I’ve not long finished the C25K so thought i’d treat myself to a Garmin fr 35 watch to keep track of my times and heart rate. I know there is an easy way of 220 - your age (which mine is just 58 😊) but is there another way to find my max hr?
I did a 2.5k run today outside (I usually run on the treadmill) and found it quite difficult.
Hr of 57 low, 180 high 😬 and a average of 160.
Now i usually run about 4.5k on the treadmill no problems. My pace might’ve been a bit faster than usual but it always is when i run outside 🙄
I’m a nurse and I still don’t entirely get my head around it, I remember that anything above 180 used to freak me out when looking after patients. Seriously though, while there are normal ranges it will vary from person to person depending on a number of factors such as general health, fitness levels, underlying conditions etc. It will go up massively when exercising to begin with, but as you get fitter you heart rate will slow down. I tend to watch the colour codes on my Garmin rather than the numbers and just try to make sure that I don’t spend too much time in the red zone because I feel that’s when I’m pushing myself too hard.
Ive been running for around 6 months now. Just finished the C25K so I’m not really unfit, with a resting hr of 58, so that’s supposed to be good. I set the max hr into my Garmin myself using the 220 - my age and got 162. My last run peaked at 157, treadmill though.
Running outside is going to feel harder until you get used to it.
The 220-age is just a guide... otherwise I'd have exploded by now🤣 there is stress tests you can do to try and get your max hr but really, just use it as a guideline.
Garmin says to run on a level as hard as you can for 3 mins then ease off with gentle running for 2 to 3 mins then 3 mins hard again before easing up and stopping. They say you should hit your own max hr on the 2nd burst or poss just as you ease off/stop. Use this to adjust your device/zones.
I went to a seminar last weekend about the biomechanics of running. And the Drs from Loughborough Uni said that the most accurate way of measuring your maximum heart rate was to run up a hill full speed. They old calculation of 220- your age wasn’t very accurate. Hope this helps
My partner is an avid track and long distance cyclist and says that the 220 minus age doesn't tell you anything. In cycling, there's a process you have to go through, involving (as far as I can see) 20 minutes of pain! This is from the Polar website (polar.com/blog/calculate-ma... and sounds the equivalent of the cycling process:
"Do this field test with a training partner. Use a heart rate monitor and note the highest heart rate you can reach. This is your maximum heart rate.
Warm up for 15 minutes on a flat surface. Build up to your usual training pace.
Choose a hill that will take more than 2 minutes to climb. Run up the hill once (for at least 2 minutes), building to as hard a pace as you estimate you could hold for 20 minutes. (You don’t have to keep running for 20 minutes, you just need to build up to a pace that you could hold for at least 20 minutes.) Return to the base of the hill.
Run up the hill again with a faster pace. Get your heart going as hard as you can, building up to a pace you estimate you would be able to hold for 3 kilometres. Observe your highest heart rate on the display.Your max HR is approximately 10 beats higher than the now-noted value.
Run back down the hill, allowing your heart rate to drop 30–40 beats per minute from where it was.
Run up the hill once again at a pace that you can only hold for 1 minute. Try to run halfway up the hill. Observe your highest heart rate. This brings you close to your maximum heart rate. You can use this value as your max HR to set your heart rate zones.
Make sure you cool down for a minimum of 10 minutes."
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So cannot be helpful 
Exceptionally high heart rate?
Heart rate zone training
Average heart rate dropping 
Heart rate too high? 
heart rate and oxygen
