Heart rate faster than usual

wdedoelder

I have been running intervals on the treadmill for a few months now. A slow jog at 3.7 mph for 3 min then 5.5 mph for 3 min for a total of 30 minutes. I was doing great at this and was able to get a good heart rate the whole time. I decided to bump it to 2 min at the 3.7 and 4 min at 5.5. It was hard for a few days, but I was able to do it until last friday. My heart rate was 15-20 beats higher than usual. I had to really slow down in order to be able to get any good heart rate. I thought it could just be a bad day, but today I decided to go back to 3 min slower and 3 faster and I had to slow it down again. What is going on???? I am feeling so frustrated and angry right now

texteach66

Probably wouldn't hurt to pay a visit to your doctor.

MeanderingMammal

wdedoelder wrote: »

...My heart rate was 15-20 beats higher than usual. I had to really slow down in order to be able to get any good heart rate.

What's causing you to think that the slightly elevated HR is a bad thing? Did you feel unwell or in some way out of sorts?

That could be as simple as something that you've eaten or drunk just before training, your hydration levels, the temperature or humidity in the gym?

A slightly different situation but for someone doing sustained training the HR level will rise over time, a function of a number of physiological characteristics but largely down to thickening of the blood as the body consumes stored water. In the course of 90 minutes yesterday my HR started at 130bpm and finished at 160bpm, with the HR trace showing a steady slope throughout that time.

Nothing to worry about, unless you were feeling ill effects.

lorrpb

How fast was it and how fast do you think it should be?

BrianSharpe

How often are you doing this? Are you allowing yourself recovery days?

Alisonswim46

When you work harder, your heart rate will get faster. When you become more efficient at that pace your HR will be lower. You are fine.

Cherimoose

I agree that HR can rise due to factors like insufficient rest or dehydration.. also insufficient calories.

wdedoelder wrote: »

I had to really slow down in order to be able to get any good heart rate

Are you trying to stay in the "fat burning zone" to burn fat? If so, google "fat burning zone myth".

wdedoelder

When I began doing 3.7 mph for 3 minutes the HR would be around 133-145, at 5.5 mph my HR would be about 160-165 ( I am 43 years old, so I try not to let it be above 167 too long). When I would go back to the slow jog, the heart rate would go down again. This was the way it was last week when I bumped it up to 2 min slow jog and 4 faster run. The last 2 times running it went up to 150-166 at 3.7 mph, which meant that it was going WAY above 170 at the higher speed which would lead to me decreasing the speed. I was jogging Mon/Wed/Fri with some lighter aerobics on Tues/Thur. I did this routine for months. If my body was too tired, then I would take the day off if needed. I just do not understand what is happening now. Nothing has changed in my diet or water intake

Thank you for the information!

MeanderingMammal

wdedoelder wrote: »

I am 43 years old, so I try not to let it be above 167 too long

I wouldn't worry unless you have an underlying condition.

I'm 47 and will race a 10K at 175bpm for 50 minutes.

MobyCarp

wdedoelder wrote: »

When I began doing 3.7 mph for 3 minutes the HR would be around 133-145, at 5.5 mph my HR would be about 160-165 ( I am 43 years old, so I try not to let it be above 167 too long). When I would go back to the slow jog, the heart rate would go down again. This was the way it was last week when I bumped it up to 2 min slow jog and 4 faster run. The last 2 times running it went up to 150-166 at 3.7 mph, which meant that it was going WAY above 170 at the higher speed which would lead to me decreasing the speed. I was jogging Mon/Wed/Fri with some lighter aerobics on Tues/Thur. I did this routine for months. If my body was too tired, then I would take the day off if needed. I just do not understand what is happening now. Nothing has changed in my diet or water intake

Thank you for the information!

Here's an important question: When your heart rate goes above 165, do you *feel* like you're working so hard that you can't keep it up very long? There are a couple of things to think about (no answers, just things to look at.)

First, you can look at how you are measuring your heart rate. It took me a couple years to learn that salt buildup (from sweat) on the chest strap monitor that came with my Garmin degrades the contact quality and makes the measured heart rate less accurate. This can result in bogus readings of a very high heart rate. Fortunately, for the monitor I use, the fix was as simple as rinsing the monitor after every use and using soap and water to clean it at least once a week.

