Target heart rate - beginner running

luckycleo777

(Disclaimer - I feel absolutely stupid asking this, but I don't know much about running. I searched the boards for similar questions and didn't find anything.)
After doing incline walking on my treadmill for 6 weeks or so, keeping my heart rate around 140bpm for 30min+, I decided I wanted to start running (on the street, not on the treadmill). I've seen the couch to 5k programs that suggest 1 minute running, 1 minute walking. Well, I can't jog for 1 minute. It's very sad, haha. I jogged/walked for 1.3 miles, it took me 18 minutes, I got very out of breath. I checked my apple watch afterwards and it said while I was jogging, my heart rate peaked in the high 170's several times during my running bits (I think this is accurate, considering how winded I was.) It got down to 140s during my 'recovery' walking periods.
I am a 35yo female with no health issues. Is it dangerous for me to continue this intensity of exercise? I know that no one here can give me medical advice, would just like to hear stories of when people got started running, because I know everyone starts somewhere. I also feel like that if I didn't have my heart rate monitor I wouldn't be freaking out as much, because it's normal to get winded running.
Thanks in advance! Please be nice! I have pretty serious health anxiety that I am struggling to manage.

Duck_Puddle

Slow down. Slower. No-slower than that. Little slower.

Yes, if you’re going too fast your HR will spike crazy high and you’ll be winded and out of breath and the recovery times will not be long enough.

Slow down.

Try jogging at your walking pace (or even slower-for real).

If you are getting winded, you’re going too fast.

And if the anxiety is too much, you don’t need a HRM so you can totally turn that off.

lozenger1984

Hi luckycleo. No silly questions and welcome to mfp. I started off unable to run a minute and used interval training like couch to 5k. Your max heart rate can be calculated as 220-your age so yours would be 185. For cardio the recommendation is to spend most of your time up to about 85% of this. But...it’s important to listen to your body, not just your numbers. Getting out of breath and sweaty is fine (and actually really good) but pushing until you feel faint is not. As the heart rate monitor precipitates more worry I’d recommend ditching it. I run a lot now and only check my heart rate out of interest occasionally. It’s often in the 170s at the end of a run where I’m pushing myself but more importantly I know I’m at the end of my run because I’m tired, my breathings really quick and I feel like I’ve been working a t about 9/10 my ability.

Another huge plus is exercise has really helped me manage my anxiety. Well done to you for starting on this journey and taking new steps.

LadySaton

Yes, what @Duck_Puddle said, slow down. Slow down so much. You want to let a turtle outrace when you start. Seriously, I thought for years that running just wasn’t something I was meant to do. In reality, I just needed to slow down. My first succesful distance run honestly wasn’t that much faster than my 4mph walking pace.

I’m a 36yo female, by the way, still slightly overweight. My runs used to have spikes where my heart rate was in the very high 170s and that would be very unusual now. I can keep my runs under 160bpm except for the steeper hills at this point. I’ve only been running since December, so it gets easier faster than I expected. I’m prone to over analyzing the minutiae of my own health and HRMs can make us more aware of these issues so sometimes I don’t check until I’m home so long as I feel okay.

luckycleo777

Thank you guys so much for the very kind and helpful responses. I will take a few days off then try again much slower.

Tacklewasher

Just one more voice to say slow down.

With the C25K, I still say you need a fitness base before even starting it. Can you walk at a reasonably brisk pace for an hour? If not, then start with working to that before trying to run.

Oh, and get good shoes from a good running store before you start running. Your shins/knees etc. will thank you. Have someone watch you walk or run to see if you need more or less support.

BrianSharpe

Another "go slower" here too.

You should try running by perceived effort and aiming for a pace at which you can carry on a conversation and then very gradually add time before worrying about speed. It's all about building your aerobic base first.

Have fun!

scorpio516

Almost 41 year old man here. Your HR isn't out of the ordinary. Most of my runs are in the high 160s to low 170s.

But slow down. If you can't finish 1 minute run, your going too fast.

AnnPT77

I'm in the "slow down" camp, too, and it sounds like you're now on board with that advice. Yay!

Two comments, just as background:

* The age-based formulas for estimating maximum heart rate are quite inaccurate for a surprisingly large fraction of the population. Age-based estimates are usually what your heart rate monitor or heart-rate-based fitness tracker is using to identify heart rate percentages or "zones" if you haven't told it anything different. If how you feel is giving you different feedback about intensity than a device's percentage of HR would suggest, trust how you feel.

