I’ve noticed that my HR is quite high whenever I run, compared to others. I thought I had seen someone comment that Diabetes can have an effect on one’s HR, but I can’t find that now. Does anyone have any links to research or other type of sites where this is discussed? My HR for a 5 mile run averages over 170, and maxes out at about 195.
This is much better than a few months ago when the average was 185, topping out at 205 or more. Perhaps I just need to train more. FYI, I’m 31, and although I’ve been heavy cycling for 4 years I just got back into running.
Mike, I’m not sure its related but I’m like you with a higher than average HR. I think HR zones are more genetic than assoc with diabetes, but could be wrong. Mine has been in similar ranges before and after being diagnosed Type 1.
That said, I can tell you that you can train your HR down withe consistent running. Leading up to my last IM last year I tried a new test/execise for about six months. Go to a track and do one mile easy warmup and then on the 2nd mile pick a set HR and stick with it for the whole lap (I chose 160). I found that in the beginning to keep at 160 my pace was 9:18. With a very consistent training schedule in between the 2nd month was 8:38 pace, 3rd month was 7:45 pace and 4th month was 8:24 pace. No worries on the last one as on all four tests I also did a fast (at least had me working hard) and in order it was 7:35 @ 178HR, 7:56 @ 170HR, 7:34 @ 171HR and 6:34 @ 186HR; the last one was a new high threshold for me on pace and right after I did a 23 mile bike ride @ 22 mph. Not tooting my horn here as the point is that I not only could see progress but it also gave me great feedback and encouragement. Not too long after that last test I had a PR in my next Half Ironman and I contribute much of it to really managing the race distance with specific HR zones.
Keep up the good work and leverage your HR monitor as a tool to structure your workouts.
Wow Mike. I’ve haven’t seen any studies that show a connection, specifically, between a higher exercise HR and diabetes. FWIW, in the past year since getting back into running, I’ve never recorded an HR over 165. I’m usually in the 130s to 140s for casual runs and push 150-160 on high CV days. I’m 45.
How long does it take your HR to return to baseline and what’s your resting HR?
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything about diabetes and HR specifically linked. I’d be interested to read any literature that people find about it.
Your max HR is based loosely on your age (there’s a formula that I can’t remember off the top of my head, but I bet if you google it it’s pretty easy to find). So then theoretically your HR “zones” (which again will vary slightly from person to person) can be established off of that, and you could theoretically figure your LT (lactate threshold), etc as well. But as you age, your max HR will decrease. My max is supposed to be just over 200 for my age, but my garmin recorded a 211 a few weeks ago at the end of a crit that I raced (and my chest felt like it was going to explode 
There may be some inaccuracy in that number though, so I don’t take it as an end all…
I have a friend who is in his mid 40s. For a training ride where we are putting out the “same effort” (and we are roughly the same level of fitness), I may push 160s to low 170s and he’s pushing 120s to low 130s the whole time.
Like Todd, I did a lot of training for my last IM and a couple half IMs using those HRs, and my PR on the 1/2 IM last year was partly due to keeping within my ideal HR range on both the bike and the run (not overdoing myself too early in the game, so to speak).
Making sure that when you’re training you’re not pushing yourself too much (running to close to your LT) will help with your fitness, and over time it should bring your pace down for the same HR (again like Todd’s example). If you just go out and sprint (or push yourself really hard) every time you run, you may not be “helping” yourself as much as you think w/ regard to increasing your endurance/fitness.
I think the formula that most people use is 220 - Chronological age, but there is no research behind it. There are a ton of other formulas that people have come up with, but none of them are based on data that are very tight. The bottom line is that there are a lot of people that fall outside the range of max HR that a formula can produce.
What the heck anyway. I’ve always been a sprinter and the only target HR I was ever concerned with was 85% and above of whatever max I was able to esablish for myself. I think the highest HR I was ever able to produce in my prime was just above 200 but I’d hit that pretty consistently during my heavy interval days. I’ve never been able to get my resting HR below 45. My VO2 max was pretty pathetic. I guess that’s why I was a sprinter in the first place.
There are a number of factors in play here. First, your perceived effort and related HR will vary from sport to sport (I starte reading a book that mentioned this, Precision Heart Rate Training. (I’ll have to drag up the details when I get home.) Level of overall training and level of training in the sport are also factors.
My heart rate pattern is pretty is pretty similar to yours, averaging in the low/mid 180s and maxing in the low/mid 190’s. To my recollection this has always been the case for me so I attribute it to my individual make-up rather than D. But I did a quick search and found an article (Diabet Med. 2010 Jul;27(7):753-61.) that did show a significantly higher HR but only in people with T1D >30 years. I suppose there could be some neuropathic element, not really sure.
I’ve been doing the whole “chi running” form thing for a few months and my HR actually went down to the mid-170’s in the cooler months of the spring. In this heat it’s been right back up there though. I think part of my problem is pacing though, I just have absolutely no sense of how fast I’m going without looking at my watch so I tend to fluctuate a lot.
I find myself staring at my Garmin a lot, which is the Edge, so it is made for biking and doesn’t show pace, just MPH. It also is very jumpy since bike movements are supposed to be linear. and I also have been trying to find some good songs that help with my pace. Nothing yet, but I’m slowly working on it.
I’m pretty limited with workouts, having 2 kids, busy weekends and some long workdays during the week. So a coworker and I have been going out to train a lot. His HR is about a 130 when mine is a 180, so I was just hypothesizing.
I don’t know how long it takes to get to resting, but after about 5 minutes of walking it gets down to 125-135. When I’m at work it’s usually around 70-80. I work in front a of a computer but do have to walk about 1/2 mile to get to the computer lab a couple times a day. When I’m immobile it can be down below 60.
I hear you. My forerunner is great but unless I’m looking at it every minute or two I veer off pace. I’ve gotten better at not completely sabotaging my run by going too fast too soon, but I’m not pushing myself as hard as I’d like. I’m hoping to get more serious in the fall when it cools down. I’ve thought a lot about doing triathalons but I haven’t biked in about 10 years and training for 3 different activities seems like a lot of work!
Mike…where did you ride as a Red rider?..I just rode in the Tour de Cure North Shore.Gloucester…
i rode the Jersey Shore in New Jersey. If you haven’t seen it yet, there is a Cycling Diabetics Group, as well as a Red Rider group.
I don’t swim well, so the tri that I did last year and am doing again this year is only a 1/4 mile swim in 2’ briny water, plus another 6" of seaweed muck. You couldn’t sink in that no matter how hard you try, nor would you want to.
The running I’m doing this year really helped with my biking. Just did 67 miles at 18mph two weeks ago with minimal training. Didn’t have time between the running and the family.
Thanks for the reference, Tom.
I’ve had lots of trouble with my heart rate during runs. I usually run at 125-150 HR but often, usually during morning runs my HR jumps up to 175-200. this happened to me during my last marathon. It scares me but I don’t really know what to do about it.
Is your HR always high. Is it high when you cycle?
Does anyone have a clue?