General Discussion Triathlon Talk » What is it with my heart rate? Rss Feed  
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2013-07-22 10:01 AM


189
100252525
, Alabama
Subject: What is it with my heart rate?
No matter how slowly I run I am always in zone 5-6. I have been running for around a year but I don't seem to be getting much fitter, from a heart rate point of view. I have only been logging my training on here for a few months but you will see what I mean. I doubt I would be in zone 2 even if I walked! I am 53, female, 5 foot 6 and around 144 pounds if that is relevant. I did worry at the start that my heart rate shot up so much when I start to run but I guess this is just me. I had cause to av a chest X-ray recently and my doctor commented on how healthy m heart looked and that it was a good size, small, not enlarged at all, no signs of heart disease etc.


2013-07-22 10:03 AM
in reply to: NMS

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Champion
9407
500020002000100100100100
Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
How did you determine your zones?

Shane
2013-07-22 10:05 AM
in reply to: gsmacleod


189
100252525
, Alabama
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
The Garmin does it for me, all my workouts are uploaded from that.
2013-07-22 10:22 AM
in reply to: NMS

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Expert
1130
100010025
Fernandina Beach, FL
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Did Garmin give you some kind of LT test to find your max then figure your zones for you? Or just ask you age,height, weight then figure out your zones? At any rate how long have you been using your HRM? I saw you noted heat and humidity in your logs. I train in NE Florida and can tell you my HR goes up in the summer time and down in the winter. However an avg HR of 185+ is VERY high for a 3 mile "easy" run. Do you put anything on the sensors? It may sound gross but put a little saliva on them before your next run (or you could buy gel).
2013-07-22 10:57 AM
in reply to: rjrankin83


96
252525
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Huh. I'm like that myself. Forget 'training in zone 2' - my resting heart rate is 50ish (or lower), but when I am running, a very slow run is at least the high 140's, and a decent run (when I am not tryign to keep it anything in particular) is low 160s. Apparently I don't have zones.
2013-07-22 12:01 PM
in reply to: rjrankin83


189
100252525
, Alabama
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
No LT test. I hear what you are saying re heat and humidity bit that was me trying to run on a two week vacation. I live in Ireland the rest of the time. All the way back through my log you will see my heart rate goes from around 80 to 180 or more shooting up as soon as I start to run and staying there the whole time. Although I noticed today it did go up slightly more gradually, but still ended up 104% of my max. The lowest I think I get it is 98% of max. It usually shows average heart rate zone 5.8 or 6 and max at 6. I am ashamed to admit I am a gross girl and do use saliva on my hr monitor. I used to use body glide but am too lazy now :-). The results are consistent over a number of months so I am guessing they are accurate.


2013-07-22 12:03 PM
in reply to: north_north_west


189
100252525
, Alabama
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Originally posted by north_north_west

Huh. I'm like that myself. Forget 'training in zone 2' - my resting heart rate is 50ish (or lower), but when I am running, a very slow run is at least the high 140's, and a decent run (when I am not tryign to keep it anything in particular) is low 160s. Apparently I don't have zones.



I hear ya! Glad it's not just me then....
2013-07-22 12:22 PM
in reply to: NMS

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Veteran
416
100100100100
Queen Creek, AZ
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
I think you have your heart rate zones incorrectly calculated.

Sometimes (at least me) the static electricity on my running shirts affects the HR monitor and makes it much higher than it should be. It's a bad reading. I don't know what kind of shirt you wear or the weather you run in (outside, inside, humid, dry, hot, whatever) but that might make a difference in your readings. Mine would never settle down until my shirt was soaked with sweat...the static electricity would make it act weird.

Check your battery too...

I would do the LT test as dictated here and then adjust your zones and I bet you'll be fine.
2013-07-22 12:29 PM
in reply to: NMS

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Champion
9407
500020002000100100100100
Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Originally posted by NMS

No LT test.


Then the zones you have been trying to use (as you've discovered) are worthless. Do you have a recent race (run is prefered but triathlon can work) that could be used for an idea of a starting point?

Shane
2013-07-22 12:37 PM
in reply to: gsmacleod

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Champion
10471
500050001001001001002525
Dallas, TX
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Originally posted by gsmacleod

Originally posted by NMS

No LT test.


Then the zones you have been trying to use (as you've discovered) are worthless. Do you have a recent race (run is prefered but triathlon can work) that could be used for an idea of a starting point?

Shane


What he said!

2013-07-22 12:55 PM
in reply to: NMS

Subject: ...
This user's post has been ignored.


2013-07-22 1:15 PM
in reply to: #4810552


928
50010010010010025
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Shane is right that your HR zones must be wrong. There's no way someone could do all their runs in their top HR zones without burning out. I had lactate testing done and the HR zones given by the Garmin were all too low.

That said you COULD still be doing most of your runs too fast for running improvement. You'll make most improvement if you vary the paces of your runs. So it's important to do most of your running at a moderate pace and a small amount at a faster pace.

There are ways to estimate HR zones without lactate testing, but IMO none of these method (including lactate testing) are optimal for determining training paces. That's because training zones are a moving target- as you improve your zones move up, and you have to keep pushing up your paces to improve. If you stick to previously tested results you might stop improving. So you'd have to test frequently (every three months or so) to really use these results properly.

Better, IMO, to race short distances and use a calculator like Daniels or McMillan to determine running training paces. Race and recalibrate.
2013-07-22 2:35 PM
in reply to: gsmacleod


189
100252525
, Alabama
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Originally posted by gsmacleod

Originally posted by NMS

No LT test.


Then the zones you have been trying to use (as you've discovered) are worthless. Do you have a recent race (run is prefered but triathlon can work) that could be used for an idea of a starting point?

