Is 185 too high a heart rate while running?
May 17, 2021 4:18 PM Subscribe
I’ve been an off-and-on runner for the past 15 years. I use a very unambitious training schedule every time I start again, and I’ve gotten up to the 40 mile per week range without any injuries. This is probably my third time restarting, but this time I have an apple watch and I notice that my HR is always around 180 when I’m running.
I hope I’m overthinking this. I’m three weeks in and I feel exactly the same as I have during runs in the last 15 years of my life. I’m only doing run 10 min, walk 5 min, run 10 min, walk 5 min 4x per week. My HR goes up to 180 and stays there while I run and goes to 140-150 while I walk. I don’t feel nauseous or faint when I’m running. I feel really good! I don’t want to slow down because this is a comfortable pace for my body.
From what I’ve read my HR should be 140-150 when I’m running which seems impossible. I’m a 34 year old female. I’m 4’11”, 110 lbs. My resting HR is 92. Am I doing something wrong?
Also I’ve verified by checking my central pulse that this is accurate.
I hope I’m overthinking this. I’m three weeks in and I feel exactly the same as I have during runs in the last 15 years of my life. I’m only doing run 10 min, walk 5 min, run 10 min, walk 5 min 4x per week. My HR goes up to 180 and stays there while I run and goes to 140-150 while I walk. I don’t feel nauseous or faint when I’m running. I feel really good! I don’t want to slow down because this is a comfortable pace for my body.
From what I’ve read my HR should be 140-150 when I’m running which seems impossible. I’m a 34 year old female. I’m 4’11”, 110 lbs. My resting HR is 92. Am I doing something wrong?
Also I’ve verified by checking my central pulse that this is accurate.
There’s a ton of individual variation. I always have to adjust the heart rate zones up on any monitor I use (my heart rate tends to be more like yours, and my sister is the same way). If you feel good that’s a more important measure.
posted by mskyle at 4:26 PM on May 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by mskyle at 4:26 PM on May 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
+1 for the high heart rate club. You may want to do some experiments to find your aerobic/anaerobic threshold heart rates if you're interested in zone training, and if so I'd recommend a chest strap for measuring heart rate rather than just wrist, but all of that is totally optional. If you feel good, that's what counts.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 4:33 PM on May 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 4:33 PM on May 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
I made exactly this discovery about myself a year ago, when I got an electronic heart rate monitor for the first time. Resting heart rate in the low 90s. When I got on the bicycle and rode so that it “felt like exercise,” I was pegging above 180. I decided not to worry about it.
As an experiment, though, I added some treadmill time where I used the motor to keep myself in the “recommended” target range of 140–150. (Some treadmills at my gym have a mode where they’ll feed back on the heart rate, moving the belt faster or slower to keep you in the zone.) I found those workouts boring as anything, because I always wanted to be doing more than I was, but I found that I felt better an hour after one of those moderate workouts than I did after a vigorous bike ride.
Doing this for a year, my resting heart rate is down in the low 70s, and my target-range treadmill activities are much more satisfying than they were when I started: I’m able to do more and still call it “moderate” exertion. I’m on the bicycle much less recently for other life-change reasons, so I haven’t looked at heart rate data there recently, but I think that adding some intentionally-moderate cardio exercise to my routine has been a good decision for a bunch of reasons.
[I’m not a doctor or an exercise expert; I’m just a guy who realized that he’s probably started the second half of his life already.]
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 4:53 PM on May 17, 2021 [7 favorites]
As an experiment, though, I added some treadmill time where I used the motor to keep myself in the “recommended” target range of 140–150. (Some treadmills at my gym have a mode where they’ll feed back on the heart rate, moving the belt faster or slower to keep you in the zone.) I found those workouts boring as anything, because I always wanted to be doing more than I was, but I found that I felt better an hour after one of those moderate workouts than I did after a vigorous bike ride.
