Heart Rate Dropped

34at35

Went skiing Monday wearing my HRM and checked it right after boarding each lift for the ride back up. Did 14 runs and about 18000 vertical feet on roughly the same type of runs (blue groomers - no moguls). My rate after the first one was 118. I thought "yeah, gonna burn some serious calories today!".

However, each time I finished a run (pretty much non-stop top to bottom) my rate dropped a little.

By the time I did the last one my rate was down to 88 bpm.

Total time for the runs and lifts was 2 hrs 46 mins.

Anyone have any ideas why?

samseed101

Did you verify this by actually checking your pulse? 88 seems extremely low for the end of a non-stop run down a mountain, even on simple blue trails.

Edited to add: Then again, if you were going really easy and slow down the mountain i suppose it's possible. I'm just going by my own examples here. I know that by the time I'm down a mountain, I'm usually feeling it but that could be because I hit the trails hard and fast.

is it possible that as you were getting more fatigued that you were just lazily coming down the trails barely using any effort? Or were you aggressively hitting them?

MTGirl

Interesting. Maybe it was adrenelin (sp) that raised your rate to begin with? And as the day went on there was less "unknown" and so your body didn't respond as much? That's the only thing I can come up with, but I know next to nothing. LOL Maybe someone else has something to offer . . . Very interesting though. I really have to get an HRM sometime!

lulabellewoowoo

Interesting. Maybe it was adrenelin (sp) that raised your rate to begin with? And as the day went on there was less "unknown" and so your body didn't respond as much? That's the only thing I can come up with, but I know next to nothing. LOL Maybe someone else has something to offer . . . Very interesting though. I really have to get an HRM sometime!

I was thinking the same thing to. Your body wasn't as tense going down as you got used to the slopes and relaxed. Cool that you wore it though. Just curious, How many calories total did you burn?

34at35

Interesting. Maybe it was adrenelin (sp) that raised your rate to begin with? And as the day went on there was less "unknown" and so your body didn't respond as much? That's the only thing I can come up with, but I know next to nothing. LOL Maybe someone else has something to offer . . . Very interesting though. I really have to get an HRM sometime!

I was thinking the same thing to. Your body wasn't as tense going down as you got used to the slopes and relaxed. Cool that you wore it though. Just curious, How many calories total did you burn?

After the first hour I was just over 500 calories. I thought I was going to have a great day. But when I finished it was only a little over 1100. I was definitely NOT going slow! Was thinking that maybe it was because of that - I was making better turns as the day went on - Carving more rather than skidding. I've been skiing since 1972 and so I'm no novice. Can ski pretty much anything but as the knees have aged, am staying out of the bump runs a lot more.

We were skiing Copper Mountain, CO (www.coppercolorado.com) so if you've been there you'll have an idea. Mostly the Eagle and the Timberline chairs. No lift lines. Skied right into the chairs every time.

34at35

Interesting. Maybe it was adrenelin (sp) that raised your rate to begin with? And as the day went on there was less "unknown" and so your body didn't respond as much? That's the only thing I can come up with, but I know next to nothing. LOL Maybe someone else has something to offer . . . Very interesting though. I really have to get an HRM sometime!

There's no unknown factor for me on these trails. We have a condo right at the bottom of the lifts and ski Copper almost exclusively. Have a season pass too. You ought to try an HRM. They're definitely nice to have.

As for checking my pulse, no, I didn't at the time. But I did yesterday at my dr. appt. The nurse took it and said it was 70. My HRM said 71. So that's not it. I think the HRM is accurate.

samseed101

it may have been accurate when you had it checked while at rest in the doctor's office, but something may have been affecting it while on the slopes. Like I said, I could be completely wrong, but I would certainly think something is up if your heart rate is only at 88 after just finishing a ski run, especially if your resting heart rate when you had it checked was 71.

34at35

Any chance it might have been the air temp? Was only about 20 degrees. (Maybe the thing doesn't like the cold and figured I'd take it inside if it misbehaved! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Azdak

Any chance it might have been the air temp? Was only about 20 degrees. (Maybe the thing doesn't like the cold and figured I'd take it inside if it misbehaved! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I suspect it's nothing more than an increased mechanical efficiency as you warmed up and did your runs.

MTGirl

Any chance it might have been the air temp? Was only about 20 degrees. (Maybe the thing doesn't like the cold and figured I'd take it inside if it misbehaved! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I suspect it's nothing more than an increased mechanical efficiency as you warmed up and did your runs.

Huh. There you go. That's a logical answer! Plus, even though there is nothing "unknown", there is if you haven't been down the runs that day. You're body is going to react a little to that factor - not knowing how the slopes are exactly, the little jump you always get starting the first run of the day (or at least I did, LOL), etc. Sounds like a fantastic day though! I wish I could ski again - enjoy it

PanicAtTheBuffet

Wasn't that about the time the "Snow Bunnies" left the slopes to go warm-up in the lodge?

34at35

:

Wasn't that about the time the "Snow Bunnies" left the slopes to go warm-up in the lodge?

Well, we did quit about 3 pm. :laugh: The slopes were practically deserted the whole afternoon. Don't know about the morning cause we didn't start until about noon.

You know, had a nooner only sooner,

34at35

Any chance it might have been the air temp? Was only about 20 degrees. (Maybe the thing doesn't like the cold and figured I'd take it inside if it misbehaved! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I suspect it's nothing more than an increased mechanical efficiency as you warmed up and did your runs.

Huh. There you go. That's a logical answer! Plus, even though there is nothing "unknown", there is if you haven't been down the runs that day. You're body is going to react a little to that factor - not knowing how the slopes are exactly, the little jump you always get starting the first run of the day (or at least I did, LOL), etc. Sounds like a fantastic day though! I wish I could ski again - enjoy it

OK, I guess it takes a man to give a logical answer like mechancal efficiency! LOL! Thanks Azdak, that's what I thought. Better carving on the turns is more efficient than skidding them.

From my profile photos, here's an aerial shot of Copper. Breckenridge is in the foreground with Copper over the top of the 10 MIle Range in the background (On the top because its a better mountain! :laugh: ).