 1 to 2 minutes below my 5k race pace. Putting on the Heart Rate Monitor before each run can become a hassel, not to mention expensive.

However, different levels of effort have different places within a runners plan. To tune up for a race, it may be recommended to push your runs up to 90% of your MHR. )This is not recommended for beginners).