Doing this for a year, my resting heart rate is down in the low 70s, and my target-range treadmill activities are much more satisfying than they were when I started: I’m able to do more and still call it “moderate” exertion. I’m on the bicycle much less recently for other life-change reasons, so I haven’t looked at heart rate data there recently, but I think that adding some intentionally-moderate cardio exercise to my routine has been a good decision for a bunch of reasons.
[I’m not a doctor or an exercise expert; I’m just a guy who realized that he’s probably started the second half of his life already.]
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 4:53 PM on May 17, 2021 [7 favorites]
Your run/walk process may be clouding the idea of a running heart rate. Most running advice is for people who are running at the exact same pace/effort for much longer than ten minutes, a steady-state kind of run. Over the years you can train yourself for a longer duration of high-intensity exercise.
I would say it's fine, but when you say your resting heart rate is 92 that's actually more concerning. Is this something that's reported by your watch, or measured by a medical professional? That seems high for someone with a history of endurance exercise. Your resting heart rate is a good indicator of general heart fitness.
posted by meowzilla at 4:57 PM on May 17, 2021 [8 favorites]
I would say it's fine, but when you say your resting heart rate is 92 that's actually more concerning. Is this something that's reported by your watch, or measured by a medical professional? That seems high for someone with a history of endurance exercise. Your resting heart rate is a good indicator of general heart fitness.
posted by meowzilla at 4:57 PM on May 17, 2021 [8 favorites]
Yeah this kindof thing is going to be massively variable. Trust yourself and how you feel, if you're feeling good, then you're doing fine. Personally, I'm a 160lb dude who does a ton of bike riding and I have a similar heart rate to yours.
posted by thebigdeadwaltz at 5:07 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by thebigdeadwaltz at 5:07 PM on May 17, 2021
Another member of the high heart rate club here. Years ago I was at a gym running on a treadmill and put my hands on those sensors to see what my HR was. A trainer walking by saw the readout and was like WHOA get off that treadmill right now and see your doctor. Because I am suggestible, I did. After various cardio tests, my doctor concluded that . . . I have a high heart rate. She said these things are all averages anyway and not to be concerned if exercising at that level felt ok to me. I asked her then if I was maybe a mouse and she said, "I don't know; do you like cheese?" Just for comparison's sake, my resting heart rate is in the 90s; I've run some marathons and done some triathlons too.
posted by fiery.hogue at 6:46 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by fiery.hogue at 6:46 PM on May 17, 2021
Nthing this is not abnormal. When I was your age, I had my lactate threshold measured with blood draws and it was 193. So I often saw my head rate in the 200s.
posted by turtlefu at 7:14 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by turtlefu at 7:14 PM on May 17, 2021
In addition to the above, your heart recovery rate may offer more assurance that everything's fine. You said your heart rate drops when you slow down, so it's probably fine, but it's certainly measurable if you go digging for it. Your watch might already be measuring it, depending on if/when/how you start and stop workouts on it — there's a measurement category under Health for it, alongside heart rate, that's captured after workouts are ended. If you want to force a measurement you can start a watch workout, run until you're leveled out at 180, and then end the workout and just stand still or walk gently for three minutes. (Not a doctor.)
posted by Callisto Prime at 7:22 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by Callisto Prime at 7:22 PM on May 17, 2021
If you start looking into heart rate training for running, one of the (very broad) rules of thumb for identifying what your max heart rate (maybe) is, is to minus your age from 220, i.e. 186. So your HR, from that point of view is Ok!
Alternatively, you can do some intervals, i.e. short bursts of effort with shorter bits of recovery, to identify your max. Which is kinda what you're doing, and the results are similar! So, 180 also seems ok from that point of view.
Slowing down a bit will help you up the running distances before you walk and going too fast too early is very common for people returning to running, but don't get too bogged down in what distances you should be doing at what HR. The most important type of running is the one you keep doing. If you're enjoying what you do and it keeps getting you out the door then that's the right kind of running.
posted by Faff at 11:20 PM on May 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Alternatively, you can do some intervals, i.e. short bursts of effort with shorter bits of recovery, to identify your max. Which is kinda what you're doing, and the results are similar! So, 180 also seems ok from that point of view.
