Beginner with question about heart rate

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crackiswhack

8 posts since
Jun 4, 2007

Jun 4, 2007 4:55 PM

Beginner with question about heart rate

Hi everyone. I registered both here and on Runner's World. I decided to take the plunge and start running after years of believing I could never do it. I am following the Couch to 5K program. Since my work schedule is very grueling, I am going at my own pace, still on week 5 of 9 after about 3 months of running. My goal is to first become physically fit and lose just a bit of excess fat before working on improving my times and then hopefully signing up for a later this year or next year.

My question: I am a 31 year old female, weigh about 130 lbs, and stand 5'5" - pretty average. I have never been totally out of shape but also what you wouldn't call extremely physically fit. My resting heart rate is anywhere from 66-78. After my 5 minute warmup, my heart rate is about 130, within the "fat burning range." After 5 minutes of jogging at about 5.5 mph, my heart rate afterwards is about 180, which according to everything I've seen is approaching my maximum (165 should be my upper limit, or 85% of maximum.) I am huffing and puffing a bit - I could answer a question but not carry on a whole conversation comfortably. Then I slow down to 5 minutes of walking again - my heart rate backs down to 130s-150s, and after I start running again it is back to 180. After another walk and another run, I walk to cool down. I do this about 3-4 times a week, although this doesn't always happen if I'm too busy.

1) Am I harming myself by approaching higher heart rates than 85% of my max during exercise 3-4 times a week?
2) In time, will I condition myself so that my heart rate naturally adjusts and comes down, or...
3) Do I run the risk of brief periods of decreased oxygen to my heart, and, eventual decompensation?
4) Should I slow it down and walk only? But then, it doesn't feel like I'm really "working out."

I guess, bottom line, is should I keep toughing it out and plugging away despite heart rate 180, and in time, I will become more physically fit, or should I slow it down to avoid dangerous heart rates and slowly work up to running?

Thanks for your help.

CoreyH

55 posts since
Jul 5, 2007

1. Jun 4, 2007 6:11 PM

in response to: crackiswhack

Welcome.

At 31, and with good weight for your height, I'd say that you shouldn't be overly put off by the many warnings about not jumping in to races too soon. If you are willing to put the commitment in, there's no reason why you can't enter some races this summer and fall. Remember that most races are mainly people that are just there for the experience - you aren't going to be last, and if you need to run/walk that's actually a good strategy and you shouldn't feel funny about it. You'll find that once you put down your registration fee, the motivation to keep training will skyrocket. If you are just trying to "get fit" or "lose weight" you'll generally find it much tougher to make progress.

Now, on to the heart rate question. Basically this will get easier with training. The main thing to be concerned with anytime you go for high intensity workouts is the time the body needs to recover from them. If you are otherwise fine the day after one of these workouts, I wouldn't be too concerned. When your breathing gets really heavy and you take a walk break, try limiting your walk breaks to 2-3 minutes and/or until your heart gets under 120 bpm.

See if you can make a habit of running first thing in the morning, any time work and training conflict, usually the best strategy is to just make it a routine and do it first thing. You won't run into those "should I head out on my run" or "should I go to dinner with my boss" conundrums. I never ever thought I would be a morning runner, but it is simply the only thing that works for me anymore.

HMhopeful

40 posts since
Dec 11, 2007

2. Jun 4, 2007 6:23 PM

in response to: crackiswhack

Dont worry too much about Heart rate right now. As you gain aerobic fitness and your muscles get stronger you will be able to sustain faster running at lower Heart rates. Just concentrate on running progressively longer (for time or distance) and the rest will come with patience.

willamona

384 posts since
Dec 14, 2007

3. Jun 4, 2007 6:50 PM

in response to: crackiswhack

WHOA! If you are a total newbie, just train in the low heart rate zones to build a base. It will keep you from hurting yourself later on. Click on the FAQ in my sig and start reading.

------------------
***********
My myspace[/URL" target="_blank">
No Complaining[/URL" target="_blank">
My User Profile[/URL" target="_blank">
Low Heart Rate Training FAQ [/URL" target="_blank"> Because many have asked...

shadwell

10 posts since
Mar 22, 2007

4. Jun 4, 2007 7:12 PM

in response to: crackiswhack

One of the biggest lessons I learned when I started running (6months ago) was pay attention to the HR. I was starting off too fast and really killing my self in each run, thus I was able to go only short distances. I recently slowed down, ran MY pace, and had the best run in months yesterday--a six miler for the first time in my life. I didn't break a speed record but I had a great workout nonetheless.

