Low Resting/ High Training Heart Rate

4 watchers

smoke free Oct 2012 10:21pm, 9 Oct 2012 58 posts	0 smoke free Hi fellow Fetchies Should I be worried? Having recently changed my running watch to one with a HRM, I am making some startling discoveries:- My resting Heart Rate is always below 50 and regularly 40-45. I am 45 and 3/4, Ex Heavy Smoker (nearly 6 years), ex Heavy drinker (nearly 4 years) Ex occasional 'recreational' (also 6 years) My HR when running is bonkers. I did a hilly 10 mile race on Sunday and my average was 198 and peak of 225!! When I'm 8 min/miling (marathon pace) it's 150 - 170 and I my heart and lungs feel great at that. I did a park run last month in 20.22 and my average was 205!! Whilst I know I'm working hard at these speeds I never feel like I'm hanging. I recently did a progressive HR max test on the bike on the turbo - getting harder and faster over 30 minutes and reached 170. I was absolutely out of breath and collapsing at this point. Such a massive difference to running. I have recently had a little op (general anaesthetic) to fit ear grommits and whilst visiting my doctor about those I mentioned all of the above. He agrees that my HR is both unusually high and unusually low and was particularly concerned about the low figure and if this is repeatedly below 50 he thinks I should have an ECG to eliminate 'Heart Block' or any other abnormality. I feel fine and healthy, I do get tired but I also train and work hard so I imagine I'm supposed to get tired!!! Any comments gratefully received
icemaiden Oct 2012 10:28pm, 9 Oct 2012 3,456 posts	0 icemaiden Firstly I am not a medic. Secondly - are you sure you are using your HR device properly i.e. getting good contact all the time. Thirdly - having the ECG won't hurt and might show something you're not otherwise aware of Fourthly - look at this and you'll find you're not alone http://www.fetcheveryone.com/article-view.php?id=107
smoke free Oct 2012 10:37pm, 9 Oct 2012 59 posts	0 smoke free Thank you Icemaiden, yeah I initially thought I wasn't getting accurate readings so I changed the battery in the chest strap, and also wore a training partners strap and watch and compared similar runs. Unfortunately the results were all the same!! I've been using a BP monitor which measures HR too to check against the garmin reading when resting and again they're the same. It is interesting to see how wildly people vary - I am led to believe a Max test is the best way to set my % training zones but it does give enormous scores! I've tried doing recovery runs keeping HR below 150 - I end up walking really slowly up the hills lol Thank you for all that, I think I'll ring Doc in the morning!
The_Saint Oct 2012 10:46pm, 9 Oct 2012 5,424 posts	0 The_Saint The problem with heart rate discussions is that the conventional wisdom is dominated by the various formulas as if they were fundamental laws of physics when actually they were done on the back of a fag packet on a plane flight against unrepresentative data and never meant for the purpose they have been used for. Throw in that some people are exceptionally sniffy about people who don't have and aren't claiming or requiring any credentials beyond being able to read and comprehend information and you rarely get a sensible discussion here. I get very high readings and very low readings that are repeatable and predictable with multiple different monitors, the GP and elite runner who does my Paris Marathon medical simply says - "That's just normal for you, if it was a problem you would be dead by now"
smoke free Oct 2012 9:04am, 10 Oct 2012 60 posts	0 smoke free Thanks Saint, thank you, quite agree I would probably already be dead if I had a serious problem but think I'll get it checked out anyway. Slow five miles this morning at 195 average. Using 1-10 that was no more than 6 RPE, very conversational. I was just interested in other people's experience.
Gymfreak Oct 2012 9:28am, 10 Oct 2012 7,194 posts	0 Gymfreak Smoke free- that sounds very similar to me- those running/resting/max HRs are very similar to what I get. I do also get it higher when I'm on the bike though. Resting- in the 40s usually somewhere Easy running 165ish Steady running 175-80. I can talk comfortably to about 185-90. Marathon HR 190 5k HR 215-20 Max 225 I just figure it is what it is now.
eL Bee! Oct 2012 9:38am, 10 Oct 2012 18,037 posts	0 eL Bee! Fascinating how people 'normalise' figures that physiologically are damaging to the myocardium. As you were.
smoke free Oct 2012 9:53am, 10 Oct 2012 61 posts	0 smoke free Cheers Gymfreak, these HRs haven't worried enough to seek medical advice, you have done plenty of succesful miles!! EL Bee - would you suggest there us a numerical cut off then? I posted the topic in the hope of hearing of fellow non-elite athlete's experiences and advice. The problem with the internet seems to be the ability to find an 'expert' to back up any theory. A collection of actual, on the road, experiences will hopefully build a picture of how worried I should be. Bizarrely, I have been running for nearly six years and for 5 of those I have used RPE and pace per mile and have not trained if I've felt ill at all. If I hadn't changed my running watch I would have been unaware of any of these figures. What explanation could there be for the massive difference between my hard cycling and hard running figures?
eL Bee! Oct 2012 6:28pm, 10 Oct 2012 18,039 posts	0 eL Bee! smoke-free: There will be a difference between your Running maxHR and your cycling one for a variety of reasons. Running is a weight bearing dynamic activity, and cycling is not for a start, so your heart isn't having to 'fuel' muscle groups on the same way. As a general rule of thumb your cycling MaxHR is between 6 and 10% lower than your running one, but if you are not a regular cyclist is may be lower than that - there will be a greater muscular strength/conditioning mismatch to your Cardiovascular condition! My measured max HR running is 204 and my Cycling one is 188, about an 8% difference Doing a test on a turbo you will have gotten pretty warm which will have ensured a good contact with your HR strap, you also move less so there will be minimal movement artefact to muddy the results. Were you also shirtless? My suspicion is that the higher numbers you have recorded are erroneous, especially as you are experiencing no sysmptoms Try taking a manual pulse when you are running and compare it. For the 'normal' polarisation and repolarisation plus a set refractory period in the mycardium, anything around 220 will not be a normal rhythm in an adult. Also, once you get into the realms of 220, there simply isn't the time for the chambers to refill - which would give you clear symptoms! I suspect that you are getting duff numbers from the equipment and you running MaxHR is closer to 190.
eL Bee! Oct 2012 6:31pm, 10 Oct 2012 18,040 posts	0 eL Bee! Oh - I occasionally get silly numbers in the wind! That'll be a vest or cycling top hitting the HR strap!!