My Heart Rate Insanely High

Training Advice/Discussion

1 week ago 04/22/2024 5:42pm EDT

I just turned 40 and my heart rate maxes out really high.

Towards the end of a time trial / hard run I'll be pushing and sometimes exceed 190 (I've gone as high as 193).

A few caveats:

- This is measured on a Garmin vivoactive 4.

- I am more "gym" and "sprinting" fit then I am a long-distance runner. ie. I can bench 250 and run 60 seconds in a 400m pretty easily but I'm killing myself to run a 20 or 21min 5k.

- I took notice of this when my (less fit) friend ran a 10k in 58 minutes "full out" and only averaged 148 bmp peaking at 171.

My question --> Is this abnormal? Am I just pushing it way too hard on these runs?

1 week ago 04/22/2024 5:44pm EDT

re: badheart

A max HR over 190 isn’t uncommon among older runners; the 220 minus age thing is an extraordinarily loose correlation to the point where it is almost myth.

1 week ago 04/22/2024 5:46pm EDT

re: badheart

also with regards to your friend, less trained folk often have a harder time sustaining an exceptionally high heart rate for very long. this is probably especially true in the 10k, which can take time to properly aerobically train yourself for.

1 week ago 04/22/2024 5:47pm EDT

re: badheart

I'm not a cardiologist and I haven't even stayed at a Best Western for a log time. But I expect the thing to pay attention to is the resting rate. Yes, that's a pretty high reading but if you're pushing yourself hard enough while you're running it could get that high.

1 week ago 04/22/2024 7:58pm EDT

re: HRE

Awesome thank you for the feedback.

What is a decent resting HR for a 40yo.

1 week ago 04/22/2024 8:06pm EDT

re: badheart

Take any boosters lately?

1 week ago 04/22/2024 8:09pm EDT

re: badheart

I'm 33 and can get it above 200 on a max effort. When I was 18, was around 205 max. So I expect when I'm 40 it will still be around high 190s. Seems normal enough

1 week ago 04/22/2024 8:37pm EDT

re: badheart

I’m 51 and can hit low 190s max effort HR during a hill ride on the peloton. My resting HR is in the mid 40s.

1 week ago 04/22/2024 8:46pm EDT

re: badheart

badheart wrote:
Awesome thank you for the feedback.
What is a decent resting HR for a 40yo.

I'm going to fall back on the "not a cardiologist" thing more heavily than I did in the last message. I just did a search and came across something that said for people between 16 and 60 a normal heart rate will be somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute. It also said, as most of us here know, that for athletes in top condition it could be 40 to 60 beats a minute but there's no definition as to what "top condition" is. I'm 71 and my resting rate is usually in the low 40s just as a bit of reference. When I'm running now I have some back stuff that really limits how hard I can go so I'm usually in the 120-150 range.

1 week ago 04/22/2024 8:57pm EDT

re: perchance

perchance wrote:
also with regards to your friend, less trained folk often have a harder time sustaining an exceptionally high heart rate for very long. this is probably especially true in the 10k, which can take time to properly aerobically train yourself for.

I realize what you are trying to say but it is not really true. Untrained people also have a high HR at really slow speeds but can often plod along for an hour like that. When they get more conditioned, their HR at the same pace goes down, so it gets harder to sustain the same high HR for as long as they used to be able to.

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