I completed the PF Changs marathon today at 3:43. Not a PR but decent considering I only put in an average of about 5 to 10 miles a week for the past 6 weeks and had a 2.5 month void prior with the exception of an ironman. The concern is that my heart rate was at 175 or higher nearly the entire time… going into the mid 180s going up the mild hills. This seemed a little high… but never felt the need to back off. Typically I run marathons around 160 to 165. So it wasn’t a gross elevation. I have run next to guys that put in the high milage of 40 mpw and their heart rate is around 130… a far cry from mine.
So is there reason for concern and that I should push the high milage to get my heart rate down or does it really matter for overall health? thx
Hints of a backdoor brag there, some of us would love to be able to run a 3:43 mary off 5 miles/week
Heart rate is a hugely personal thing, chances are that you were just a bit higher normal because you were less fit, or because you were carrying a cold, or it was a hotter/hillier day than normal or something. Did it come back down to normal without any problems after you stopped? If in any doubt, I’d get it checked out, no point taking risks with heart rate.
You indicated a 20bpm difference between your usual training and your recent race numbers. What was your HR during the Ironman marathon event or other races? As stated before, your DNA–not some math formula–will hugely determine HR numbers and values. Other factors can also come into play. More personal information is needed.
Your training adaptations don’t last forever. As your volume starts to take a dive, your mitochondrial density also drops, so does your hematocrit etc. When all of those things in the energy delivery chain drop, you need a higher heart rate to deliver and use the same amount of oxygen to your muscles.
There are some rare things that can also cause elevated heart rate (like cardiomyopathy and holes in your heart (PFO and ASD)). These things basically make it so you blood is just kinda circulating within the heart itself instead of making its way out to the body. BUT, your change in ‘performance’ is also correlated to a decrease in activity.
I personally wouldn’t even attempt a marathon on as little training as you 5-10 miles per week. I think that’s fairly dangerous. 40 MPW isn’t necessarily “high mileage” either. I’d say that’s close to an absolute bare minimum for attempting a marathon.
