Running?

elsham · July 2011

Hi all! (EDIT: sorry, this came out really long...)

I recently invested in a heart rate monitor and wore it while going out running. Before, I ballparked 10-12 calories/minute and mfp gave me around 600-700 calories burned for about an hour. According to my HRM, my brisk walking heart rate jumped to around 125-130 from a resting of 62 and then to 175-180 while running, which is where it stayed for the entire 60 or so minutes. At the end, it said I had burned over 1300 calories. I want to know if...

1- This is reasonable? That's a lot of calories for an hour of running (ranging 11-12 minute miles)! I read that a reasonable estimate is about 100 calories/mile, which should give me about 600 or so calories...
2- I read about v02max and max heart rates and all, but is it bad for my heart rate to stay up there for an extended period of time? It also takes about 15 minutes to go back down to a 130 range (while slowly walking), which seems like a while to me, but maybe it's normal? I feel totally fine at the end, though, and get a high that pretty much lasts all day (which I LOVE!)
3- I know this has been asked a badgillion times and there's a whole debate and yadda yadda yadda, but should I eat that back? I used to not eat back calories until I plateaued and then started to and it's been fine, but that's a lot of calories! I'm much less concerned about eating/not eating for weight loss and much more concerned about properly fueling my body though, as I read somewhere that runners don't eat right and it's detrimental to them in the long run. What do you say?
4- Is this too much? I'll run 3 times a week with a day of weights in between each run day, and one day of total rest or very light exercise. Recently it's been really hot, so I've been doing Turbofire and Insanity at home instead of going out, which also gives a large burn but not nearly as much as the running. What do you guys think?

I've searched the forums and various websites, but didn't quite find what I was looking for. As always, you guys are awesome, and thanks in advance for any answers!

Brooke1542 · July 2011

Bump.

I had the same type of results with my HRM, and was wondering the same thing. Curious to know what people say.

angelaclev · July 2011

BUMP

slackeyj · July 2011

You may be slightly higher than the 100/ cal per mile depending on your weight/distance/and intervals but if you were doing a steady run for on hour its probably giving you a little too much. My heart rate has always been high, even when I was a hard core athlete so my spikes are fast but my resting heart rate remains low. Personally, I would count it closer to the 700 calories than the 1300 but listen to your body. If you are running sprints or hills or intervals it could get up to 1300 in an hour, that is not unreasonable. I don't know if that explaination helped any. There are some useful articles on www.runnersworld.com if you haven't checked that out before.

k8edge · July 2011

Bump

bonjour24 · July 2011

i wear hrm and i go running.
when i'm running i can pretty much guarantee that my hr will be between 155-168. and i burn pretty much bang on 100 cals every 10 mins.
but......... i'm still heavy and a slow runner. there's people on here who run 6 and 7 min miles and burn 1500 cals in 90 mins running up hills and doing switchbacks and all that jazz (i just move forward at 1 pace!!), so i think you sound like you're in a more athletic category than i am.
and if your hrm says that is what you do, then i'd go with it and think that's what you do!

as for eating back the cals, if there's 1500 extra cals to eat back i find that hard to do healthily. i say eat back half or more. but deffo eat back some or most if you can. i know it can be difficult for me trying to eat back the best part of 600 cals!

800metertroll · July 2011

It really depends on your weight how much calories you burn. I would say that since you put a woman on your picture, you are a woman, and therefore do not weigh enough to burn 1300 calories an hour. The HRM may just be using an average weight of 200lbs or something. Definatetly not 1300 at a 11 minute mile. But if you went for an hour, your burn will be above 600 at least. If your are trying to lose weight, do not eat all of those calories back, because your must burn more calories than you eat to lose.

UltraRunnerGale · July 2011

Most people burn about 100 calories per mile, whether you run fast or slow (it's the whole time vs. distance thing). The slower you are the longer you are running, the faster you are the shorter your run will be. That number can vary some depending on your weight and such but it's a good ballpark number for road running. Now, when I'm trail running, it's different. We do lots of hills and crazy terrain. Then, I'll burn higher numbers. Not sure why your HRM is giving you such high readings.

I eat part of my exercise calories as I am hungrier the more I run. It just gives me more "wiggle" room. :drinker:

jessbennett1986 · July 2011

I would say that your HRM is not accurate. I would plug in your hour of running at 11 min a mile into MFP and go by how many calories it tells you that you burned. That way you know that you are not overestimating as this can affect your results. Also, listen to your body to know if you are in the right heart rate range. When I run, I run at about 11 min\mile pace and am not so out of my heart range that I cannot say hi to all of the other people running, biking ect. It is good that you are walking also because cooling down is very important. If you feel like what you are doing is right and you are not feeling like you are passing out or anything then I would go by your instincts instead of some technology. Do you have a smart phone? I use the free jogstats application on my phone to track my progress and have found it pretty accurate in calories burned. It is also good as it tracks how fast you go and maps your route to determine how far through GPS. Just a suggestion. I bought an iphone arm band and just put my phone in there as there isn't an arm band that comes with my phone. That way if I ever need help I can call someone, as well as have music to help motivate me. If you need any help or motivation friend me! I would love to have another person to help me out too! Good luck on your running!

mrrodriguez · July 2011

It sounds like you are in pretty good shape, young and not too heavy. I am sure you can find some good max HR tables on runners world com or similar site. Not to introduce more questions for you than answers, check out your new HRM. I was really puzzled with weird numbers I was getting on my old dependable HRM. I had accepted that I justdidn't burn calories like I used to with very low pulse (45) and very low total calories. Since I take HBP medication I thought I had better check with my Dr. because I've lost some weight, and maybe I needed to change my meds. Then I went to the gym wearing my HRM and the machine I was on gave me numbers that matched with my perceived exertion. I posted on the forums here about it.

