I’m not certain why I’m writing this, other than it helps to get everything down. Apologies in advance for its length. I’ve been running for over a year, having started C25K at the beginning of lockdown. I’m 68, by the way. I had a Fitbit and have now graduated to a Garmin 45 plus. I have steadily moved onwards and upwards, including a 27.45 5K and a 58 min 10k. I’ve amazed myself. In a nutshell, all my runs are almost entirely in Zone 5, 136-152 bpm. But I have never been in difficulties or pain, and my heart rate quickly goes down. My wife, much younger than me and anxious at the best of times, worries that I’m about to drop dead! I’ve been to my GP, who was sceptical about my Garmin’s data, so I wore a heart monitor and there was no change. I’ve tried running in Zones 3 and 4, but it’s such a plod! I’ve had blood tests and an ECG - all ok. The doctor could refer me for more tests, but I’m not a priority, because all the results show I’m fine. My wife still isn’t convinced. The doctor has suggested going private for an exercise ECG. Has anyone had similar experiences? Any advice or thoughts? I’ve read somewhere about Lactate Threshold Heart Rate, being a better indicator. Again anyone had experience?
Apologies once more for the length of this post. I think if I was on my own, I would just be carrying on, but I have wider responsibilities.
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Kipperrun
Graduate10
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First off - brilliant times! You're much quicker than me. Amazing stuff.
Second - an admission, I haven't any tech to measure my heart rate so I am not speaking from experience here. BUT, I remember a few people on here who do their running training by heart rate - I think there is a Polar plan - maybe someone with a better memory will chip in.
Just from "feeling" my heart rate speeds right up at the beginning of a run as my body says "oh right, we're doing this again" then, probably because I'm so slow, it slows down again.
That link has a lot of info though. Might be worth seeing a sports doc?
Thanks for getting back so quickly. I’ll have a look at the link.
I don't know a lot about heart rate zones and such, but who says that your zone 5 is 136 - 152 bpm? Have you done a test to discover your zones? Only with a test you can get your correct heart rate zones, otherwise it is just an average based on other people. And other people are not you. Might as well be you are actually running in your zone 4, that the zones are incorrect.
You’re right. My Zone 5 is based solely on my age and would be the same for someone who does no exercise at all. My zones need to be just that - MY zones, based on what my heart can do. Thanks for getting back to me.
Thanks ever so much for this. I’ve had a look at the post - very helpful. It convinced me, but I’m less sure about my wife! But that is my problem, not yours. I had been so impressed with my times and felt so good about my achievements. I’ve been on a bit of a downer these past few weeks. I’ve no intention of doing half or full marathons. I’m just happy doing what I’m doing - just want to do it safely. Thanks again for your response.
Like you I'm 68 my times and heart rate are almost identical and I have had no problems or difficulty when running. That is until a couple of weeks ago when I started getting irregular heart beats. The doctor said it could be due to the exercise but he wasn't sure. I do have a low resting heart rate in the 40s
which has lowered since I started running which also could be the problem He said carry on but slow down. If I was you I would carry on at your own pace and ignore the zones.
Hi. Your fine. It is resting heart rate which is the most important one. I started running almost 4 years ago in at 43. I was very very unfit. Drove a company car and was on the road all day, eating the wrong stuff and not exercising. I tried so many times to get started with C25K and failed. Then I did it, found parkrun, lost 3 stone, turned my life around and have been running ever since. When I first started my resting heart rate was around 85 bpm. Very little exercise would have my heart up above 150bpm. When I got fitter I went from running 5K in 35mins down to about 26-27 mins and like you was running 10K in about 57-58 mins. My resting heart rate went down to 55 bpm. After lockdown and no races or parkrun to train for I have slowed down and struggle with motivation. But I’m still running and my average resting heart rate now is about 60 bpm which is very good.
Your high heart rate is exercise induced and normal. Mine is the same when running at that intensity. 188 bpm is the big danger zone where Ventricular Fibrillation occurs.
You’ve had a full cardiac examination and consulted with your Doctor. You’ve done the right thing. You’ll find that after a year your heart rate during exercise and whilst at rest will come down as you get fitter. It takes about a year for this change to take place. Happy running and enjoy it.
