Running above max heart limit /FT4

The heart rate limit on there is really just a suggestion of about where it starts to not really be "worth it" to push yourself harder. so if your limit is 160 you won't see much more of a benefit in calories burned to push to 170.

However it could also be that you have a higher max heart rate. I think I might since my max heart rate should be around 200 for the formulas they give and I hit 191 during a harder c25k run last week.... If 200 was really my max I would think I would feel about ready to pass out at 191... no idea how to really tell for sure that my max is higher though.

I wish mine did this. Mine runs way low. I checked it vs my treadmill HRM. I did one mile as fast as I could, 6:38 pace (during long runs I am way slower like 8:30 pace so that is fast for me, LOL). I was sucking wind by the time I was done. Treadmill HRM had me in the low 200's and that felt about right, Polar FT4 had me in the mid 160's! No way! This has been a constant problem w/my HRM giving me low readings and I've set it correctly and wet the strap, etc. I really think those are just guidelines and have found I can go more by how I feel then what the HRM says.

I just started using a Polar FT4 yesterday. I've been easing myself back into running and today I ran about 3 miles and my FT4 was beeping like crazy because for much of the run I was above my heart rate zone limits. The thing is, I didn't feel overly winded or that I was doing too much too fast. I've been running for most of my life since I was 12 and I felt like I always do after not being out there on the road for awhile I was actually slowing myself down to get back in my" zone". How concerned should I be about staying in the limits? Also, how do I know if these limits are the right numbers for ME?

Basically these are questions for you to answer.
First, why are you training in your zones, and why do you have beepers set? Are you specifically doing zone training? What do you hope to accomplish from zone training? And will you miss your training goals if you turn off the alarms and just run?

Second, have you worked on actually figuring out your zones? HR Zones are not set in stone things - like state lines or 10 commandments. Everybody's bodies are different, so everybody will have different zones. Even people of the same age, size, etc will differ, sometimes wildly. Turning on your new HRM and thinking to yourself, "I'm zone training, baby!" loses this fact. You're going to have to put down the charts, turn off your HRM's plugged in zone system, and figure yourself out. Once you do that, then you can program your HRM to reflect YOU, vs/ reflecting some meaningless number programmed in at the factory. There are ways for figuring this out, that won't be fun or easy. You can find them online, or there are fitness companies that can help you with this.

I hope this helps. I'm not trying to flippant, or snobbish. Getting the hang of HRM's, and zones, and zone training, and all that other stuff can be a confusing intimidating pain in the tuckus. And sometimes, it's simply not worth the effort. (Although sometimes it is.) I wish you well figuring it all out, and deciding what's best for you.