Is my heart rate too high when running?

[VictoryOrDeath]

Is my heart rate to high when I'm running - this is from a 35min run this evening:



Sorry, here's the pic:

DH's average for the same run was 144bpm.

Maximum safe heart rate is roughly 220 minus your age (ie if you're 40, it would be 180). So anything below that is fine.

Uh oh, I'm 45.

Are you a regular runner or are you new to it? Makes a big difference! I run 4x a week and would expect my heart rate over a 5km run to be lower than someone doing their first 5k, even if we ran at the same speed.
The heart is a muscle, and regular running will 'train' it to work more efficiently over time.

Also depends if you were running flat our, or whether you thought it was more of a gentle run.

OK, that's true - I'm new to running (again), I've only just completed 5k

Sorry, meant to write CouchTo5k.

I find running hard 😄, so I felt like I was pushing myself.

My heart rate would be way higher than my partner’s for a run at the same speed as he is a much faster runner than me. If i ran a tough run for 35 mins my heart rate would go that high - this is mine from a 40 min cross country race. I’m 47. Have never found 220-age to be accurate for me

You need to slow down to bring your Hr down and make it feel easier!

Heart rate is very individual and adapts and changes according to fitness, think about how you felt, how quickly you recovered etc. and if this was close to max effort then make your next runs this week an easier pace to give yourself recovery time. Long term, increased fitness increases your max heart rate and reduces your resting heart rate. Just listen to your body and maybe only run with your DH when you want to go hard unless he's good at adapting to the pace you need for an easy run!

Think that is too high, mine often is if running with DH and he is inconsiderate!

don't measure yourself against a fit(ter) male.
you just got started, a higher rate is expected.
are you feeling ok during/after the run?

I'd think more about effort than HR.

Most of my runs are very easy (and slow!)
Only some of them I'm really pushing max effort.

Running at high effort all the time is bad for recovery, bad for injuries and bad for overall fitness progression

If you find you need to walk to bring the effort down to a manageable level, that's fine. You'll gradually get fitter and be able to run more.

The heart rate calculation is 226 - your age for women as opposed to 220 for men. I have had similar heart rate zones when running through my 40's. Now that I'm 50 the max heart rate I ve seen this year is 186. My husband's max heart rate is 174 at 54 years of age. As a previous poster said, don't compare yourself to a fitter male. It's all relative to your own state of fitness.

Thanks everyone, I might need to go running by myself instead 🧐.

I found my 5k PB from 7 years ago on my Garmin app. If I can find it again, I can check what my heart rate was then.

OK, I was relatively fit at this point 7 years ago - this is from a 5k:

Pic -

I'm 49 and I'd expect my heart rate to be similar for a pacy 5k. I run a lot, and my max heart rate is 190+ and resting heart rate is mid 40s.

My heart rate would look similar. I have run for years, and I'm not super fit but I'm ok. I've run a few half marathons this year (pretty slowly!). I've always assumed that my personal max heart rate is just higher than average, and running does seem to push it up way more than any other cardio. I would look at your resting heart rate and how fast you recover to get a better idea of your heart health. If those are ok then I don't think you need to worry!

It’s “probably” fine assuming no underlying health issues and as long as it comes back down nicely when you stop. You look to be trying hard and are getting back into running.
I’m 45 and would average 175 for 5-10K and 167-170 for a marathon. I usually run 4 times a week but broke my foot a year ago. First race back was a 5K and I averaged 180 and was over 2 mins slower than I’d been before the break.
Most people that say it’s high either don’t actually push themselves or are natural low beaters. Even saying that I don’t know anyone that would average much less than 170 racing a 5K at my age or younger. I’m probably 10 bpm down on where I was 20 years ago. The 220 or 226 - some sort of age factor tend to be a good starting point for people new to running but those of us that have ran for years tend to beat higher than the formula would guess at an older age

@User1786, I like your terminology - I do think I'm a naturally high beater.

I'll keep an eye on how I feel during runs (a bit rubbish, but I'm naturally lazy) and how well I recover (seems to be relatively quickly).

I just got a fright when o saw how different DH's was.

I’m in my 50s and usually average in the 170s on my runs (anywhere from 4-8km). I’ve read that you’re supposed to run at around 60% of your max HR but I’d have to be at a snail’s pace to do that. I also read that a better indicator of your heart health is how quickly your HR drops after finishing your run and mine drops down to under 100bpm within a minute and is almost back to normal within two minutes so I’m hoping that’s ok.

Apparently if you are anaemic this can push your heart rate higher.