I pulled out another HRM that was simple, but still in the box. Iopened it up and when I worked out my numbers were right where I thought they should be. I was burning more calories than I was logging to MFP because of this. I then thought I would do an experiment and used my new chest strap transmitter with the new HRM on my left wrist, and my old one on the right. It was just like I thought. The difference between the two was huge! I then decided to send the old HRM and chest strap back to Polar for new battery, cleaning etc. My new HRM is more consistent with my perceived exertion, and agrees with the machine I was on. No one on the forums had a HRM that gave them consistently low numbers, but many mentioned keeping the HRM clean and with a good fit. I had to admit to myself that I needed to take better care of my HRM.

I also had a blood pressure cuff in my medicine cabinet, and the pulse on it agreed with my current HRM. So, at least rule out a dysfunction on your HRM somehow.

amsparky · July 2011

bump - curious to see responses

Athena413 · July 2011

I wogged (walk/jogged) 5 miles on Sunday and it took me about 82 minutes (I'm slow) and my HRM said 1650 calories burned. I weigh just under 250, but usually see high calorie burns in a fairly short amount of time. My HRM almost ALWAYS reads more than what MFP says I burn. I also try to eat back at least some of my calories, trying to always NET 1200 in a day. Check the settings on your HRM just to make sure you entered your height, weight, etc...correctly, and if that's all in there, then I say happy burning to you!

What brand is your HRM? Does it have a chest strap? Those 2 things can make a significant difference in accuracy. If it doesn't have a chest strap, you wasted your money. If it's a crappo brand, you wasted your money. With HRM's, you get what you pay for.

elsham · July 2011

I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one wondering this.

There are some hills involved where I’m running, but nothing too major, just a bit of an incline.

It is difficult trying to eat back calories healthily, right?! I usually try with peanut butter and nuts chopped over whatever I’m eating, and it makes it easier.

Yes, I am a girl. I’m 5’8 and currently 147, which is what I put in my HRM when I first got it, but that is an idea. I’ll double check that this is correct tomorrow.

Lol, I refuse to buy a smart phone but it sounds useful what with all these apps out for everything now. I’ll make do without one though. The path I run is marked by quarter miles so I use those as general checkpoints. And I’d love a motivation buddy, add away!

HRM is pretty good and clean b/c I just bought it, but it's totally possible I got a lemon. I’ll see if I can dig one up from someone and compare.

I have the Polar FT4. It has a chest strap and it got good reviews, and I’m hoping I got what I paid for b/c I definitely splurged buying it! By the way, I love the cha-cha quote in your signature.

Thanks for the all the responses! This was a big help!

joehempel · July 2011

Unless you are running at like 6 minutes a mile, it's not accurate.

AT 5'8 and 147lbs, you will burn about 580 calories at a 9 minute mile pace, which is a pretty decent clip.

I did a 4 mile run today and burned about 520-560, and I'm 5'9" and 198lbs. And that's at around a 12 minute mile.

Generally if you walk quickly you'll burn around 100 calories a mile.

Athena413 · July 2011

I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one wondering this.

There are some hills involved where I’m running, but nothing too major, just a bit of an incline.

It is difficult trying to eat back calories healthily, right?! I usually try with peanut butter and nuts chopped over whatever I’m eating, and it makes it easier.

Yes, I am a girl. I’m 5’8 and currently 147, which is what I put in my HRM when I first got it, but that is an idea. I’ll double check that this is correct tomorrow.

Lol, I refuse to buy a smart phone but it sounds useful what with all these apps out for everything now. I’ll make do without one though. The path I run is marked by quarter miles so I use those as general checkpoints. And I’d love a motivation buddy, add away!

HRM is pretty good and clean b/c I just bought it, but it's totally possible I got a lemon. I’ll see if I can dig one up from someone and compare.

I have the Polar FT4. It has a chest strap and it got good reviews, and I’m hoping I got what I paid for b/c I definitely splurged buying it! By the way, I love the cha-cha quote in your signature.

Thanks for the all the responses! This was a big help!

Glad you like my quote.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Polar FT4, so I think you're good. Some people just burn more. I am a high burner and am astounded sometimes with the numbers my Garmin gives me, but I log it into MFP and don't use their calculations and I have consistently lost weight...except for the 5 weeks where my weight didn't budge, but after talking with my wellness coach, I believe it's because I wasn't eating enough. As soon as I started eating back enough exercise calories to net 1,200/day, I started losing again.

bexdc · July 2011

1- You burn 90-100 cals for every mile. It's on the lower end if you're running slowly, and around 100 if you're working pretty hard.
2- Most of the traditional wisdom on heart rates is based on bad research. Figure out your max heart rate (e.g. running a 10K as fast as you can with your HRM -- there's a strategy to this so let me know if you're interested and I can tell you more)
3- Yes, you can eat the extra calories you get from exercise. Your body needs the fuel for better recovery.
4- You're not running too much at all. Three times a week is perfect for the beginning runner. I run six days a week, along with cross-training, weights and plyometrics.

sara_m83 · July 2011

I'm concerned that it takes you 15 minutes for your heart rate to drop from 170 to 135. While your HRM may not be doing an accurate calculation, it is likely giving you an accurate reading and this is something you should keep your eye on. Seems like a long recovery period IMO.

Usually, when I am on a regular run, my heart rate will be between 155-170bpm. I just completed a half marathon during which my average heart rate was 176bpm (2:08). I would be concerned by how high this was if it weren't for the fact that within 30 seconds of going from a run to a walk, my heart rate drops to about 150, and within 5 minutes of walking/stretching, it is below 115-120. More important than the actual bpm you're sustaining is how quickly your heart rate recovers. Keep an eye on this.

Running?

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