Technical Heart Rate Question

ooOOooGravy

Ok im after some sports scientists or someone with good knowledge to put my mind at rest or panic me?

For my age, my Max Heart Rate (MHR) is ment to be 195.
On my recent Park Run my MHR hit 199 on the sprint finish! And averaged 184.
I regulaly run with a Average Heart Rate (AHR) of 165 to 172.
and my recovery runs at a AHR of about 155 to 158.

Question is, am i going to die doing this 4 to 5 times aweek.

Most websites i read say NEVER exceed 85% of MHR, and 80% of runs should be done at 60% of MHR.

If i did that my run pace would be slower than my walking one!

just for notes, i can hold the ARH of 165 to 172 for about an hour without feeling anything.

and my recovery AHR i could do forever, i feel like.

Problem is, the lower AHR is 13 minute miles and higher AHR is 11 to 11.5 minute miles pace, so im not exactly fast! What should i be doing? Im ever so confused and worried that my heart is going to pop out my chest! lol I want to get faster and not do damage to my heart!

RAFValentina

Simple answer ... NO... will reply further in a sec.

RAFValentina

Right, so you sometimes go up to 199 ... Your heart is beating fast and you're not collapsing or feeling ill effects.

Training benefits may go out of the window a bit if you do go up to that high, because you can only sustain it for short periods of time. However, athletes REGULARLY run at their Max HR aerobically. After a short time, you're more than likely to star going anaerobic and naturally slowing down.

My training heart rate range is between 116 (50%) and 191 (197 is my max)

Training between 116 and 131 is counted a slight exercise for me,
131-146, weight management/fat burn
146-161 Aerobic Base building
161-176 Optimal Conditioning
176-191 Elite athlete.

Now, you say you reached 199 on a sprint finish and averaged 184... so basically you were training in terms of your current CV fitness Very hard but as was a sprint finish, you were working at 199 for a very short period of time which is NOT harmful.

I sometimes when really going for it will do a sprint interval and my heart rate will be up at 190 or so.

However, as you get fitter, you'll probably feel things getting easier for the same workout (distance and speed) as you get fitter and your HR will naturally be a bit lower. Your RHR will probably also drop.

For example, I started running 5 times a week initially and my heart rate was REGULARLY up at 176 or so for a 10.8KPH pace. However, for the same pace, a few weeks later, I found that my HR during training was around the 163 mark and the 10.8KPH pace didn't feel quite so hard. This is where I upped the speed and once again the HR went up and a few weeks later it was down again... I was getting fitter. My RHR also dropped from about 62BPM to about 42BPM in about 9 weeks of long distance running and cross training.

So, workout hard so long as you have no other medical reason not to (irregular heart rhythm, diabetes, asthma, injuries etc) and reap the benefits... and watch as your HR drops!

PS... your eqp.t for measuring your HR may also be a little out/inaccurate! )

RAFValentina

My second post seems to have disappeared! Spent ages writing it up too!

Basically, as you get fitter you'll get faster or for the same speed your heart rate WILL drop... trust me...

Keep at what you're doing. Long workouts for endurance at the heart rates you're working at are great for aerobic base building (stamina without going in to anaerobic) and also in some ways better for you as you're not tearing up your muscles quite so hard and flooding them with lots of lactic acid!

Your 199 HR is nothing to worry about (you have no medical issues right?)... you were doing a sprint finish and your heart can take that. Hell, Athletes work at their Max HR longer than that! ... but they train for it. You can't work at your MHR for long aerobically though so soon will go into anaerobic and then you'll probably feel fatigued, naturally slow down as will your HR.

Funnily enough, we were discussing this last week with the PTIs just before our fitness test!

meli_medina

I can't really tell you whether or not to be in a panic, since I'm not a doctor, but I can tell you that I run at an average HR of 172-177 bpm. I've run this at a 12min mile and at a 9min mile. (I've gotten faster since I started, obviously.) I've been doing this since I started running, and probably longer because I've never really monitored my heart rate. My maximum should be 189, and I'm typically hitting 188 and 190 on the sprint and major uphill portions of my runs.

I did consult my doctor about this, and my heart is in good health, as is my pulmonary system, so while he doesn't necessarily recommend working out at that level 4-5 times per week, he said that as long as I'm not struggling to breathe during my runs or leaving my runs feeling overly tired or feeling ill in the middle of my runs, I should be OK. I can usually maintain a conversation during my runs (even my fastest ones), so as long as I follow that rule of thumb, he said he isn't going to worry about it.

Note that I had a full physical prior to beginning my fitness program and have checked in with him relatively often since I started (about two or three times since June). Part of the physical was a full blood panel.

I think that if you're fairly worried, you should consult with your doctor, as s/he is the only person who can tell you whether or not your heart is capable of maintaining a higher heart rate for an extended period. Otherwise, remember the rule of thumb that you should be able to talk during your runs, as in full sentences without taking gasping breaths.

ooOOooGravy

Thank you so much for your replys! and 0779... your reply did come up after , i think MFP went into melt down for a second there as some of my replys on other threads disappeared and now returned!

On Park Runs each Saturday, its pretty much a race, so i really put my foot down, and im already getting after in the 4 weeks iv been (and it is the 3rd hardest in country apparently cos of how hilly it is) so im really happy with my progress.

Other days i try not to let my HR get anywhere near them levels unless i have a big hill to conquer feel better about things now, i think im going to get my actually Max and resting HR and see my doctor anyway, i should have done that before i guess

Thanks again all!

CateLouise

everyone is different and you shouldnt take it by your heart rate but by how your feeling
if you feel faint, or pain or anything like that then i would stop and get it looked at
but if you feel fine then dont worry about it
im a nursing student and have studied this a bit as well as asking my lecturers as i was concerned after i did cycling

work with whats good for you not someone else =D

theMightyAnt

From someone with a similar 'problem', thank you all for your responses and thanks for the question ;-)