Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Prev Next
Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6
Quote | Reply
So I completed my first 140.6 this passed weekend at IMWI (last year, I attempted but DNF'd at mile 18 of the run). I do work with an excellent coach and we are working on my cardio base but it is just simply not where it needs to be. I biked and 8:15 on Sunday with an average HR of 164 bpm for the 112 miles with a max of 189bpm. My power was also pretty low but my heart rate is really what holds me back. My question for all of you is what was your average heart rate on the bike of a 140.6 and has anyone else struggled with consistently high heart rates on the bike and had results lowering it? I just so badly want to not have to be that person that is constantly skirting cut offs and need to hear from others that have been there.

EDIT: It seems I did not add enough information to the this post originally. I am a 26 year old female. I do have HR zone they are as follows:
Zone 1: 119-150 bpm
Zone 2: 151-162 bpm
Zone 3: 163-170 bpm
Zone 4: 171-181 bpm
Zone 5a: 182-85 bpm
Last edited by: t1dtri: Sep 13, 17 8:57
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
When I was 24 years old, my heart rate would always be around 187 beats per minute on the bike.

How old are you?
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Any idea what your zones are? Honestly without knowing those you're riding and running blind. I know because that was me a few years ago. Couldn't get through a half without completely blowing up.

Learn your zones. Then train in them. In the offseason build speed / power. But race day stick to z2. For me that's 140-150, but I'm a 43 year old dude. Everyone's different. As I have trained z2 over the past few years my HR continues to drop as my pace increases. Just takes time.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Which tool are your using to measure your HR? 164 seems really really high for 8 hours and 15 mins on a bike.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I would say 165 for a 70.3 seems about right if you are in the 30-34 year old age group. I am not sure how that translates into a 140.6. But, in the end, it will depend on you.

It sounds like you may need to tune into your breathing to keep your heart rate lower. Try yoga and meditation.
Last edited by: LifeTri: Sep 13, 17 8:21
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
That seems pretty high. What HR do you normally see in training for both long and short rides of the same intensity?

Do you have a power meter? How does your hr correlate to bike power?

My max HR on the bike is in mid 180s, during an IM bike ride I usually stay in high 130s/Low 140s with occasional 150 on hills and towards the end of the bike.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [wcb] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
wcb wrote:
Any idea what your zones are? Honestly without knowing those you're riding and running blind. I know because that was me a few years ago. Couldn't get through a half without completely blowing up.

Learn your zones. Then train in them. In the offseason build speed / power. But race day stick to z2. For me that's 140-150, but I'm a 43 year old dude. Everyone's different. As I have trained z2 over the past few years my HR continues to drop as my pace increases. Just takes time.
This. If you are going to race by HR you need to know your zones or what's the point?
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I am a 26 y/o female.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [wcb] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I do have heart rate zones, sorry I totally forgot to post them in my original post.
Zone 1: 119-150 bpm
Zone 2: 151-162 bpm
Zone 3: 163-170 bpm
Zone 4: 171-181 bpm
Zone 5a: 182-85 bpm
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [mdgreene] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
mdgreene wrote:
Which tool are your using to measure your HR? 164 seems really really high for 8 hours and 15 mins on a bike.


I am using my garmin 920xt with a garmin tri hr strap.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
There's your answer. Anything over 155 on the bike and the writing's on the wall.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
How did you determine these zones? Are these zones based off threshold hr or max hr?

Based on your zones (assuming they are accurate), I think you need to be floating around low zone 2. Like under 155 hr. Anything more than that for an extended period of time will not lead to good results on the run.

blog
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [Anton84] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Anton84 wrote:
That seems pretty high. What HR do you normally see in training for both long and short rides of the same intensity?

Do you have a power meter? How does your hr correlate to bike power?

My max HR on the bike is in mid 180s, during an IM bike ride I usually stay in high 130s/Low 140s with occasional 150 on hills and towards the end of the bike.

So for long and short rides my hr starts out low and then as the ride goes on slowly rises to what it was at IMWI. So for example, for the first hour my avg hr would normally be in the high 140s, the next hour it would be the low to mid 150's and so fourth and so on (this pattern happens even in a ride that is directly after a swim in training). My HR was in the mid 160's from the moment I got on my bike at IMWI and the swim felt so easy (perceived effort of a 2).