Shane


Hi I have a recent 10k I did. It is in my log my time was 1 hour 3 mins how do I use this as a starting point please?
2013-07-22 2:37 PM
in reply to: jdl2012


189
100252525
, Alabama
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Originally posted by jdl2012

Originally posted by NMS

I doubt I would be in zone 2 even if I walked! I am 53, female, 5 foot 6 and around 144 pounds if that is relevant.


What is your stride length for walking and running? Make it shorter: half distance.

When I walk or run with longer stride length, my pulse goes up too.


Hi thanks for this but I already run with. Short stride to increase my cadence.
2013-07-22 2:40 PM
in reply to: jennifer_runs


189
100252525
, Alabama
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Originally posted by jennifer_runs

Shane is right that your HR zones must be wrong. There's no way someone could do all their runs in their top HR zones without burning out. I had lactate testing done and the HR zones given by the Garmin were all too low.

That said you COULD still be doing most of your runs too fast for running improvement. You'll make most improvement if you vary the paces of your runs. So it's important to do most of your running at a moderate pace and a small amount at a faster pace.

There are ways to estimate HR zones without lactate testing, but IMO none of these method (including lactate testing) are optimal for determining training paces. That's because training zones are a moving target- as you improve your zones move up, and you have to keep pushing up your paces to improve. If you stick to previously tested results you might stop improving. So you'd have to test frequently (every three months or so) to really use these results properly.

Better, IMO, to race short distances and use a calculator like Daniels or McMillan to determine running training paces. Race and recalibrate.



But surely if my heart rate is going from 80 to 185 or more I must be working in zone 5 or 6. I don't run fast, because I can't! It is still usually taking me more than 32 minutes to run 5k. As soon as I start to jog my heart rate spikes.
2013-07-22 2:45 PM
in reply to: NMS

Champion
9407
500020002000100100100100
Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Do you have HR data from the race (as that would be great to set up zones) but failing that, spend the next two weeks and do all your running with a pace of 7:15-8:00/km - see what your average HR is for those runs and that will liekly be mid zone 2.

Shane


2013-07-22 2:51 PM
in reply to: gsmacleod


189
100252525
, Alabama
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Originally posted by gsmacleod

Do you have HR data from the race (as that would be great to set up zones) but failing that, spend the next two weeks and do all your running with a pace of 7:15-8:00/km - see what your average HR is for those runs and that will liekly be mid zone 2.

Shane


Here is my HR data from the race: MIN HR:113 | AVG HR:189 | MAX HR:197. The minimum is probably the bits I had to walk as the path was very narrow and walkers were in the way an I couldn't get past.

Thanks I will try the pacing you suggest.
2013-07-22 2:55 PM
in reply to: NMS


928
50010010010010025
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Originally posted by NMS

Originally posted by jennifer_runs

Shane is right that your HR zones must be wrong. There's no way someone could do all their runs in their top HR zones without burning out. I had lactate testing done and the HR zones given by the Garmin were all too low.

That said you COULD still be doing most of your runs too fast for running improvement. You'll make most improvement if you vary the paces of your runs. So it's important to do most of your running at a moderate pace and a small amount at a faster pace.

There are ways to estimate HR zones without lactate testing, but IMO none of these method (including lactate testing) are optimal for determining training paces. That's because training zones are a moving target- as you improve your zones move up, and you have to keep pushing up your paces to improve. If you stick to previously tested results you might stop improving. So you'd have to test frequently (every three months or so) to really use these results properly.

Better, IMO, to race short distances and use a calculator like Daniels or McMillan to determine running training paces. Race and recalibrate.



But surely if my heart rate is going from 80 to 185 or more I must be working in zone 5 or 6. I don't run fast, because I can't! It is still usually taking me more than 32 minutes to run 5k. As soon as I start to jog my heart rate spikes.


5K in 32 min is almost as fast as your 10K race pace, so IMO you will need to slow down the pace of most of your runs in order to get your HR under control and improve you paces.

In glancing at your logs, it looks like you're trying to start your runs way too fast (about 10:00/mile) and then you slow down. You are working harder and your heart rate is staying high. I would try to start much slower-- more like 12:00/mile. Use walk breaks if you need to in order to control your pace. Then gradually increase your volume at the slower speeds. You should see your fitness improve, and eventually you'll be able to do longer runs without your HR going way up. And your pace will improve.

Just to give you an idea-- my fastest paces for racing 10K are under 8:00/mile, but I do my easy running at about 10:00/mile. You're trying to start at the same pace I do and it's too fast right now for you.
2013-07-22 3:41 PM
in reply to: jennifer_runs


189
100252525
, Alabama
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?


Just to give you an idea-- my fastest paces for racing 10K are under 8:00/mile, but I do my easy running at about 10:00/mile. You're trying to start at the same pace I do and it's too fast right now for you.


Thank you for your advice, I will try to slow down.
2013-07-22 3:44 PM
in reply to: NMS

Subject: ...
This user's post has been ignored.
2013-07-22 3:48 PM
in reply to: NMS

Champion
9407
500020002000100100100100
Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Originally posted by NMS

Here is my HR data from the race: MIN HR:113 | AVG HR:189 | MAX HR:197. The minimum is probably the bits I had to walk as the path was very narrow and walkers were in the way an I couldn't get past.


Based on this you could also try setting up your zones based on an LTHR of 189 - probably will at least put you in the ballpark.

Shane


2013-07-22 4:15 PM
in reply to: gsmacleod


189
100252525
, Alabama
Subject: RE: What is it with my heart rate?
Thanks Shane
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