Running Heart Rates 6 months post Nstemi & 4xCABG

[DWizza]

Hi all , just looking for others experiences with heart rates while running /exercising. I’ve always had a high working heart rate (cycling , running , a lifetime of other sports) . I’l did the level 3 cardiac rehab 6 week course a few months back , found it extremely easy and not really tailored to individuals but completed it and d joyed the company of others . I have a cardio specialist coach online who has ress as lot helped me get back to weight training , running 5k (jogging) and back into my yoga classes. 5k goss as l achieved and running with my eldest (adult) daughter was a goal . She’s got me into Parkrun the last two Saturdays and it’s a fabulous way to meet up and get the cardio done on a Saturday morning.

I note that my HR can get to 160s well into the 5k , Borg scale of effort around 12-15 out of 20 for the last 4”500m. My training runs are usually 130-150s. I’m on 1.25 mg bisoprolol, hss as of a 1.25mg Rampiril beta blockers ( aspirin, clopidogrel, pantaprazole and GP supervised stopping of 80mg artovastatin for 1 month , feeling better after 2 weeks).

Is it anyone else’s experience of high working heart rate post surgery/meds and not having any issues ? I’m not feeling any issues after , just usual result of effort and then recover. Coach has mentioned that the guidelines for beta blockers is the HR should be lower …. But stressed they are guidelines and if I’m feeling good , carry on and be sensible (don’t go sprinting etc) .

Grateful to hear your experiences. I will be mentioning my experience to my consultant when I’m due a call In April.

All the best

Wizza

[Lonmayloon]

Hi DWizza, it sounds as though you are doing really well.

I had a stent inserted into a severely narrowed LAD back in 2011 when I was 52. I’m now 65 and took up running in 2020 during lockdown. I was lucky in that I never had a heart attack.

I don’t know if this will help but here are a couple of screen grabs with the stats from yesterday’s 5km run. Heart rate starting about 120 and steadily climbing to 137bpm. Finished 5km at 26min50secs but I never go at an all out, lung-bursting pace. After the 5km I carried on for a further 6km of intervals at a slower pace and heart rate dropped back down to 115bpm.

My meds:- bisoprolol 5mg, perindopril 4mg, rosuvastatin10mg, aspirin75mg.

5km stats

[Lonmayloon]

see above

5km stats

[DWizza in reply to Lonmayloon]

Thanks Lonmayloon, pretty similar resting HR 👍🏻. Here’s my stats for today , working round farm and walking dogs plus yesterdays running..

Garmin stats

[Cruiser25]

Hi DWizza,

I can only say what my Cardiologist said to me a while ago following this very same question, I too was wondering and a bit cautious with my heart rate climbing high during Parkrun.... I hit 172 yesterday! When I asked him about it he just asked if I felt ok, which I was, and still do, and not to keep at this rate for too long, yet to define how long is too long...he was far more impressed with my rate range, following my HA & 7 stents, almost at my 2 year anniversary. I regularly go down to low 40s in my sleep and up to low 170s peak. All this with an ejection fraction of 41% only just up from 38% post HA, seems this is my new normal now, even with rehab, diet and good regular exercise. Cardiologist seems happy I'm able to do what I can with what I've been left with, have to say I'm pretty happy too, Parkrun is always a combo of running and walking when I run out of puff, lost my stamina with the HA & the old heart, bless it, can't get the oxygenated blood round fast enough, so I tailor my efforts accordingly...it's all learning.

I'm also on 1.25mg Bisoprolol, and 2.5mg Ramipril, usual 80mg statin and soluble aspirin & will be for good.

Sounds like you've found your comfortable spot (not in any way medical advice) and go on enjoying exercising, by the way it takes me a good few hours to recover from Parkrun, my BP drops low afterwards so I'm careful, but my BP is low anyway following my heart event.

Good luck & hopefully the Cardiologist will endorse your running.

[DWizza in reply to Cruiser25]

I’m going to sack my cardiologist and just follow your advice and protocol 🤣🤣🤣.. that’s great to Read 👍🏻. I hope to mirror your efforts , will check in with Consultant 👍🏻.

[K9ndo]

Hi DWizza, me. Nstemi one stent 4 months post event. Completed 12 week cardio rehab, too easy for me as quite fit. Have stopped relying on wrist based heart rate and moved to chest strap. Wrist based just jumped / spikes when starting to run to 140/150 I could tell I wasn’t at that rate. Moved to a Chest band showing 120/125. Don’t trust wrist device for HR accuracy. I have been advised by rehab to train at 70% max heart rate but it seems to difficult at the moment to keep my heart rate steady, still seems to spike so I walk for a short while till it drops then commence running(jogging really). If I use. Cross trainer or rowing machine heart rate seems more easily controlled. I wonder if my heart rate will steady with further exercise 🧐

[DWizza in reply to K9ndo]

I used to wear strap monitor when I was cycling and working to HR zones . Now that I’m running g I think I’ll go back to chest strap , good call 👍🏻 Thanks for the reminder

[pauljusa]

Hey DWizza I use an HR ring that works good, less constricting than a band, records workouts without a phone and talks / downloads to a phone app. 👍

[DWizza in reply to pauljusa]

Cheers, i use garmin vivoactive 4s for sports pre heart attack , will be upgrading to a chest strap monitor for training /running and using the wrist watch for daily general monitoring 👍🏻

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Just want to say you guys ( that includes all genders) are an awesome inspiration to life after a heart event.❤️💪💪💪