Week 9 C25K runs really pushes up my heart rate. Is there a point i should back off?

[Gazter]

The last two runs i have done the treadmills have had fancy heart rate monitors on them.

Apparently your maximum heart rate (as a generality) is 220 minus your age. Therefore my max is 185.

My resting heart rate (measured first thing before i get up) is between 60 and 65. When i am doing c25k it jumps to 150bpm and then climbs up 170+. I think the highest it was at today was about 177.

Is this too high? Am i putting too much strain on my heart too soon?

[tantrumbean Graduate]

From what I remember from my cycling days, the 220 minus your age thing is pretty inaccurate. The best way to establish your max would be by doing a stress test, but apparently you literally end up on the verge of collapse doing it. If you don't feel sick or about to keel over at 177, I doubt you are pushing your maximum (but I'm not an expert on this either)

[Gazter Graduate]

Nah, I was fine at that rate (though I was counting down the seconds until the end of the run). When I sprinted at the end a few days ago I am sure it crept up to 182, but ten minutes after cool down I was good and not exhausted.

Those numbers just seemed worryingly high.

[shelleymcb Graduate]

Im 43 & have been jogging a year. resting heart rate is about 60ish now. but yesterday my garmin watch told me my heart rate was 189 so I walked til it was back to about 140 then ran again.

am full of cold at the moment & this was my first run in a week due to life taking over! but my heart rate usually peaks at 184 when I run so the 220-age definately isnt correct for me. (should be 177)

I have found that slowing down & taking deep breaths can help to maintain a lower heart rate, but I find this quite difficult.

I didnt feel faint yesterday, but my nose was streaming but if I didnt feel right I would have slowed down before then.

do you know how long it takes for your heart rate to get back to your walking heart rate? this is a good test of how your heart is working & a shorter time shows improvement in fitness I think.

just listen to your body. you will know if you are over-pushing yourself

[Minuette Graduate]

I'm 49 with a resting heart rate of 52. I'm 4 weeks post grad now and my heartbeat is regularly in the high 170s always has been. I've never felt physically bad on a run or after and I just accept that's how I am. It has been slowly coming down over the weeks though.

It returns back to normal very quickly so I think as Shelley has said that's the real indicator.

[RhonaL in reply to Minuette]

Hi Minuette

What do you mean by heartbeat returning to normal very quickly? I too am in the 170s towards end of ten minutes but feel fine. But a couple of minutes to drop to 130ish. Is this like you? Thanks.

[Minuette Graduate in reply to RhonaL]

Hi

Yes I mean the walking heart rate - it usually drops back down to around 120/123 within a couple of minutes when I start to walk again so I think that's a good indicator that all is ok. Hope so anyway!!

[RhonaL]

Thanks Minuette, nice to know I'm normalish!