I'm returning after 3 months off with yet another injury and am under strict instructions to control speed/distance and increases. My first couple of runs were 10 mins on the dreadmill and tonight I did 3k at 10km/h. According to the HRM on the dreadmill my HR was 164-166 during the last km. My Max HR was 179 when I checked it about 6 months back before injury. My question is, if this is correct, thwhy how was I still able to breathe through my nose throughout ? Surely I should have been out of breath a little with that HR ?
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I can breath perfectly well at 166 bpm, 179 after a few minutes I doubt it. I am 35 years old
Great thanks. I wasnt sure if the reading was correct, especially when it kept flashing up 'HIGH HEART RATE'
The monitors on the equipment are usually way off, mine states 180bpm but on my garmin its 156. Get a watch type one with the chest belt, far better and only £20-30 for a half decent one.
2. The readout was wrong on the machine - did you have your strap on ? Are you sure it was your HR it was reading ?
Fairy sure the MHR is correct, I checked it during 2 different 10k's both of which I PB'ed. the reading was from the sensors on a dreadmill not from my own HRM. I'm doing 4k tomorrow night at the same pace so I'll use a different machine and see. I'm working away from home and don't have my own HRM with me.
Heart rate monitors are notoriously unreliable. You can get on identical machines and have your heart rate different by up to 30% or more. It depends on so many factors including the amount of sweat on the sensors, the amount of sweat on you, the temperature, static in the machine etc.
I would recommend getting a chest strap for a start and also wearing cotton running tops (not as a rule as they soak up the sweat and rub but for the purposes of heart rates as the technical tops generate static which messes with the HR readings) to get a more consistent idea of your HR. Try to wear the same t-shirt too as it can different with different tops.
It sounds mad but I have been experimenting with this for years after becoming concerned about the recorded profile of my heart rate when running. I can also spike the HR on the watch by running past one particular electricity substation yet run past other identical looking one and nothing happens.
Did 4k tonight, 150 bpm after 1k, 155 after 2, 160 after 3 and 161 at 4k. Same pace as previous sessions and still able to breathe through nose for duration. Still seems odd to me, I thought that the extra km would make breathing a bit more laboured at that heart rate ?