Second, if your HR measurement is known to be accurate, you may not have a clear idea of what your maximum heart rate really should be. The 220 minus age formula is very conservative, and unlikely to get sedentary people in trouble. But it doesn't work very well for people who are well conditioned to exercise, and I've heard it doesn't work very well for older people. I am 61 years old. 220 minus age would put my maximum heart rate at 159. I routinely have a HR in the mid to upper 160s at the end of short (5K, 10K) races, and may sustain the a HR in the low 160s for a 5K or upper 150s for a 10K. But if the rate goes above 170, I can feel that this is a really hard effort that I can't sustain for any great length of time.

Yes, I asked my doctor. She didn't offer any technological measurement method to determine my maximum heart rate. She just told me to go by feel. Hence my question: Is your "above 167" limit simply because 220 - 43 gives you a maximum HR of supposedly 177, or can you really feel that above 165 is a difficult level of exertion to sustain over time?

lorrpb

wdedoelder wrote: »

When I began doing 3.7 mph for 3 minutes the HR would be around 133-145, at 5.5 mph my HR would be about 160-165 ( I am 43 years old, so I try not to let it be above 167 too long). When I would go back to the slow jog, the heart rate would go down again. This was the way it was last week when I bumped it up to 2 min slow jog and 4 faster run. The last 2 times running it went up to 150-166 at 3.7 mph, which meant that it was going WAY above 170 at the higher speed which would lead to me decreasing the speed. I was jogging Mon/Wed/Fri with some lighter aerobics on Tues/Thur. I did this routine for months. If my body was too tired, then I would take the day off if needed. I just do not understand what is happening now. Nothing has changed in my diet or water intake

Thank you for the information!

So do you know what it ACTUALLY was, or this is just what you think?

wdedoelder

My heart rate was between 170 and 180 when I was trying to jog at 5.5 mph. When my HR goes above 169, it gets very difficult for me to breathe and keep up, so I try to stay under 167 for the most part. I just do not understand the difference in 2 days. I will keep trying, but it is upsetting to once be doing better and now worse. For over a year, I did incline training with walking and sometime slow jogging. I tried to take up jogging to be able to surprise my husband who likes to run 5k's all the time ( he has bad knees and ankles, so a 5k is about his max).

In the 17 months, I have lost almost 50 pounds, but it seems that once I start to feel good about my current state, something seems to go badly that slows me down again. I am just totally frustrated and am thankful for the suggestions.

Cherimoose

A poor night's sleep can raise HR too. Try taking 1-2 days off from all exercise, get a good night's sleep, and let us know if your HR gets back to normal.

wdedoelder wrote: »

In the 17 months, I have lost almost 50 pounds, but it seems that once I start to feel good about my current state, something seems to go badly that slows me down again. I am just totally frustrated and am thankful for the suggestions.

Roadblocks are to be expected on the road to success. At least it's not something serious, like a stress fracture, torn knee ligament, etc.

Rusty740

You over-worked yourself on Friday and your body hasn't had a chance to fully recover. This is a good thing. In weightlifting we do progressive overload to make muscles bigger, it works with your heart too, which is what you did by increasing the effort you are putting in.

Keep making incremental increases safely within your ability and over a couple weeks your make progress. I would go more by what your body is telling you than be the heart rate on those machines, unless you have a chest heart rate strap. If you are breathing too heavy that's clear sign you need more oxygen and need to slow down.

wdedoelder

I will try. I never sleep well to be honest and I haven't for about 10 years now. My youngest is a Type 1 diabetic, so I get up every night to check her glucose. Has been that way for 9 years now. Thank you for the advice and the words of wisdom. I will just have to keep at it. I get to start adding weights on Wednesday again too

TimothyFish

I'm 42 and though I don't pay much attention to heart rate I frequently see a rate of about 165 without feeling like I am overexerting myself. If it were to get into the 190s I wouldn't last long before I would have to slow down. But each person is different. I would suggest paying attention to how you feel rather than hard numbers.

dewd2

My advice is to ignore heart rate unless you are using it specially for training (you are racing and you want to get faster). Go by feel. If you are out of breath and can't talk, slow down. Otherwise don't worry about (unless you have a medical issue of course - then talk to your doctor).

Edit to add: FWIW - I am 48 and I get my heart rate over 180 when I race short distances (5k-10k). It is not a big deal.