* It's always good to check in with your doctor when starting a new exercise program, especially an intense or challenging one. If that's been done, and you've been medically cleared, seeing a high heart rate occasionally when working hard is fine, and normal. Sometimes people new to exercise think it's always bad or dangerous or ineffective to exceed a particular heart rate (or percentage). In particular, "max heart rate" is not a number you shouldn't exceed, it's a number you can't exceed (outside of medical crisis) - it's a measurement about maximum capacity.

If you're healthy, seeing a high heart rate occasionally should be fine. I wouldn't suggest trying to maximize your heart rate while exercising, even with medical approval, until you have a good base of fitness that you've created through the kind of lower-intensity exercise you're doing now. Slow and steady is the best way to start.

Silent_Soliloquy

Heart rate varies a lot person to person. It's better for establishing your own trends.

I'm a 35 male (average fitness) ... my 7 day resting HR average is 49.

I find with my heart rate at 175 i am very conversational, breathing at appropriate rhythm, and feel good. I sing to verses of songs. At 185 I start to feel the thump between my ears strongly

But those are the measures id recommend you aim for ... are you able to talk without huffing and puffing. Then find out what heart rate that is.

Heart rate is super useful, for showing changes and trends, but you need to know your own limits and baselines first.

dewd2

My advice is ignore heart rate. It *can* be useful for advanced training but you're not there yet (and I'm no longer convinced it is useful for any training, but that' for another topic ).

If you can sing while you are running, you are doing it right. If you can't catch your breath to sing, slow down. And if you sing as poorly as me, apologize in advance (then do it anyway ).*

Good luck.

*You don't really have to sing but make sure you are going slow enough that you could if you wanted to.

emmamcgarity

I’m in the “slow down” camp as well. FWIW I just started c25k one week ago. Prior to that I built up to consistently walking 60+ minutes per day and increasing my pace over time. I am over 50 and felt I needed a good fitness baseline before attempting this program. I am continuing walks on my rest days from c25k and all is going well so far.

OldAssDude

luckycleo777 wrote: »

(Disclaimer - I feel absolutely stupid asking this, but I don't know much about running. I searched the boards for similar questions and didn't find anything.)
After doing incline walking on my treadmill for 6 weeks or so, keeping my heart rate around 140bpm for 30min+, I decided I wanted to start running (on the street, not on the treadmill). I've seen the couch to 5k programs that suggest 1 minute running, 1 minute walking. Well, I can't jog for 1 minute. It's very sad, haha. I jogged/walked for 1.3 miles, it took me 18 minutes, I got very out of breath. I checked my apple watch afterwards and it said while I was jogging, my heart rate peaked in the high 170's several times during my running bits (I think this is accurate, considering how winded I was.) It got down to 140s during my 'recovery' walking periods.
I am a 35yo female with no health issues.

Is it dangerous for me to continue this intensity of exercise?

If you do not have an underlying heart condition, then no. It is good to push your heart rate once you have a good enough aerobic base to do so.

About 4 years ago I had a stress test done that did not turn out good, so they did a catheterization. It revealed that I had a heart attack at some point. I did cardio (mainly power walking) for a couple years and kept my HR in zone 5 a lot. After that I had another test done, and my heart was healthy and strong. The cardiologist told me that my heart had actually healed itself from the heart attack, and that it was probably do to the intense cardio that I had been doing for those 2 years.

I know that no one here can give me medical advice, would just like to hear stories of when people got started running, because I know everyone starts somewhere. I also feel like that if I didn't have my heart rate monitor I wouldn't be freaking out as much, because it's normal to get winded running.
Thanks in advance! Please be nice! I have pretty serious health anxiety that I am struggling to manage.

I agree 100% with slowing way down, but I am also a believer in heart rate training in conjunction with perceived exertion. There may be variations in heart rate due to several factors, and there may also be variations in how you perceive things during a workout. Using HR and PE together would "IMO" give a better picture.

Yes heart rate training is good for advanced athletes who want to target specific heart rates to train in for specific reasons to maximize performance, but it is also very useful for general fitness development and progress.

For example, a high level ultra runner may not only target a HR zone, but will target a specific heart rate, or a sub zone. They would know exactly what their VO2max, lactate threshold, and max heart rates are, and set their zones/sub zones up specifically. They also may use perceived exertion as well.

It is also true that many advanced athletes do not use HR training and just go by perceived exertion. They already know they have an elite VO2max, and don't really need to be bothered with HR.

But for average people who just want to get in shape it can be an extremely useful tool to not only build an aerobic base and insure that you are getting a training effect, but to measure a history of progress over time.

The basic rule of thumb for getting a training effect (improving cardio fitness level) is...

a minimum of 20 minutes in the cardio zone + a minimum of 3 times per week = a minimum training effect

If you want a better training effect you can increase the time and/or frequency.