Veteran runners are right. Run at the pace that will allow you to talk to someone (or sing to yourself--in my case) with deep breaths in between.

monikam

72 posts since
Dec 14, 2007

5. Jun 4, 2007 7:40 PM

in response to: crackiswhack

Willamona is right.. Slow down.. Heart rate does matter and the sooner you start training in your aerobic zone the sooner you will start building a good aerobic base... Aerobic zone is at 65-75% of your HRmax.. Try to get yourself down to your aerobic zone and your running will become more pleasant, you'll be able to run longer and you will decrease your risk of injuries that so many new runners suffer from. You have HRM so make a good use of it..

Happy running

------------------
MAF - I. CAN. DO. IT.

I AM A RUNNER

Monika
My User Profile[/URL" target="_blank">

shadwell

10 posts since
Mar 22, 2007

6. Jun 4, 2007 11:11 PM

in response to: crackiswhack

I've kept my HR under 76% in my last few runs and have had the best runs ever. I was starting to get discouraged until I realized I was running too high a HR.

crackiswhack

8 posts since
Jun 4, 2007

7. Jun 5, 2007 9:40 AM

in response to: crackiswhack

Thanks everyone for your responses. There seems to be some disagreement about whether it is best for a beginner runner to just "go for it" and in time, the physical fitness will improve - vs. - starting slow and working up to higher levels of running.

For now, I have stepped it down a notch - still doing the C25K, moved yesterday from day 1 to day 2 where I'll probably hang out for a few days until I feel comfortable moving on. 20 minutes straight seems like a lot right now! I have decreased my pace to 5.3 or 5.5 mph from 6.0, which may not be considered "running" but I'm getting there! I mostly just want to have a healthy attitude about everything, and maybe starting at 6.0 wasn't realistic. The last 4 minutes of my run - maybe it's more psychological than anything - but I start to pant more and definitely don't feel like I could carry a full conversation, my face starts to flush more, etc. Probably all signs I should step it down a bit - but not quit!

Thanks everyone.

crackiswhack

8 posts since
Jun 4, 2007

8. Jun 5, 2007 9:42 AM

in response to: crackiswhack

PS - I like the idea of just registering for a race and going at it at my own speed, to keep the motivation up - thanks!

CoreyH

55 posts since
Jul 5, 2007

9. Jun 5, 2007 11:05 AM

in response to: crackiswhack

@crackiswhack, You will definitely find disagreement on the fast vs slow debate, but the beauty of it is that you shouldn't just pick one. Try to run 5 days a week with 3 of them being easy runs at the lower heart rate range that some of the commenters have mentioned. The other two you should be okay to "go for it" by doing either intervals (fast running w/ walk breaks) or tempo runs (sustained medium-fast pace). Obviously if your body tells you that these hard runs are too hard and you start to feel run down or detect the beginnings of injuries, take those days easy too for another couple of weeks and try again with the faster stuff later.

dave.macluskie

299 posts since
Nov 1, 2007

10. Jun 5, 2007 3:19 PM

in response to: crackiswhack

Just to give some reference numbers for you, CisW, I started running a year ago and have just entered the 6mph speeds for training. That's a 10 min/mile. Even now my warmup pace is usually 10:30 - 11 min/miles depending on the heat and humidity. I ran the first 6 months in the 12 min/miles range (that's something in the 4.x mph range if I recall).

Now I generally run in with a HR in the 140-145 range (measured max of 200) with weekly averages around 10:00 to 10:15 min/miles. During my last 5K (7:45 min/mile pace) my HR was in the lower 180's.

Don't let speed get you! Sure, it's more fun and feels more like running, but it's a good way to get injured too, especially early on.

Also, heart training really only works if you know your actual max heart rate by measurement, not by formula. The formula version seems wrong for any given indivdual more often than not.

And yes, there is a lot of conflicting advice on how to train. Pick one that makes sense to you and stick with for a while and see if you like the results. The low heart rate folks usually say results take at least 6-8 weeks (details in Willamona's FAQ). That's a long time for some people.

Jun 4, 2007 4:55 PM

Beginner with question about heart rate

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