Week 6 run 3 went well but worried about Heart rate

[norabzil]

Hi I am a lurker but not much of a poster but I am looking for some heart rate advice. I finished my 25min 6 run 3 yesterday and I thought it went well. I use runtastic and have just purchased their Bluetooth heart rate monitor which is working great, but when I checked my run after I spent 48% of the time in the fat burning 133+ zone but an alarming 24% in the redline 163+ zone. Is this dangerous or am I really that unfit that although I feel fine my poor heart is overexerting itself? Until I looked at this information I was feeling quite pleased with myself as I had not run for that long since last June before I tore the ligaments in my ankle and finally feel like I can Run again 😃

Thanks for any advise you have..... looking forward to completing this and finally getting 5km under my belt again ......

[sidbetty Graduate]

I don't have a heart rate monitor but I can tell you my heartrate spends most of it's time in the red zone while I'm running If I ran slow enough to keep it in the fat zone, I'd be walking. I'm no expert, but as long as you keep breathing steady and focus on deep breaths to get the oxygen round, your HR will lower in time.

[norabzil Graduate in reply to sidbetty]

Thanks for the advice I was defiantly taking deep breaths, I forgot to see how quick it went back down to normal. Maybe I will concentrate on that.

[Realfoodieclub Graduate]

most people don't go near hrm until after gradation so the stats on what the heart rate is like as you learn is not so obvious. Do you feel tired and done in after your run and does that last for a while? If so, try a slower run. Sometimes we try and run too fast in the beginning. It is quite common as the body adjusts that you will go into the red then naturally slow down until you hit a comfortable pace for you, so it is possible you will swing about a bit as you are learning something new. If you are worried the advice here is to always check it out with your gp as they can put your mind at rest. Happy running.

[norabzil Graduate in reply to Realfoodieclub]

Thanks for the advice, that was quite slow for me as I knew I was going 25mins non stop. I am more of a short burst runner but know that I have to run for longer. I think I will mention it to my GP next time I go (not in a great rush to visit the surgery...... )

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Your heart rate zones are specific to you and you may have a high peak rate or not. Most HRMs calculate your zones based on your age, but there is no guarantee that it is accurate for you. I would recommend that you do further reading about HRM and how to ascertain your peak heart rate. I have not yet pinned mine down, but for my age my peak should be 165, yet I have managed to get a reading of 185 for a burst of speed 7k into a 10k run. My resting heart rate is low 40s, so I have (assuming the HRM is accurate) a wide range of heart activity. My HRM tells me I spend far too much time in high zones, over 60%, but I put that down to an inaccurate assessment of my max heart rate. I only use my HRM on an occasional basis, to see if there are any significant changes. Don't get hung up on it.

There are loads of fascinating stats that you can generate from your HRM, but learning how to decipher them accurately is a steep learning curve. One thing you will be able to monitor is how your recovery rate improves as you get fitter. Next time I visit my GP (the visits are rare) I will ask for some advice and guidance and that may be your best approach too.

Good luck.

[norabzil Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thanks for your reply, now I know I am not the only one running in the red zone and am not about to have a heart attack I will not worry so much. Now to focus on getting to week 9 run 3 😊