Yes, I have power, my power is chronically lower than I would like. My avg power was only 81 watts. I weigh around 135 lbs.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [stevej] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
stevej wrote:
How did you determine these zones? Are these zones based off threshold hr or max hr?

Based on your zones (assuming they are accurate), I think you need to be floating around low zone 2. Like under 155 hr. Anything more than that for an extended period of time will not lead to good results on the run.

To be honest I am not entirely sure how my heart rate zones were calculated (my coach did it based on all the data I supply him). I agree, my problem was that if I were to ride under 155 bpm (my goal was 148 bpm) I would have been no where near making the cut off. I feel very fortunate that I was able to keep my run going for the entire marathon after that bike, seems like I kind of dodged a bullet there.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Beginning of zone 3 should be ok. Is what I used to do when I started (was 130 for me) Now I'm rather at the end of zone 3, beginning of 4 (137). I thus think that you can go higher after a couple of years of training.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
t1dtri wrote:
Yes, I have power, my power is chronically lower than I would like. My avg power was only 81 watts. I weigh around 135 lbs.

Must be something wrong with your PM.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I'm pretty sure your zones are all wrong, you need to do a max test to see what your actual HR is. I'm guessing it is 200+, how much more is hard to tell. Could be 205 could be 220. And it has nothing to do with anyone else's HR, each person has their own individual limits and numbers. Without knowing these everything else is just gobbley goop.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I have no basis/experience for a recommendation, but I just want to throw out one idea.
Your zones are low, almost as if what you have listed as Z3 is actually your Z2 range. I say this because your power output is low on a watts/kg level, and you were able to run the whole marathon segment. Dare I say you should just push harder on the bike and let your HR tick upward? Do you feel gassed during the bike? Maybe your threshold is higher than you think and you just aren't pushing. Again, I have no basis here just throwing something out for thought.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
How long have you been doing tris? my guess is that the problem is either fitness related (the more fit you are, the less hr increases at the same effort), or nutrition related (increased hr may be a sign of dehydration or under-fueling). I would think that you should be able to sit down with your coach and discuss these.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
t1dtri wrote:
stevej wrote:
How did you determine these zones? Are these zones based off threshold hr or max hr?

Based on your zones (assuming they are accurate), I think you need to be floating around low zone 2. Like under 155 hr. Anything more than that for an extended period of time will not lead to good results on the run.


To be honest I am not entirely sure how my heart rate zones were calculated (my coach did it based on all the data I supply him). I agree, my problem was that if I were to ride under 155 bpm (my goal was 148 bpm) I would have been no where near making the cut off. I feel very fortunate that I was able to keep my run going for the entire marathon after that bike, seems like I kind of dodged a bullet there.

Would you mind sharing your run and swim times with us??? It seems odd that you were able to swim very easy, then bike apparently pretty hard, and yet still run the whole mary. Most people who have high HRs on the bike pay for it dearly on the run. To me it is kind of amazing that your HR kept going up during the bike b/c for me once I start to get pretty tired, my HR starts going down, simply b/c I have very little glycogen available to fuel a faster effort. You are an unusual case. :)


"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [longtrousers] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
longtrousers wrote:
t1dtri wrote:

Yes, I have power, my power is chronically lower than I would like. My avg power was only 81 watts. I weigh around 135 lbs.


Must be something wrong with your PM.

^^ THIS ^^

At first, I didn't know that we had to calibrate our 920xt with the power meter before every ride as the output uses air temperature to give us our readings. Its as easy as three buttons to do. I was sitting on a bike going 23 mph over an olympic bike course and wondering why my average watts was only 140...
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [monty] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
monty wrote:
I'm pretty sure your zones are all wrong, you need to do a max test to see what your actual HR is. I'm guessing it is 200+, how much more is hard to tell. Could be 205 could be 220. And it has nothing to do with anyone else's HR, each person has their own individual limits and numbers. Without knowing these everything else is just gobbley goop.