Slowing down a bit will help you up the running distances before you walk and going too fast too early is very common for people returning to running, but don't get too bogged down in what distances you should be doing at what HR. The most important type of running is the one you keep doing. If you're enjoying what you do and it keeps getting you out the door then that's the right kind of running.
posted by Faff at 11:20 PM on May 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
No, my heart rate always goes up to the mid 180s when I do strenuous cardio and sometimes into the 190s (though sometimes I get a bit freaked out when that happens).
posted by thereader at 1:13 AM on May 18, 2021
posted by thereader at 1:13 AM on May 18, 2021
Also: unless your watch fits very tightly, it might actually be reflecting something termed “cadence lock” when it starts to measure your movement as heart rate. Cadence for decently paced efforts can absolutely fall in the 180-190 range depending on how long your stride is. Borrow a friend’s chest monitor to be sure.
posted by blue suede stockings at 3:55 AM on May 18, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by blue suede stockings at 3:55 AM on May 18, 2021 [2 favorites]
nthing normal. My HR is usually in the high 170s for most of a long, easy run.
Unlike others, my resting HR is usually in the 50s. Just to contrast that getting up that high is normal for many people irrespective of RHR.
I find my best indicator of effort when running is the "conversational pace". If you can't talk to someone (or sing, when alone) then back off a bit. But you're fine.
posted by gaspode at 6:52 AM on May 18, 2021
Unlike others, my resting HR is usually in the 50s. Just to contrast that getting up that high is normal for many people irrespective of RHR.
I find my best indicator of effort when running is the "conversational pace". If you can't talk to someone (or sing, when alone) then back off a bit. But you're fine.
posted by gaspode at 6:52 AM on May 18, 2021
Yeah this kindof thing is going to be massively variable. Trust yourself and how you feel, if you're feeling good, then you're doing fine. Personally, I'm a 160lb dude who does a ton of bike riding and I have a similar heart rate to yours.
Me too, I can run for 10 solid minutes, and bike daily. My resting heart rate is like in the 80s. My wife never exercises and resting heart rate is at least 15 bpm below mine.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:43 AM on May 18, 2021
Me too, I can run for 10 solid minutes, and bike daily. My resting heart rate is like in the 80s. My wife never exercises and resting heart rate is at least 15 bpm below mine.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:43 AM on May 18, 2021
Similar demographics (though male) here, and a daily runner. My heart rate's usually around there, too.
As far as resting heart rate, I'd try sleeping with your watch on to see if that brings down your resting heart rate. Typically, a resting heart rate above 100 is a bit worrisome, and you're banging up against that. But it's probably nothing (and could be due to when you're wearing the watch.)
posted by Vhanudux at 12:14 PM on May 18, 2021
As far as resting heart rate, I'd try sleeping with your watch on to see if that brings down your resting heart rate. Typically, a resting heart rate above 100 is a bit worrisome, and you're banging up against that. But it's probably nothing (and could be due to when you're wearing the watch.)
posted by Vhanudux at 12:14 PM on May 18, 2021
Response by poster: Just wanted to update that I talked with a coworker who is a cardiologist. He said that as long as my HR comes down relatively quickly after I stop running then it’s probably fine. He called it inappropriate tachycardia and as I understand it some part of my body’s nervous system is over-responsive.
But honestly I started deliberately running slower and I feel a lot better afterwards. So I’m experimenting with intervals and it’s a lot of fun. Thank you everyone !!
posted by pintapicasso at 3:14 PM on June 23, 2021
But honestly I started deliberately running slower and I feel a lot better afterwards. So I’m experimenting with intervals and it’s a lot of fun. Thank you everyone !!
posted by pintapicasso at 3:14 PM on June 23, 2021
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posted by Amy93 at 4:25 PM on May 17, 2021 [3 favorites]