How slow is slow?

[KathE53]

I love C25K and I use every year to get back to fitness before my 5km Race for Life. No 17 on Sunday!

This year has been problematic mainly because I hate running in the rain and cold! I’m also concerned by my heart rate- maximum should be 155 according to 220 minus my age. I can just about manage to keep to 155 but if I go any slower I’ll stop! I don’t get out of breath so I know I can go a bit faster but worry about the consequences! Before I had a Fitbit / heart monitor I didn’t know what my HR was... At this rate it will take nearly 50 mins to do 5km- I could probably walk faster!! Any thoughts?

[ScottJB Graduate]

I’ve been getting too hung up on pace, there are times I feel great but my heart rate is in max zone, so felt like I should slow down on the next run. Then I’ve found slowing down harder work, whilst my heart rate is lower it’s been more of a struggle as felt like my legs wanted to go faster, so unnatural.

My advice would be run at a pace that feels natural and comfortable, don’t be worried about how long it takes you to complete the run. There will always be people out there faster or slower than the vast majority of us.

[ArthurJG Graduate]

220-age is very approximate in the first place, in the second place it is different when you exercise regularly and thirdly wristworn HRMs are not perfect either. According to the formula I have the heart of a man twenty years younger than me. I think he must be quite annoyed with me 😅 Don’t fret with the numbers too much; look at what is normal for you and then be alert to any major changes but don’t be concerned by the formula.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

220-age is not at all accurate, and it sounds like it’s not even close for you. If I’m soubt you could go and have an assessment to determine your actual max HR. Other than that I’d expect nausea and possibly dizziness to precede any serious issues when maxing our the HR.

The other issue is some wrist based trackers pick up on cadence rather than the actual heart rate.

[LeeU Graduate]

220-age, means I should top out my heart rate at around 173bpm, never got that high, control your breathing and that, in turn will help control your heart rate.

There are loads of other factors besides age that go into your max heart rate, resting heart rate, recovery rate, etc, the list can get quite long.

When running outside my pace is far quicker than when on a treadmill, like ScottJB , my lgs seems to have a built in speed, one which, at the minute, the rest of me can't maintain for maybe more than a mile, great for shorter faster runs but not so good for long slow runs.

[Elisabeth3 Graduate in reply to LeeU]

I believe nobody is a universal runner of all distances. Maybe your best distance is a mile.

[LeeU Graduate in reply to Elisabeth3]

Maybe but I really do enjoy a nice long slow run.

[Elisabeth3 Graduate in reply to LeeU]

Any long run helps with the shorter ones, doesn't it?

[Equi-geek Graduate]

I’m 50 and my HRmax gets up to 194 when I run, and I have a condition called supra-ventricular tachycardia which means my heart is prone to electrical misfire under certain conditions, although it’s never been trigger by running. I read that the 220-age figure was established in fit young males in the military, and I definitely don’t fit within those parameters 🤣 It’s sensible to get an ECG and ultrasound done by your GP before pushing harder - that’s standard medical advice when you start any exercise programme.

[KathE53 Graduate]

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. Last night I borrowed a proper chest heart monitor and I ran a bit faster keeping my HR to 155- my Fitbit was telling me it was 168! The pace was much more comfortable and I felt more positive too! Managed 3.8 km. Am aiming for 4.30 on Friday before the 5km on Sunday. Any thoughts on whether to wear the monitor on Sun?

[LeeU Graduate]

definitely