Hi Folks,

I used to be pretty fit my whole life (Team Sports) but about 5 years ago I became very lazy. About 3 Months ago i decided to get my ***** moving again and began training the triathlon disciplines (one of the three everyday for 6 days a week).
To monitor my training i bought a HR Watch (TomTom Multisport Cardio) and noticed that my HR is very high especially while running:

Age: 27, Height: 1.83, Weight: 73kg
My Resting HR : 55
While Running 7min / km or even slower: 180
While Running <5min / km 187
Highest HR i can maintain for a "not so long" time: 196

I have no problem running for 20km and more and i don't even feel super tired after having such a high HR for more than an hour. Can you give me any advice on how to improve that? Is my breathing wrong? should i simply train at a very slow pace for some time? or should i visit a cardiologist?

Many thanks in advance!

Many thanks, i guess i'll borrow a HR with a strap not an optical one an check again...
I try to slow things down, but i usually don't have problems holding a conversation when running a "normal" speed but still have a HR around 180... :S

Regards

Hi Folks,

I used to be pretty fit my whole life (Team Sports) but about 5 years ago I became very lazy. About 3 Months ago i decided to get my ***** moving again and began training the triathlon disciplines (one of the three everyday for 6 days a week).
To monitor my training i bought a HR Watch (TomTom Multisport Cardio) and noticed that my HR is very high especially while running:

Age: 27, Height: 1.83, Weight: 73kg
My Resting HR : 55
While Running 7min / km or even slower: 180
While Running <5min / km 187
Highest HR i can maintain for a "not so long" time: 196

I have no problem running for 20km and more and i don't even feel super tired after having such a high HR for more than an hour. Can you give me any advice on how to improve that? Is my breathing wrong? should i simply train at a very slow pace for some time? or should i visit a cardiologist?

Many thanks in advance!

Just corroborate the TomTom pulse reading with a quick pulse check. Two fingers to your wrist, count the pumps for 6 seconds, multiply by 10.

Often, wrist based optical HR sensors suffer from 'cadence lock', where they will register your cadence instead of HR. For Garmins, this is usually 'left foot cadence', so normal values will be 80-90. Who knows? Maybe TomTom's algorithm is different and catches both feet, thus your 180+ readings.

I use a Scosche Rythm+ for HR on most of my runs.

Nice, yes the Scosche is pretty accurate. When it cadence locks, it also defaults to one foot cadence, so you'd like see 90-100BPM. FWIW, I always found the best spot for it in the cleft between bicep and shoulder muscle, strapped down somewhat tight, so that after, I could see a pretty clear impression. Even better if you can pull a short sleeve over it to block out a little extra light.

Just continue to take data and see what is normal for you. Remember, '220-your age' is based on a bell curve. It is great for characterizing a population, but worthless for describing an individual. The idea is that as you get fitter, you'll go faster at the same HR or lower HR at the same pace (or maybe faster pace AND lower HR). Those are good signs.

I have the opposite going on, I have a hard time getting my heart rate in the 170's..

At the end of last year I did a lactate treshold test, where my max heartrate was 176 (25 y/o, 5'7.5", 152pounds).
They suggested I'd implement more intervaltraining as well, where I get my heartrate above my zone (upper limit is 167 bpm),
but I'm having a hard time actually getting to that point..
I can do a 5k at 4min25/k (7min04/mile) at an average heartrate of only 157 and max of 161..