Average heart rate and fatigue

[orangeguy]

Earlier in the the week I was not feeling that great, I had had a couple of really bad nights where I didn't sleep well and added to that I thought I was sickening for something (always worrying in these covid times!). Despite all this it was my run day and I decided I was going out whatever. I felt pretty pleased with myself pushing myself out and running along a muddy trail before it was even properly light. It was very hard work though, as it was an 'out and back' type run I pushed on to 2.5k before I turned around determined to do a minimum of 5k. By the time I got back to the car I was feeling pretty shattered and was thinking maybe this wasn't such a smart idea after all. I don't usually check my heart rate on the Garmin but this time I did, I was horrified to see it was showing an average of 189bpm, not great for a 63 year old. This morning I was feeling quite a bit better and despite the wind and rain I decided to head out again, I did another 5k and was relieved to see my heart rate was showing a 131bpm average, a much more normal reading. I have never really paid much attention to heart rate in the past but it just goes to show how much it can vary depending on how tired or even unwell you are feeling.

[nowster Graduate10]

A few weeks ago my HR suddenly jumped in the middle of the day when I was not running. The watch scared me by flashing up "Abnormal Heart Rate Detected" and vibrating non-stop. Although I didn't feel unwell at the time, a few hours later I started to get all the symptoms of a really nasty tummy bug.

Some days my HR is up in the clouds during a run, and other days I'm feeling I'm struggling with a run and the HR is still low. I've no explanation!

At least you know your max HR is at least 189bpm and can adjust the watch's settings accordingly.

[orangeguy Graduate10 in reply to nowster]

Yes, that's true . . . I've since checked my Garmin stats and I do occasionally get a high average during runs, I assume that's when I am tired or a bit under the weather during those runs. Like you say yours increased just before you had the stomach bug, its not so bad when there is an explanation, otherwise its just something else to worry about 🤔

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

Absolutely! I don’t measure my HR or have any clue what it is but I do notice that when I’m very tired my heart beats faster than usual.

[Beachcomber66 Graduate10]

Same here; had a really stressful and tiring week and my running was pants; average heart rate way up.

[a_in_gsr Graduate10]

I definitely think sometimes its best to go off feel than technology! And at least you know just how much these numbers can vary

[Lifluf Graduate10]

It's good to run orangeguy but you still need to listen to your body. Glad your second run went smoother. Happy running!

[orangeguy Graduate10]

Thanks everybody, good to know I'm not the only one who gets these variants in heart rate . . . just back from a steady 5k this morning, now down to 122bpm and I can't say I felt that energised this morning either after a little too much wine last night 😕