I would suggest that your zones need adjusting. They aren't just blanket numbers, they're personal to you. Nobody can sustain all their running in zone 5. By definition, zone 5 is your maximum heart rate if you are going flat out.
This is an interesting article, and yes, running to your heart rate in lower zones can be just a plod. Sometimes, for me, it's actually walking! The great thing about it though, is that if you do it consistently, you will find your heart rate stays low while your legs speed up!
I have been running to HR for nearly 2 years now and love it. For a 68 yr old, those 5 and 10k times are impressive.
I'm curious to know:
(1) how often do you run?
(2) how far or how long do you run for?
(3) "never been in difficulties or pain, and my heart rate quickly goes down" - signs of decent fitness but what does your run in "Zone 5, 136-152 bpm" actually feel like? What is your breathing like? When you stop, are you out of breath?
It should be noted that a %age of the population have high HRs - so you're either pushing too hard for most of your runs (maybe you want to feel like you've 'worked out' at the end of your run) or your exercising HR is naturally higher than average.
It may be worth trying to get calculate your zones more accurately (using resting and maximum HRs) so that you can tweak your running a bit.
And there's a paradox: if you were to start doing some 'plodding' (like I do), then your average HR at higher efforts, e.g. a 5k parkrun or 10k race/time trial will either come down OR... you'll get QUICKER in your 'Zone 5, 136-152 bpm' range.
But your post exposes another issue - that of too much knowledge as provided by the tech. You've obviously pointed out to your now-worried wife that 'gosh, my HR seems quite high for my age when running' and now you have a little problem on your hands!
Thanks for your reply. I run three times a week - twice around 5K and a 10k-ish. Zone 5 feels absolutely fine. My breathing is good and I’m not seriously out of breath at the end. I certainly don’t feel like I’m pushing it too much. I can talk while I’m running and enjoy what I’m doing.
Sounds very good to me. If you are not "seriously out of breath at the end" and not "pushing it too much" and able to talk AND enjoying it - then I really don't see any problem at all.
You're getting huge physical AND mental health benefits.
Very much depends on what your goals are. As for your wife, good luck! Sounds like nothing will convince her. But now that the HR genie is out of the bottle, perhaps show her how your resting heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol have all decreased since you started running - the benefits outweigh the risks! What would she have you do?
* that is, unless you have an unknown underlying heart condition that anyone one of us could have. But chances of that are slim. See ex-England cricketer James Taylor for example - he's not allowed to put his heart under any significant strain. Golf is his thing these days.
Hi, I adjusted my heart rate Zones on my Garmin as it was telling me I was spending a lot of time in Zone 5, when I genuinely didn’t think I was! In fact, I now pay relatively little attention to those stats as I prefer to run by how I feel. I think I must be one of those folk mentioned earlier, with a relatively high heart rate whilst exercising (My resting heart rate is low.) I am btw, 56 years, graduated from the programme over 5 years ago and most importantly, am still standing!If your GP has referred you for tests which all come back normal, I am unclear what your concern is but I do hope you are able to find some reassurance so that you can enjoy your running again.🙂
Thanks very much for your detailed response. I was very much running by how I feel and didn’t look at the stats. Getting the Garmin changed that. Hence where I am now. I shall see how things develop and keep people updated. Thanks again.
When I first got my Garmin I had a period of complete hypochondria induced by the heart rate monitor. It kept telling me to slow down or have a rest! After consulting the forum I worked out how to change my max HR. I am 62 and the age calculation was ridiculous for me. I ended up doing a 2 minute flat out run to see where my heart rate got to and added a bit on as apparently we can't really do max HR without supervision. You are supposed to get to the keeling over point, I think? Anyway I've set my max to 180 and even that is probs still low. Grannyhugs was very helpful on this. I think she had hers at 200! I look forwards to hearing how you get on. Sorry about the underlining - can't switch it off.... 😄😄
Thanks, this is really helpful and encouraging. I’ve heard from Grannyhugs and she has been great too. I understand the hypochondria, which has been fuelled by my wife’s anxiety. I tend to be pretty laid back, myself, but I do want to get to the bottom of this. I’m seeing another doctor on Monday, so we’ll see what comes from that. Thanks again for your response. By the way, your underlining made me smile. Hopefully all sorted now!!
