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Weird -- Getting to near or beyond MaxHeartRate at beginning of easy run (Read 215 times)

ROD in Miami


    Just a curious thing.

     

    I've never regularly worn a HRM even though I've been running and racing for decades.  Last week I decided to dust-off the strap that came with my Garmin and put it on for an occasional run: just for grins - playing with a toy.  The graphs are on my log for those two days, Friday Feb 1 and this morning Tuesday Feb 5.

     

    On both occasions my heart rate during these easy-runs settled into the mid to upper 130s after about mile 1.  But during that first mile, on both occasions, my HR bounces around the 165 to 180 bpm range.  Now keep in mind that I will soon turn 55 so, depending on the formula you use my Max HR should be in the about 165-170 bpm range.  More to the point, not only were both 6.2-milers run at a very easy "recovery" pace (I ran the Miami Marathon week ago Sunday), but during the first mile I'm just VERY easily coasting along to wake-up (I run like at 5:45am).  I also am pretty sure there's nothing freaky about my haert-rate as my wife had nagged me into getting a medical treadmill stress-test back in 2005 before my first Ironman (even though I had zero of the risk-factors that would justify one) and the results were fine.

     

    So I guess to formulate the question: Can one's heart-rate near or exceed MaxHR when NOT performing maximal execise?  Friday I assumed it was just bad data.  But having the exact same pattern (near maximal for about a mile then "normal" thereafter) is too much of a coincidence.

     

    i

      First, the age-based formulas are wrong as often as they are right.

       

      Second, I wouldn't sweat it until you sweat it--HR monitors, especially in the winter, are inaccurate until you start sweating.  Tech fabrics and dry air can contribute to this.  All you have to do to confirm it is check your pulse manually.

      "When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." 
      Emil Zatopek

      catwhoorg


      Labrat

        Interference/static from clothing, poor readings due to lack of conductivity.

         

        Both go away with a suitable amount of sweat.

         

        I see such anomalies a lot, and they can be very similar run after run.

         

        Running shirtless in the summer (So hot/.humid and sweating the moment I start) I get a lack of such spikes.

        5K  20:23  (Vdot 48.7)   9/9/17

        10K  44:06  (Vdot 46.3)  3/11/17

        HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17

        FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18

         


        Not dead. Yet.

          I have been seeing the exact same thing, plus other oddities.  ie.  My heart rate will drop to 95 in the 8th mile of a long run.  I've tried changing the battery on the transmitter, cleaning the strap, and using electrode gel, but they are continuing to happen.  The last thing I can try is getting a new strap which I will be doing shortly.  My guess is that it is just broken.

          How can we know our limits if we don't test them?


          Right on Hereford...

            Can one's heart-rate ... exceed MaxHR ...?

             

            No.

            catwhoorg


            Labrat

              HR

               

              Thats the sort of anomaly i see this time of year.

               

              (the later dip at ~52 min was a pee break)

              5K  20:23  (Vdot 48.7)   9/9/17

              10K  44:06  (Vdot 46.3)  3/11/17

              HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17

              FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18

               

              npaden


                Interference/static from clothing, poor readings due to lack of conductivity.

                 

                Both go away with a suitable amount of sweat.

                 

                I see such anomalies a lot, and they can be very similar run after run.

                 

                Running shirtless in the summer (So hot/.humid and sweating the moment I start) I get a lack of such spikes.

                 

                Exactly.

                 

                Typically it is dryer in the winter and the static is more of a problem.  Add that to the fact that depending on how you dress and how cold it is you can run a couple miles sometimes in the winter before you start sweating and you are much more likely to see spikes due to static in the winter.

                 

                My 2 cents.

                Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

                Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

                  I used to get a lot of anomalies on my HR monitor as well and found it annoying. I tried a new battery, pre moistening the strap, re syncing ect... with no real changes.  So I started using Spectra 360 Electrode Gel over the past 6 months as an experiment and haven't had any issues since.