Ok thanks. I will do one and see what I find out!
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [Anton84] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Anton84 wrote:
How long have you been doing tris? my guess is that the problem is either fitness related (the more fit you are, the less hr increases at the same effort), or nutrition related (increased hr may be a sign of dehydration or under-fueling). I would think that you should be able to sit down with your coach and discuss these.
This is my second full year doing tris (my first was in in November of 2015 and it was a sprint). I then did 1 sprint, 3 70.3's and 1 140.6 (DNF IMWI mile 18 of the run) last year. This year I did 1 olympic , 1 70.3 and 1 140.6.

I think the problem is fitness, not nutrition. I consumed 250 calories and 25 oz of water per hour on the bike.


Yes, I will obviously be discussing this with him. I was just wondering if others had any suggestions/had dealt with this before.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [ericmulk] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
ericmulk wrote:
t1dtri wrote:
stevej wrote:
How did you determine these zones? Are these zones based off threshold hr or max hr?

Based on your zones (assuming they are accurate), I think you need to be floating around low zone 2. Like under 155 hr. Anything more than that for an extended period of time will not lead to good results on the run.


To be honest I am not entirely sure how my heart rate zones were calculated (my coach did it based on all the data I supply him). I agree, my problem was that if I were to ride under 155 bpm (my goal was 148 bpm) I would have been no where near making the cut off. I feel very fortunate that I was able to keep my run going for the entire marathon after that bike, seems like I kind of dodged a bullet there.


Would you mind sharing your run and swim times with us??? It seems odd that you were able to swim very easy, then bike apparently pretty hard, and yet still run the whole mary. Most people who have high HRs on the bike pay for it dearly on the run. To me it is kind of amazing that your HR kept going up during the bike b/c for me once I start to get pretty tired, my HR starts going down, simply b/c I have very little glycogen available to fuel a faster effort. You are an unusual case. :)


I swam a 1:41, biked the 8:15 (yes it felt like a very very strong effort) and ran a 5:55 (which for me is not a bad pace for a run of that length, my stand alone marathon PR is a 5:41). My average HR on the run was 146 which I was pleasantly surprised with. I kept waiting for my bike HR to catch up with me on the run and make me pay but it didn't really come.
Quote Reply
Re: Avg. HR on the bike for a 140.6 [t1dtri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
t1dtri wrote:
ericmulk wrote:
t1dtri wrote:
stevej wrote:
How did you determine these zones? Are these zones based off threshold hr or max hr?

Based on your zones (assuming they are accurate), I think you need to be floating around low zone 2. Like under 155 hr. Anything more than that for an extended period of time will not lead to good results on the run.


To be honest I am not entirely sure how my heart rate zones were calculated (my coach did it based on all the data I supply him). I agree, my problem was that if I were to ride under 155 bpm (my goal was 148 bpm) I would have been no where near making the cut off. I feel very fortunate that I was able to keep my run going for the entire marathon after that bike, seems like I kind of dodged a bullet there.


Would you mind sharing your run and swim times with us??? It seems odd that you were able to swim very easy, then bike apparently pretty hard, and yet still run the whole mary. Most people who have high HRs on the bike pay for it dearly on the run. To me it is kind of amazing that your HR kept going up during the bike b/c for me once I start to get pretty tired, my HR starts going down, simply b/c I have very little glycogen available to fuel a faster effort. You are an unusual case. :)


I swam a 1:41, biked the 8:15 (yes it felt like a very very strong effort) and ran a 5:55 (which for me is not a bad pace for a run of that length, my stand alone marathon PR is a 5:41). My average HR on the run was 146 which I was pleasantly surprised with. I kept waiting for my bike HR to catch up with me on the run and make me pay but it didn't really come.

Well, it seems like you had a really good race, with an appropriately easy swim, a strong bike and a strong run. It is a bit unusual IMO for your run HR to be less than your bike HR but this may be reflective of your just getting tired as everyone does in the iron mary. Also, based on your HRs, it seems that your max HR must be pretty close to 220. As others have suggested, try doing an all-out 1 or 2-mi run, pushing it all out at the end, and see what your HRM says. Of course, you'll need to recover for 3-4 weeks before attempting this. :)


"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."
Quote Reply

Prev Next