When I started with my Garmin my HR was often averaging 180 and maxing at 210 . I saw doc who asked questions, took BP and HR said that as my resting HR was mid 60 and HR recovered quickly at the end of the run I was fine and to keep running. I adjusted HR bands on Garmin so that max was about 200 and slowed down. That was 18 months ago. On cool days especially 5k kind of distances I average 50%my new band 3 and 50% band band 4. On longer runs I’m more band 4. By the way I’m female 58 and Garmin vo2max is 40 running, 41 cycling and says my fitness age is that of an excellent 20 year old. Good luck and happy running 🤗
Thanks very much for this reply. It’s really helpful. I’m hoping that I get a similar outcome. I’m due to see another doctor on Monday, who, I hope, will give me some of the reassurance I need. I just want to get out there and enjoy my running at a pace that feels right for me. I have had some brilliant feedback today, which has made such a difference. I’ll make sure to update everyone as things move on. Thanks once again.
Hi there, my husband was worrying about his heart rate now that he is over half a century old! He runs regularly but had a couple of close friends suddenly diagnosed with heart issues and got spooked by it. We looked into it and decided to shell out for a full MoT for him which included the VO2 test on the bike. Most of the private health providers offer these tests in varying degrees, he went through Bupa. Not exactly cheap but very thorough, gave him piece of mind that he wasn’t going to keel over and gave a good indication of what his personal training heart rates could be so was well worth the investment.
Thanks very much for responding. Like your husband I’ve decided to get checked out via a private health provider. I’m sure everything will be fine, but the reassurance will be good to have. Plus my wife will feel much better too!! Thanks again.
As many people have ....you are fine! I am only a recent convert to running but it's more important how quickly your heart rate recovers and what your resting heart rate is than what it actually is when running. Your heart rate is meant to go high in response to exercise. It gets a bit more efficient with regular exercise but there are probably limits on how efficient it can get depending on your age. Otherwise you sound incredibly healthy, I've worked a bit in cardiology and you sound absolutely fine.
Thanks ever so much for your response. I do feel healthy and think my heart is in good condition. I also think that my running is bound to be helping. I’m getting lots of reassurance following this post, which is good. Thanks again.
I’m into a 12 week programme of “slow running” and keeping my heart rate in zone 3. Although the sums are generic (220-age) our heart rate obviously isn’t! Therefore, the longer you can maintain running (yes, sometimes it’s a shuffle/walk!) in your zone, the better your building on your endurance and eventually, can run in this zone. It’s all very technical but like your wife, I was worried about my heart rate! I was running 5k in 28 mins. Now it’s 42 minutes but I’m trusting the process and enjoying it! My heart rate zone is 119-129 btw! I’m 51. When I run with my 21 year old daughter, she reaches her zone a lot quicker than me! In other words, not as fit! It’s all very interesting!
Thanks for this. It’s really helpful, as is all of the advice that I’ve had on here. I’m interested in you running in Zone 3. I’m going to give that another go. To be honest, I think I’ll enjoy my running however long it takes me. Good luck with your 12 week programme. I look forward to hearing how it pans out. Thanks again.
I've used HR monitors for a long time, many years ago I ran competitively. To get a more accurate personal HR zone, try this. You need to know your top HR, so try running up a hill and when you get to almost dropping point that's the highest, then over a series of days take you waking/resting HR. The difference between the two is your starting point. The calculations to find the appropriate zones are on the internet, but put simply you multiply the difference and add your resting HR. Sounds complicated but it's not. I'm 60, my resting HR is around 44 (pretty low) and my maximum is 182. If I used the generic zones, I'd be crawling.... my easy zone is 145 -150bpm, for some that would be flat out, we are all different. There is some great stuff on the the internet about HR training.....
Thanks very much for this. It’s all very helpful. As you might guess, I’ve germ having a good look at HR training and seeing whether that should be a route to take. Your suggestion around finding a more accurate heart rate zone is very interesting. I’m going to have a closer look at that. Thanks again.
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