                  What was I chasing again?

                  run2thehills


                  rebuilding r2th v2.0

                    This page reviews this type of issues and ways to solve the problem(s):

                     

                    http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/04/troubleshooting-your-heart-rate.html

                    ROD in Miami


                      Guys:

                       

                      Thanks for the excellent feedback. Seems the cold, dry, synthetic-shirt theory works.  (Even though I'm in Miami it's been in the 50s pre-dawn when I run).  So I don't have to worry that I have a mutant heart.

                       

                      This all begs the question (which I think I'll start as a fresh post since differant subject) of what value we runners see or don't see in wearing HRMs.  As I mentioned above, I haven't worn one literally this century until Friday.  Have I been missing anything?

                       

                      Thanks again,

                       

                      Rod

                        Guys:

                         

                        Thanks for the excellent feedback. Seems the cold, dry, synthetic-shirt theory works.  (Even though I'm in Miami it's been in the 50s pre-dawn when I run).  So I don't have to worry that I have a mutant heart.

                         

                        This all begs the question (which I think I'll start as a fresh post since differant subject) of what value we runners see or don't see in wearing HRMs.  As I mentioned above, I haven't worn one literally this century until Friday.  Have I been missing anything?

                         

                        Thanks again,

                         

                        Rod

                        You should have cold, dry problem in Miami when the temperature is in 50s. What you asked in your original post happens to me every time I run. It takes about 5 minutes for my heart rate to come down. This may be a function of insufficient warm up but I don't think it's a big deal.

                         

                        If you want to ensure proper contact between your body and the strap, try applying some water on the sensors before putting the strap on. They also have gels for heart rate strap but to me that's a completely unnecessary expense... water works just fine.

                        running is somewhat like playing golf to me.   crappy shots all day long, ready to give it up & wondering why I'm trying so hard just to get this stupid little ball into a stupid little hole but then out of the blue comes a monster drive or a long putt that actually gets into the cup.  bingo! that one shot keeps me going for the rest of day no matter how crappy I continue to play & gets me back out again on another day.   strange. -- skyedog

                        ROD in Miami


                          You should have cold, dry problem in Miami when the temperature is in 50s.

                           

                          At 49 degrees we call out the National Guard, close the schools, and send the women and children to underground shelters.


                          Not dead. Yet.

                            Wanted to follow up with a really strange result I got tonite.  Like I mentioned, my heart rate is dropping to resting rate in the middle of a hard strong run.  This was actually a 10K time trial that I PR'd, so there was no kind of break at that point.  I wish it wasn't so messed up, because that was one of the hardest runs I have ever done.  Curious what I actually maxed out at.

                             

                             

                            Do you think I should call up Garmin and get a replacement? Or do you think my heart is on the fritz?!? I used heart rate gel but did wear Saucony tech tee. So could that be caused by static?

                            How can we know our limits if we don't test them?

                               

                              At 49 degrees we call out the National Guard, close the schools, and send the women and children to underground shelters.

                               

                              I meant to say you should NOT have that problem but mistyped.

                              running is somewhat like playing golf to me.   crappy shots all day long, ready to give it up & wondering why I'm trying so hard just to get this stupid little ball into a stupid little hole but then out of the blue comes a monster drive or a long putt that actually gets into the cup.  bingo! that one shot keeps me going for the rest of day no matter how crappy I continue to play & gets me back out again on another day.   strange. -- skyedog

                              npaden


                                Wanted to follow up with a really strange result I got tonite.  Like I mentioned, my heart rate is dropping to resting rate in the middle of a hard strong run.  This was actually a 10K time trial that I PR'd, so there was no kind of break at that point.  I wish it wasn't so messed up, because that was one of the hardest runs I have ever done.  Curious what I actually maxed out at.

                                 

                                Do you think I should call up Garmin and get a replacement? Or do you think my heart is on the fritz?!? I used heart rate gel but did wear Saucony tech tee. So could that be caused by static?

                                 

                                That looks like a battery issue to me.  When is the last time you changed it?  Static generally causes spikes, not dips.   I've rarely had dips, mostly just spikes.  The only time I had a dip like that was when I was expirementing and wore my strap with the contacts on my side instead of my chest.  Was your strap tight and good contact with your skin?  That's the only other thing I could think of if it was loose.

                                Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

                                Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

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