I recently went to a library book fair and picked up some books on running really, really cheap. There was a book Dr. Sheehan titled Running by Dr. George Sheehan that was first printed in 1975, I got the 1978 paperback edition (it cost me a quarter).
He had some very interesting views on running, but his view on HR I found interesting. I have always had a high HR and was told it was because I was not in good shape and my HR would come down when I got fit. What Dr. Sheehen wrote left me with a couple of questions.
I have taken his words and pasted them here:
Page 130-131, Dr. Sheehan on Running, by Dr. George Sheehan, M. D. 1978
"The pulse tells me three different things about my body and its capabilities. This information comes from three different aspects of the pulse: (1) the resting pulse rate; (2) the exercise pulse rate; (3) the past-exercise pulse rate.
The resting pulse rate tells me whether or not I am in an inner harmony, in equilibrium with my various body systems. For me, this is achieved when my pulse rate is 48. But for each individual, it is different. For some athletes in training, it can be quite slow. Tennis player Bjorn Borg amazed an examining physician when his heart rate was recorded at 38 beats per minute. This was also the resting rate of Roger Bannister when he broke the four-minute mile barrier.
On the other hand, Jim Ryun's basal pulse when he ran the mile almost nine seconds faster than Bannister was 72. And many Olympic runners have resting pulse rates in that range. A study of 202 Olympians showed that sprinters have average resting rates of 65, middle distance runners 63, long distance runners 61 and marathon runners 58. This last figure was also the one reported for Clarence DeMar, one of the greatest marathoners of all time. The resting pulse, therefore, simply tells me about my overall fitness. The exercise and post-exercise pulse tell me about my ability to perform and whether at this particular time I can perform up to my maximum.
The exercise pulse is the basis of all ergometry, which is a word that comes from two Greek words, argon meaning work and matron meaning measure. The best index of the ability to do work, in my case distance running, is to measure my maximum oxygen uptake. This in turn is determined by my cardiac output or the blood my heart can deliver each minute: That output is simply the number of heart beats per minute times the stroke volume or amount of blood ejected with each beat.
Training increases my stroke volume. Through training, my heart has become capable of delivering five ounces a beat instead of two ounces. Therefore, at a given amount of work, my heart rate might be half of yours. Superstars like Ryun and Bannister are known to be able to put out eight ounces per thrust. And there, beat by beat, is the difference between the men and the boys. I train with a runner who has done 4:06 for the mile. At the same rate of speed, my heart rate is 140, his is 96.
The post-exercise heart rate is yet another indicator which can be used to give me control over my running capabilities. The time the pulse rate takes to come back to normal is the most sensitive index of over or under: training. This test tells me whether I can take my innate ability (registered by the maximum oxygen uptake) and utilize it to its fullest extent. The post-exercise pulse is the one that really counts. The reason for this is simple. Like all runners, my hazard is overtraining. Thirty miles a week automatically gets me into inner harmony and brings me to my maximum oxygen uptake. When I add races every week I run the risk of going beyond this fitness, getting into staleness. Keeping a record of the post exercise pulse is the best way to avoid this."
So, my questions are these:
Is this still relevant writing in 2007?
How do I find out my stroke volume? (per Dr. Sheehan: The best index of the ability to do work, in my case distance running, is to measure my maximum oxygen uptake. This in turn is determined by my cardiac output or the blood my heart can deliver each minute: That output is simply the number of heart beats per minute times the stroke volume or amount of blood ejected with each beat.)
As long as I have good recovery (my HR drops quickly when finished running) do I need to be concerned with my high HR and bringing it down? (my resting HR is around 65 bpm).
Thanks to anyone that takes the time to read this long post and respond.
------------------
Running in wellness
Liz
Lizs Profile[/URL" target="_blank">
He had some very interesting views on running, but his view on HR I found interesting. I have always had a high HR and was told it was because I was not in good shape and my HR would come down when I got fit. What Dr. Sheehen wrote left me with a couple of questions.
I have taken his words and pasted them here:
Page 130-131, Dr. Sheehan on Running, by Dr. George Sheehan, M. D. 1978
"The pulse tells me three different things about my body and its capabilities. This information comes from three different aspects of the pulse: (1) the resting pulse rate; (2) the exercise pulse rate; (3) the past-exercise pulse rate.
The resting pulse rate tells me whether or not I am in an inner harmony, in equilibrium with my various body systems. For me, this is achieved when my pulse rate is 48. But for each individual, it is different. For some athletes in training, it can be quite slow. Tennis player Bjorn Borg amazed an examining physician when his heart rate was recorded at 38 beats per minute. This was also the resting rate of Roger Bannister when he broke the four-minute mile barrier.
On the other hand, Jim Ryun's basal pulse when he ran the mile almost nine seconds faster than Bannister was 72. And many Olympic runners have resting pulse rates in that range. A study of 202 Olympians showed that sprinters have average resting rates of 65, middle distance runners 63, long distance runners 61 and marathon runners 58. This last figure was also the one reported for Clarence DeMar, one of the greatest marathoners of all time. The resting pulse, therefore, simply tells me about my overall fitness. The exercise and post-exercise pulse tell me about my ability to perform and whether at this particular time I can perform up to my maximum.
The exercise pulse is the basis of all ergometry, which is a word that comes from two Greek words, argon meaning work and matron meaning measure. The best index of the ability to do work, in my case distance running, is to measure my maximum oxygen uptake. This in turn is determined by my cardiac output or the blood my heart can deliver each minute: That output is simply the number of heart beats per minute times the stroke volume or amount of blood ejected with each beat.
Training increases my stroke volume. Through training, my heart has become capable of delivering five ounces a beat instead of two ounces. Therefore, at a given amount of work, my heart rate might be half of yours. Superstars like Ryun and Bannister are known to be able to put out eight ounces per thrust. And there, beat by beat, is the difference between the men and the boys. I train with a runner who has done 4:06 for the mile. At the same rate of speed, my heart rate is 140, his is 96.
The post-exercise heart rate is yet another indicator which can be used to give me control over my running capabilities. The time the pulse rate takes to come back to normal is the most sensitive index of over or under: training. This test tells me whether I can take my innate ability (registered by the maximum oxygen uptake) and utilize it to its fullest extent. The post-exercise pulse is the one that really counts. The reason for this is simple. Like all runners, my hazard is overtraining. Thirty miles a week automatically gets me into inner harmony and brings me to my maximum oxygen uptake. When I add races every week I run the risk of going beyond this fitness, getting into staleness. Keeping a record of the post exercise pulse is the best way to avoid this."
So, my questions are these:
Is this still relevant writing in 2007?
How do I find out my stroke volume? (per Dr. Sheehan: The best index of the ability to do work, in my case distance running, is to measure my maximum oxygen uptake. This in turn is determined by my cardiac output or the blood my heart can deliver each minute: That output is simply the number of heart beats per minute times the stroke volume or amount of blood ejected with each beat.)
As long as I have good recovery (my HR drops quickly when finished running) do I need to be concerned with my high HR and bringing it down? (my resting HR is around 65 bpm).
Thanks to anyone that takes the time to read this long post and respond.
------------------
Running in wellness
Liz
Lizs Profile[/URL" target="_blank">