In your case I would recommend doing longer sessions run/walk, but slow the run part to a more comfortable run pace, and do the recovery (walk) at a pace that still keeps you in the cardio zone. Aim for 30 minutes, 4 times per week if you can, and gradually increase the run interval distance as you feel you can.

Your device probably uses the 220 - age formula for max heart rate, so in your case it would be 220 - 35 = 185. I would leave that as is now until you get to the point that you can actually do a test to get your true max heart rate.

Over time you will notice that your breathing gets easier at higher heart rates, and you will also perceive it as easier at higher heart rates. This is an indication that you are doing it right because you are getting a training effect. Your resting heart rate should start getting lower over time as well.

Record every workout so you can see your progress over time.

Also people mention running at a pace that you can sing. Another way is to breath only through your nose for a minute. If it is difficult to do that, slow down.

Hope this is helpful.

savithny

In playing around on the treadmill with speeds and paces, I've realized that to be able to "jog" for 30-90 seconds (the start of the Couch to 5K program, or similar), I need to slow down to between 4 and 5 mph. THat's not my "natural" pace when I think "Now I am going to RUN," but its a pace that is sustainable for longer distances.

luckycleo777

This post is a month old now, but I wanted to update! (I am the original poster but it wouldn't let me update my post.)

I followed everyone's (very good!) advice and slowed down! To do this I had to switch to the treadmill. I've been doing interval run/walks (jogging/walks really) every other day, and just walking on the rest of the days. A few days ago I realized that walking is very boring and doesn't get my heart rate up anymore, and I wanted to jog some on my walk days. Today I jogged 1.5 miles without taking a walk break... success!

Thanks again to everyone who commented and encouraged me!

garystrickland357

I'll chime in - go a little slower than @duckpuddle suggested... Running and getting faster are counter intuitive. You get faster in the beginning by going slower. You have nothing to prove - remember you're trying to gain fitness and health not win the Olympics. A very serious goal is to make sure you stay healthy and avoid injury as your body adapts to the rigors of running. This adaptation takes many months for your skeletal system and connective tissues. Your cardiovascular and respiratory system adapt much more quickly.
So enjoy the process. It doesn't need to hurt. Go slowly and enjoy the springtime air. Soon enough you'll be going much faster.

AnnPT77

luckycleo777 wrote: »

This post is a month old now, but I wanted to update! (I am the original poster but it wouldn't let me update my post.)

I followed everyone's (very good!) advice and slowed down! To do this I had to switch to the treadmill. I've been doing interval run/walks (jogging/walks really) every other day, and just walking on the rest of the days. A few days ago I realized that walking is very boring and doesn't get my heart rate up anymore, and I wanted to jog some on my walk days. Today I jogged 1.5 miles without taking a walk break... success!

Thanks again to everyone who commented and encouraged me!

Hooray! I love it when someone comes back and reports what they did, and how things came out, after getting advice on a thread.

So, thanks . . . and congratulations! :flowerforyou:

Jen788134

Well done! Keep up the good work 👍 Sounds like you’re enjoying the buzz 😀

sarabushby

Super news! Well done.
So great to hear.

Now you’re getting addicted, I saw someone post another great piece of advice... not to try to race a 5k/get a PB until you can run/jog 10k. Man I wish some wise person had told me that!

I started my running completely wrong, always running 5ks and trying to get better times. It took so long for me to be able to complete the 5k without a walking break in it even though I was getting my times down, but so counter productive. I wish I’d built that endurance base first and then worked on getting quicker, it’s a lot easier than every race being like a max effort interval session!

Girlheidi

Well done!!!

I'm on week 8 of couch 25k and "run" at 4.6 mph. It works for me but my OH thinks I'm very slow, 😁

dewd2

luckycleo777 wrote: »

This post is a month old now, but I wanted to update! (I am the original poster but it wouldn't let me update my post.)

I followed everyone's (very good!) advice and slowed down! To do this I had to switch to the treadmill. I've been doing interval run/walks (jogging/walks really) every other day, and just walking on the rest of the days. A few days ago I realized that walking is very boring and doesn't get my heart rate up anymore, and I wanted to jog some on my walk days. Today I jogged 1.5 miles without taking a walk break... success!

Thanks again to everyone who commented and encouraged me!

I'll say 'good job' but this focus on the HR is not necessary. I sometimes run 20 miles and try really hard to NOT get my HR up. That doesn't mean the 20 miles didn't kick my *kitten*. It just means I wasn't pushing it (and there was no reason to care).

Keep it simple and enjoy yourself. Good luck.