Just completed week 3 and trying not to obsess over spiking hearty rate when running. Run 2 of week 3 was my best run yet in terms of enjoyment but my heart rate was really high at points!
Today was run 3 so I tried to run slower to keep heart rate down. I’m new to training/ heart rate zones etc but just wondering if anyone has tips!?
Obviously I can't comment on an individual's heart rate but in general how quickly it reverts to "normal" is one measure of fitness, ie recovery. However, my peak of approaching 200 bpm when exercising was the first indication of my problems in December that culminated in having a pacemaker fitted and a change to medication.It's suggested that one's maximum is 220 - your age as a rule of thumb.
Hi there and thank you for replying. I’m pleased you found out you had an issue and it could be acted on.
I’ll keep an eye on recovery time. Based on the 220-age rule I’m under but not by much!
I’m trying not to fixate on the numbers but at same time feel I need to be mindful since exercising is new to me and I’m pretty out of shape. Thanks again, I’ll def look at how long it takes for heart rate to return to normal.
HI Rustyred16 , 220 minus age maximum heart rate isn't a rule, it's a guideline, and for me that calculation is a long way out, far too low.
if you're using a watch to measure your heartrate bear in mind that wrist-based heart rate measurements aren't particularly accurate; you'd need a chest strap instead.
Personally I didn't even get a running watch until I'd been running for over a year, and I still run without it. I'd suggest you pay attention to how you feel rather than what the numbers say. Sax64 is absolutely right, you need to be running - or more accurately jogging - at a comfortable conversational pace.
Enjoy C25K!
It's all too easy to have implicit trust in your watch. They're just calibrated to averages not individuals, so the advice to us all is to run by feel. So, are you running slowly enough that you can comfortably hold a conversation without feeling out of breath? If you can you're doing absolutely fine, if not you need to slow down. This happened to me too and I've learned that running by feel is the only way to go. Good luck with the rest of your runs.
Hi there, thanks for replying. If I’m honest I was pretty out of breath but running so slowly to avoid that feels awkward! However, run 3 of week 3 I consciously ran slower and my heart rate was spiking lower than run 2 so I know this will help. On run 2 I was really enjoying running but was definitely faster and wouldn’t have been able to hold much of a conversation if I’m honest, run3 was slower and although I was breathing hard I would have been able to talk. Guess I know my answer!!
Thanks again!
You will get fitter and both recovery rates (ie how quickly your heart beat returns to "normal") and peak rates will improve. In the early days of C25K I went straight into peak but over time I've noticed (I graduated nearly two years ago now) that both measures have improved enormously. My FitBit used to insist that my maximum HR was 140, but it frequently hits 165 or so during workouts now and returns to normal very quickly afterwards. My resting heart rate varies from 56 to 59, so I'm happy! I've fiddled with the settings to reflect that and my FitBit no longer scares me!
As someone who did C25K 8.5 years ago and has been doing heart-rate training for the past 5 years, I'd suggest that a beginner who's at the very start of what is hopefully a long and enjoyable running journey, should **forget** about heart-rate and recovery times for now. These metrics just tend to over-complicate things in the minds of beginners.
Maybe once you've been running (JOGGING!) for 6 months , a year, etc, then heart-rate training could become useful.
Your focus should simply be on making sure you keep your effort during every 'running' (JOGGING!) segment very easy, using your breathing as the main indicator.
If you can't chat easily or comfortably during any 'run' (JOG!) segment then you are simply going too quickly.
You say above "I was pretty out of breath but running so slowly to avoid that feels awkward"
My advice is to embrace the awkward 😎, forget about your heart rate spiking and focus on how you feel - and keep things very very easy.
We call it 'conversational' or 'chatty' pace, i.e. a pace at which you easily chat during. THAT is the best test of 'am I going too fast?', NOT your heart-rate.
That is the secret sauce or the cheat-code to success with C25K - *not* heart-rate zones*
"I need to be mindful since exercising is new to me and I’m pretty out of shape. "
That makes it even more important that you use your breathing rate (effort) as your main metric of whether you're going too quickly.
Have a look at this video and watch how 'out of breath' they are 😉
Enjoy 🙂
Week 3 & high heart rate 
Heart Rate.
Heart rate monitors 
Heart rate too high
Heart Rate
