Heart rate
300 watchers
Oct 2017
1:06pm, 2 Oct 2017
729 posts
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J2R
Just did a very interesting heart rate experiment this morning, which I thought I would share. I've had some persistent viral thing for the last couple of weeks, which kind of comes and goes in waves. I risked a 10 mile race yesterday, but pulled out after 5 miles as I was starting to feel worse again, having felt OK first thing, and the rest of the day I felt steadily more crappy. So it was no surprise that my HRV was at the lowest I've measured it this morning. But I went for a very easy jog this morning, 4.75 miles keeping my HR below 115 (which is something like 60 beats below my MHR). After I came back, I immersed my face in cold water for a short time, probably no more than 40 seconds or so in total. Then I took an HRV reading, and was amazed to find an HRV way higher (15 points) than from first thing this morning, and also the lowest waking heart rate I've ever measured. I was inspired to try the cold water thing after reading a couple of things like this study - biomedsearch.com - which concludes 'Cold water face immersion appears to be a simple and efficient means of immediately accelerating post-exercise parasympathetic reactivation'. My understanding is that immersion in cold water induces a diving response, where the body immediately slows down the heart rate. So I would have assumed that this immersion thing was probably just a trick, whose benefits would only last a very short time after the immersion. But the conclusions of the studies I read seem to suggest it does a bit more than that, kick starting parasympathetic reactivation. One to keep an eye on, I think! |
Oct 2017
1:31pm, 2 Oct 2017
14,329 posts
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Dvorak
So everyone can save themselves the ice-baths and just dunk their face? Excellent news! Similar theory to a plunge pool in a sauna (or, if you are Finnish, rolling naked in the snow)? Disclaimer: I have never had an ice bath (nor do I intend to); and my Finnish saunas were in the summertime. |
Oct 2017
2:03pm, 2 Oct 2017
30,937 posts
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GlennR
I reckon drinking a pint of cold lager will work too.
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Oct 2017
2:36pm, 2 Oct 2017
14,330 posts
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Dvorak
But you have to pour it into a bowl and stick your face in to drink it  .
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Oct 2017
2:42pm, 2 Oct 2017
30,938 posts
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GlennR
Don't see why.
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Oct 2017
3:02pm, 2 Oct 2017
731 posts
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J2R
GlennR, it's certainly an experiment worth trying. But I think there may be some effect of the impact of cold water on the face. I just filled a wash basin with water from the cold tap and put my face in it. Of course, you could do this will lager as well. Interestingly, some hours later my resting heart rate is still lower than normal, by probably 4 beats or so. |
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Oct 2017
3:38pm, 2 Oct 2017
30,941 posts
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GlennR
Do you think your body is starting to hibernate J2R? 
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Oct 2017
5:56pm, 2 Oct 2017
732 posts
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J2R
Alas, my body evidently thinks it's springtime again, GlennR, as the hibernation period is over. HR has gone back up to a little below where it was this morning and HRV has dropped again. The viral whatever is having one of its little surges. Here's an interesting point I've noticed about heart rate and racing (or at least, interesting to me, it may be banally obvious to others). I always wear a HRM when racing, although I never actually look at heart rate when I'm running - it's for analysis after the event, so I can learn more about how my body works. Looking back at my best race times in the last couple of years, I can see that in practically all cases I've sustained a higher percentage of my maximum heart rate than in ones where I haven't performed as well. Now, as I say, that might seem obvious - higher heart rate means I'm running faster. Duh! But one might alternatively imagine that when I'm running well, really fit, I would be able to run at a higher pace for a given heart rate. That doesn't seem to be the case, though. I will run two races at what for me is the same perceived effort, but one will be faster than the other and my heart rate at that perceived effort will be higher. This begs the question as to why on successful days I'm able to access a higher heart rate. (Apologies if I've gone on about this before, I have a vague feeling I have, but I was just looking again at some race times and heart rates). |
Oct 2017
8:47am, 3 Oct 2017
17,257 posts
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flanker
It sounds like it's a measure of how hard you are prepared to push yourself rather than how fit you are. On the day's when you 'up for it' you are prepared to sustain more effort/discomfort while still perceiving it as the same effort. From personal experience I know that mental state makes a huge difference to my performance irrespective of my fitness level. I'd probably be better working on achieving a better mental state than physical training to improve my performance! |
Oct 2017
8:48am, 3 Oct 2017
13,655 posts
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Fenland (Fenners) Runner
..and when you combine the two, you have a winning formulae. Highly trained and highly motivated wins the day.
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