Advice on running Heart Rate

Reevsie123

Hi folks,
Been on my journey for 14 months I have reached target weight of 144 lbs I am 50 years old & 5"8
I have been running regulary 2x 3.5 miles per week & 2x 7.75 miles I also do x3 30 min free weight sessions. Now to my question -
Today I completed my 7.75 in 1 hr 8 mins which for me is my best time yet I use endomondo synced to a Polar H7 when looking back at my run today my average heart rate was 165. I left a bit out there and at 70 degrees thought it was prudent not to push too hard. I felt fine both during and following my run. My at rest HR is 48-52. Endomondo states I was running at maximum for most of the run.
Am I safe to continue to train at this level or do I need to slow everything down a bit (don't really want to) I feel I am now a runner rather than a jogger and I am quite proud that my 25 year old son can't keep up with me. I know most time the advice is go with how you feel, I just want to make sure I am not going to keel over in the middle of my run!
Thanks in anticipation of all your advice
Reevsie

TAsunder

I find that my apps always claim I am in the max heart rate zone when clearly I am not. If you were actually in your max zone, you wouldn't be able to hold it for an hour most likely. I suspect your max HR is just higher than the app thinks it is.

alexkirkp

It sounds like you are in quite good shape, so you really don't need to worry at all about getting your heart rate up from a safety stand point. If you are worried though you can always go have a stress test done, you will have lead hooked up and then run on a treadmill and they will look for any irregularities.

Seeing as you can maintain that high of a heart rate for that long, your max heart rate is probably a fair bit higher than the typical person your age. This isn't good or bad for you, it just is how you are. If you want it to give you more accurate HR zones, then you can test what your max HR is and enter that. There are plenty of guides on the internet for this test, but basically you will warm up, then do 1-2 runs of 2-3 minutes going just a bit shy of as hard as you could for them and then one last 1.5-3 minute run going as hard as you can possibly go for that time.

kshadows

My HR normally averages about 160-165. It used to be closer to 175 so I'm counting this as an improvement. The traditional "max heart rate" calculation really isn't accurate for most people.

BrianSharpe

As kshadows pointed out the MaxHR many HRMs is really your maxHR (it's based on 220-your age). Run on perceived effort, most of your runs should be at a pace at which you can speak in full sentences. If you're feeling relaxed and, as you say "left a bit out there" you're probably fine.

If you really want to know what you MaxHR is or you're concerned about your heart rate you can do a stress test (best option but may not be covered by your insurance unless ordered by a Dr)

bwogilvie

According to the 220-age formula (which is based on almost no research), my max HR should be 174 (I'm 46). According to the somewhat more realistic formula of Tanaka, Monahan, and Seals, 208 − (0.7 × age), it should be 176. Instead, the last time I tested it, it was 192. (That was a few years ago, so it may have declined.) I figure that my lactate threshold right now is around 163-165, though it's time to do another test.

I just got back into running after taking a couple months off due to an injury, so I might have lost a little running fitness, but on my run today I was going at about 8:00 pace during the running bits (I'm easing back in), with a heart rate in the low 160s. I could talk, but not in complete sentences, suggesting I was around threshold.

The talk test is probably a better guide to training than the HR zones on Endomondo, unless you have done a stress test to know your true maximum HR:
http://sweatscience.com/the-talk-test-vs-lactate-and-ventilatory-thresholds/

jturnerx

The Tanaka, Monahan, and Seals formula is new to me. The closest thing I've done to a stress test was a 2 mile time trial back in 2010. It was downright awful and a pain cave I haven't visited since. I was 47 at the time and my heart rate peaked at 177 a little over 10 minutes in and stayed at 175-176 for the duration. I had absolutely nothing left in the tank and could only lie on the ground like a fish gasping for air when it was over. The Tanaka formula put me at 175 so that's surprisingly close.

OP, based on your description of how you felt during your run I'd speculate that you were no where near your true max heart rate. Carry on, you're fine.

hermann341

That seems a little high for a 50 year old running an 8:45 pace (as a 50 yr old with 3 yrs of running, my last 10k was 49:05 with about a 152 heartrate)., but it's more about how you feel, than what your equipment tells you. There's a lot of variation in heartrates, so if you feel fine, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

wonderwoman234

I would not worry at all. About 10 years ago I did some research on target heart rates and how they were developed. Turns out that cardiologists developed them using patients who had heart problems, so the target heart rate charts we all seem to follow are based on averages for people who had heart conditions. Seems pretty whacked to me, but there are a lot of medical/health practices that are widely accepted that are outdated or inaccurate.

I am almost 47 and I usually work out in the 165 range and feel fine. I've gotten as high as 185 when I was running in my 30's (on hills) and that was also considered close to my max at the time. Perceived exertion seems like a much more accurate method. Also, like you, my resting heart rate is around 50.

DopeItUp

You will be just fine.

Reevsie123

Thanks everybody, excellent advice (as usual)
Guess the way is to have a conversation with myself whilst running to ensure I can string sentences together, should be interesting for passers by, especially as I have my music on loud - once again thanks for the advice
Reevsie