New runner, heartrate ?'s

vlc1979

heart rate I mean

So I did a different 8 week program but it got a little derailed half way through so I never got up over 2-3 min runs w/ 1 min. walks. So 2 weeks ago I started C25K week 4. On Friday I did the 10 run 5 walk 10 run and by the end my HR was at 193.

According to the age thing my max should be 188.

When will this start getting better? I am running slow, if it were for the whole mile I am thinking probably around a 11.5-12 mile. I don't see how I can go much slower.

Any tips/pointers?

mrivera713

I'm a new runner, but I think we need to focus on our breathing techniques to keep our heart at a healthy rate. I'm not sure if you are already mindful of that... And I'm only starting Week 2 this week.

If this is a "DUH" answer, I'm sorry, like I said, I'm new to running. And I'm going at a VERY slow pace. But Good Luck! :flowerforyou:

techymum

If it makes you feel any better, I have found right now that the best rate for me when jogging is a pace of 13.5 - so that is one mile in 13.5 minutes! I am pretty sure that many people walk faster than that ;-)

It was only when I slowed down to that rate, however, that I could move forward on the minutes jogged. I am now at 7 min jog/3 min walk for around 5k.

Good luck - I am sure we are headed in the right direction!

0uTc4sT

Everyone has a different max heart rate. I remember reading an article about this. Some people have high heart rates and others have low. The only way to really find your max is to sprint and really work and see where it tops out.. then you can take it from there.

SueInAz

I run/walk in intervals, usually 3 running, one walking. My max HR is supposed to be around 175 and I find that I'm consistently in the low-mid 170s while jogging at around 5.5 - 6 MPH. During my walking intervals, it'll drop about 15-20 BPM by the end of the minute. I started jogging in April.

0uTc4sT

I just found it again.. Here ya go. good stuff:

1: That's why if you're going to use MHR to determine training zones, you have to have an accurate number for your own MHR. This is from the NYT article I linked to in #7 above:

Dr. Fritz Hagerman, an exercise physiologist at Ohio University, said he had learned from more than three decades of studying world class rowers that the whole idea of a formula to predict an individual's maximumheart rate was ludicrous. Even sillier, he said, is the common notion that the heart rate is an indication of fitness.

Some people get blood to their muscles by pushing out large amounts every time their hearts contract, he said. Others accomplish the same thing by contracting their hearts at fast rates. As a result, Dr. Hagerman said, he has seen Olympic rowers in their 20's with maximum heart rates of 220. And he has seen others on the same team and with the same ability, but who get blood to their tissues by pumping hard, with maximum rates of just 160.

"The heart rate is probably the least important variable in comparing athletes," Dr. Hagerman said.


2: Here are a couple I came up with quickly, but if you do any reading on the subject, I'm sure this will be confirmed.

This is from Sally Edwards website:
Your maximum heart rate (Max HR) is a specific number, the maximum number of contractions per minute that your heart can make. There are a number of basic facts about Max HR that we need for reference:

. Max HR is genetically determined; in other words, you're born with it.
. Max HR is a biomarker, it's your individual number.
. Max HR does not reflect your level of fitness
. Max HR is a fixed number, unless you become unfit.
. Max HR cannot be increased by training.
. Max HRs that are high do not predict better athletic performance.
. Max HRs that are low do not predict worse athletic performance.


This is from a more scholarly source, an article about MHR in the Journal of Exercise Physiology:
Heart rate is arguably a very easy cardiovascular measurement, especially in comparison to the invasive or
noninvasive procedures used to estimate stroke volume and cardiac output. Consequently, measurement of
heart rate is routinely used to assess the response of the heart to exercise, or the recovery from exercise, as well
as to prescribe exercise intensities (3). Given that the increase in heart rate during incremental exercise mirrors
the increase in cardiac output, maximal heart rate is often interpreted as the upper ceiling for an increase in
central cardiovascular function. Indeed, research for the last 100 years has demonstrated that heart rate does in
fact have a maximal value (4); one that cannot be surpassed despite continued increases in exercise intensity or
training adaptations.

Chastityx

You need to start with your resting heart rate, mine is 155 and my mom's is 54, both extremes for a normal rate. then go from there.

CarolynB38

^^ That's pretty much what I was going to say but with loads of extra info. There are so many different formulae for calculating MHR that they can't all be right. Everyone is different. I use mine as a guide but if I feel ok running with a higher HR than my calculated training zone then I just go for it. I listen to my body rather than my HRM. I mainly wear my HRM to see my progress rather than for training purposes.

ATT949

heart rate I mean

So I did a different 8 week program but it got a little derailed half way through so I never got up over 2-3 min runs w/ 1 min. walks. So 2 weeks ago I started C25K week 4. On Friday I did the 10 run 5 walk 10 run and by the end my HR was at 193.

According to the age thing my max should be 188.

When will this start getting better? I am running slow, if it were for the whole mile I am thinking probably around a 11.5-12 mile. I don't see how I can go much slower.

Any tips/pointers?

Here's my understanding of the questions in what you've written:
1 - When will this start getting better?
2 - Any tips/pointers?

1 - Things are getting better already. One, you're losing weight and, second, you're exercising. That's excellent!
OK, when will your heart rate start getting better? It is.
The guideline of "3 sessions of per week where your heart rate is elevated for at least 20 minutes" is a (poorly) paraphrased version of what is recommended to improve your cardiovascular system.

As I've lost weight (December 2010 to July 2011), my BP dropped so much that I stopped taking BP meds. I've been running for nine weeks now and drop in HR during exertion and the drop in resting HR have been significant.



Your max HR seems to be in question but you can figure it out yourself.

Based on what I've read over the years (going back to the 1970's) an individual's max HR is hard wired. You can train all you want but you have a max HR as an infant and it drops pretty steadily after that.

If you want to determine your max HR, you can do it by getting a stress EKG or, per Runner's World's "Road Racing" book, get on a track, warm up for a few laps, and then start running "at a pace which you really, really want to stop running" and check your HR. If you're gasping for air and you think your heart couldn't possibly go any faster then you've probably hit max HR.

2 - Tips and pointers about…?

vlc1979

Dumb question: Once I hit my max heart rate it won't go any higher??

fromnebraska

I think heart rates can vary...I know one time I was working out at the gym with a friend and we compared heart rates. Mine was 177 and his was 133, but we were both working out at a conversational pace. I think what is more important than heart rate is how you feel on your run. If you're completely exhausted then you're probably working too hard and should slow down. I know when I started running I was running WAY too fast, but by slowing my pace down significantly I was able to run the intervals for the specified time.

Keep running. It will get better!